Review of "Oklahoma!"

The first collaboration between Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II was the musical Oklahoma!  The show is recognized as the first to integrate book, score, and choreographed numbers seamlessly into a musical.  A spirited revival of the ground-breaking production opened last week at the Goodspeed Opera House, playing now through September 27^th.

The book by Oscar Hammerstein II, based on the 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs, emphasizes the simpler, less complicated time around the turn of the 20^th Century in the Oklahoma Territory.  It can appear hokey and sometimes too straightforward, but the naturalness and ease does belie an ominous undercurrent.

“Let people say we’re in love!” Laurey (Samantha Bruce) and Curly (Rhett Guter) in Goodspeed Musicals’ Oklahoma!, now playing at The Goodspeed through September 27.
Photo Credit © Photo by Diane Sobolewski

The focus is on cowboy Curly McLain and his awkward, apprehensive pursuit of Laurey Williams.  Complicating matters is the unsettling farm hand Jud Fry’s interest in Curly’s would-be beau.  A secondary storyline is the relationship of the flirtatious Ado Annie and suitor Will Parker and Annie’s dalliances with peddler Ali Hakim.  Overseeing all that transpires to the satisfying ending is the matriarch Aunt Eller.

The score of the show?  What can you say?  Every song by Rodgers and Hammerstein is a tuneful gem.  There are simple bouquets to everyday life as in “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” and “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top.”  The romantic rumblings of young love are expressed in “People Will Say We’re in Love,” and there are full-throttled comedic numbers, such as “I Cain’t Say No!” and “Kansas City.” 

“You're doin' fine, Oklahoma! Oklahoma O.K.!” The cast of Goodspeed Musicals’ Oklahoma!, now playing at The Goodspeed through September 27.
Photo Credit © Photo by Diane Sobolewski

The cast features Rhett Guter as Curly McLain.  Winner of last year’s Best Featured Actor in a Musical by the Connecticut Critics Circle, Guter is engaging, reserved, but also shows his determination and fight in an all-round winning performance.  Samantha Bruce’s Laurey Williams is more than a match for her cowpoke admirer.  She gives a tough, no-nonsense portrayal of the farm girl, who is also seeking love and romance.  Gizel Jimenez as Ado Annie and Jake Swain as Will Parker provide ample comedic interludes as does Matthew Curiano in his role as Middle Eastern peddler Ali Hakim.  Matt Faucher shows anguish and a elicits a modicum of pity as the quarrelsome, ill-fated Jud Fry.  Terry Burrell’s Aunt Eller is probably the key role of the musical.  She is the overseer and the one everyone gravitates to for advice and solace.  Ms. Burrell brings a knowingness and common sense and inner strength to the role.

“I don't say I'm no better than anybody else. But I'll be damned if I ain't jist as good!” The cast of Goodspeed Musicals’ Oklahoma!, now playing at The Goodspeed through September 27.
Photo Credit © Photo by Diane Sobolewski

In any production of Oklahoma! the Ballet Scene dream sequence at the end of Act I is a key barometer of the show’s quality and success.  Choreographer Katie Spelman carries out this critical assignment with confidence and style.  The number effectively explores the darker side of Laurey’s feelings which, in turn, adds depth to the character as well as the show.  Ms. Spelman is equally adept at the more rambunctious and festive dance sequences.  They are playful and, most of the time, appear organically within the action.

Director Jenn Thompson adroitly expands the confines of the production into the audience.  This opens-up the show beyond the boundaries of the small Goodspeed stage.  She demonstrates a deft hand helming the different tonal qualities and settings of the musical—from the friskiness of the young lovers to the humorous and mischievousness of Ado Annie and Will Parker to the ominous, menacing rumblings surrounding Jud Fry.  Her incorporation of the dance segments into the overall storyline is seamless and harmonious.

“Ev'rythin's up to date in Kansas City.” Will Parker (Jake Swain) and cowboys (Alex Ringler, Mark Deler, Tripp Hampton and Marco Antonio Santiago) in Goodspeed Musicals’ Oklahoma!, now playing at The Goodspeed through September 27.
Photo Credit © Photo by Diane Sobolewski

Wilson Chin’s Scenic Design captures the airiness and sunshine of a summer’s eve to the foreboding setting of the rundown smoke house.  Philip B. Rosenberg’s Lighting Design is skillful in its efficacy, especially when the daylight filters hauntingly through the planks of Jud Fry’s living space.   Also, a special nod to Unkledave’s Fight-House for their staging of the realistic fight sequences.

Oklahoma!, a feisty classic at the Goodspeed Opera House through September 27^th.