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| TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO | |
| Last Edit: T.B._Admin. 01:26 pm EST 01/16/22 | |
| Posted by: T.B._Admin. 01:25 pm EST 01/16/22 | |
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| John reviews the touring production, at the CIBC Theatre through January 23. | |
| Link | "OKLHAOMA!" Review |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO | |
| Posted by: kess0078 07:21 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO - T.B._Admin. 01:25 pm EST 01/16/22 | |
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| This reviewer asserts that the ending has been “rewritten,” but I seem to recall that one of the things buzzed about this production, despite a vastly different directorial approach, did not change any of the book as written. Am I mistaken or misremembering? | |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 09:49 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO - kess0078 07:21 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| That was the claim. However, the claim is not true -- I have the text in front of me. Slight changes were definitely made in the text to reflect the fact that Curly deliberately kills Jud after Jud asks Curly to shoot him and also to reflect that Jud does not fall on his knife. Obviously huge changes in Hammerstein's stage directions, which are really part of the original text -- ask any respected theatre historian, if you don't believe me -- were made to explain the changed ending. This is the problem when people lie to your face and get away with it because many of us are too polite to call a lie a lie. Shades of Donald Trump, don't you think? |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL | |
| Posted by: musicalsfan 11:50 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL - BroadwayTonyJ 09:49 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| In Hammerstein's script, Jud starts a fight with Curly. During it Jud falls or is pushed down, and someone says "he fell on his own knife". I haven't seen the current production since it hasn't yet come to my area, but as mentioned above, apparently that line has been removed in this revision of the show. In the play "Green Grow the Lilacs" upon which the musical was based, there's a whole page of dialog about how Jud (called Jeeter in the play) falls on his own knife, during a fight that he started by trying to burn Laurey and Curly to death by setting a hay stack they're sitting on top of on fire. (as also happens in the film version of the musical). So - The creators of both the original play and the musical specifically wanted the action to be that Jud's death was an accident that happened because of his own actions, thereby making it somewhat justifiable that the people of the community were willing to so quickly find that Curly was innocent of killing Jud. The difference between that and how It seems the incident is portrayed in this revised version of the script creates a big change from the intent of the writers who created both the musical and the play the musical was based on. As I've said above, I haven't been able to see this new production and it seems to me that some dimensions of it are both interesting and appropriate, like the new orchestrations, singing styles, and down-to-earth look of the costumes and setting. But changing this important plot point and apparently changing the tone of the show's ending moments seems presumptuous, unfair and disrespectful to its original creators. |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL | |
| Last Edit: singleticket 12:09 pm EST 01/18/22 | |
| Posted by: singleticket 12:08 pm EST 01/18/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL - musicalsfan 11:50 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| So - The creators of both the original play and the musical specifically wanted the action to be that Jud's death was an accident that happened because of his own actions, thereby making it somewhat justifiable that the people of the community were willing to so quickly find that Curly was innocent of killing Jud. The difference between that and how It seems the incident is portrayed in this revised version of the script creates a big change from the intent of the writers who created both the musical and the play the musical was based on. Agreed that it creates a change but my sense is that the original story ends intentionally with a bitter-sweet taste of frontier justice. |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL | |
| Last Edit: singleticket 12:40 pm EST 01/18/22 | |
| Posted by: singleticket 12:29 pm EST 01/18/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL - singleticket 12:08 pm EST 01/18/22 | |
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| Actually, I think the kangaroo court at the end was Oscar Hammerstein's invention. I remember having a discussion here about this previously and I remember admiring many of Hammerstein's additions. | |
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| "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 02:10 pm EST 01/19/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL - singleticket 12:29 pm EST 01/18/22 | |
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| In Hammerstein's original text (and stage directions), the legal proceedings against Curly are not really a kangaroo court since Jud Fry's death is an open-and-shut case of self-defense, witnessed by the entire group at the shivaree/hazing: "He" (referring to Jud) "socks Curly. . . . Jud pulls out a knife and goes for Curly. . . . Jud falls on his knife, groans and lies still." In the Fish revival, the proceedings definitely are a kangaroo court because Curly shoots and kills Jud (without any substantial justification) and then blatantly denies it when, at first coached by Carnes, and then when questioned by said Carnes, both actions being witnessed by the entire ensemble. Curly is obviously guilty of perjury and most likely guilty of second degree murder. Nevertheless, Carnes (and Eller) declare him not guilty, despite the objections of both Cord Elam (verbal) and Mike (facial expression and body language). The trial is an obvious miscarriage of justice in which all present (morally) share the guilt. Shades of Wellman's 1940 film The Ox-Bow Incident, but also (and more relevantly) Huston's 1960 film The Unforgiven, in which a character played by June Walker (the original Laurey Williams) carries out morally ambiguous vigilante justice against an individual reminiscent of Jud Fry. I'll wager Fish has seen both films. I saw the Oklahoma! revival last night and brought Hammerstein's text with me. In the climactic scene, at least 3 lines of original dialogue have been changed or deleted. A new line (I assume by Fish), in which Curly denies that he shot Fry, has been added. |
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| re: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL | |
| Posted by: singleticket 12:48 pm EST 01/20/22 | |
| In reply to: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL - BroadwayTonyJ 02:10 pm EST 01/19/22 | |
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| In Hammerstein's original text (and stage directions), the legal proceedings against Curly are not really a kangaroo court since Jud Fry's death is an open-and-shut case of self-defense, witnessed by the entire group at the shivaree/hazing... I would disagree, even Nunn's production reinforced the extra-judicial quality of the ending. The case is not tried in court but in a community that never liked Jud Fry to begin with. It's a very ambiguous moment and one that can be played in a spectrum of ways. |
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| re: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 01:46 pm EST 01/20/22 | |
| In reply to: re: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL - singleticket 12:48 pm EST 01/20/22 | |
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| A kangaroo court is a deliberate miscarriage of justice. In Hammerstein's book, the struggle between Curly and Jud is witnessed by the community. It's an open-and-shut case of not guilty on the grounds of self-defense. Everyone present agrees. There is no ambiguity at all. It's unconventional and certainly expedient that the trial takes place at the Eller and Williams farm, but no one is perpetrating a miscarriage of justice. Examples of a kangaroo court can be found in classic films like Destry Rides Again, The Westerner, The Sea of Grass, and others but not in Oklahoma!. In the Fish version, Curly murders Fry and this is witnessed by all present. Nevertheless, Carnes coaches Curly to commit perjury. Then together with Eller proclaims him not guilty -- that is the definition of a kangaroo court. In Tuesday's performance, at least two members of the community (Cord Elam and Mike) are obviously disturbed by this decision, which is a miscarriage of justice. For several years now, individuals connected to the production have been declaring that not a word of Hammerstein's text was changed. As far as I know, however, I don't believe Fish has ever said that. Nevertheless, that is a complete and utter falsehood. The problem is when a lie is repeated often enough, people begin to believe it. |
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| re: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL | |
| Last Edit: singleticket 07:51 pm EST 01/20/22 | |
| Posted by: singleticket 07:47 pm EST 01/20/22 | |
| In reply to: re: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL - BroadwayTonyJ 01:46 pm EST 01/20/22 | |
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| It's an open-and-shut case of not guilty on the grounds of self-defense. There is no open-and-shut case as the case is not tried in a court of law. It's decided largely by Judge Aunt Eller. Frontier justice as a way of tying up loose ends is a trope that runs through the musical particularly the shotgun wedding of Ado Annie. The original Lynn Riggs play leaves the question of Curly's possible repercussions with the law unanswered. Hammerstein added the community justice scene, you don't have to call it a kangeroo court if you don't want to. unlike the musical, the end of Green Grow The Lilacs is left rather undecided as to Curly's trial for accidentally killing farmhand Jeeter (renamed Jud Fry in the musical). I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I found Fish's addition to rise quite organically from the musical itself though it was indeed an addition. |
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| Link | Green Grow the Lilacs |
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| re: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL | |
| Last Edit: BroadwayTonyJ 08:21 pm EST 01/20/22 | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 08:20 pm EST 01/20/22 | |
| In reply to: re: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL - singleticket 07:47 pm EST 01/20/22 | |
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| Eller is not the judge. Her comment carries no weight. She just echoes Carnes' verdict. Under the circumstances I'm sure Carnes had the authority to set up a court wherever he deemed necessary. Curly would have been judged not guilty no matter where the trial took place. A technicality is not a miscarriage of justice. Hammerstein's named his play Oklahoma!. It's not the same as Riggs' play. Fish should have written or commissioned his own work if he felt so strongly about frontier justice. Instead he took a famous piece by an esteemed playwright like Hammerstein and totally distorted the original's intent for God knows what purpose. |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 11:53 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL - musicalsfan 11:50 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| Are you sure that line was cut? My memory is that they say it, and it's impactful because we see the community rewriting the event they just saw in order to make Curly the innocent party. | |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 08:46 am EST 01/18/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL - Singapore/Fling 11:53 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| The line was definitely cut when I saw it on Broadway. I have the text in front of me. It is Curly who exclaims "Look -- Look at him! Fell on his own knife." Obviously, in the Broadway production, Curly, having shot Jud dead with Jud's gun, would not then say that Jud fell on his own knife. I agree with much (a whole lot, actually) of what you said about the production. It was strikingly designed and staged. I loved the ensemble acting, particularly Damon Daunno, James Davis, Patrick Vaill, Ali Stroker, and others. The new orchestrations were excellent. I liked the homoeroticism that was evident in the show. I disagreed with the changed ending and I did not like the ballet. However, the pluses outweighed the minuses. I actually had no intention of seeing the Chicago production, but my partner entered the lottery yesterday morning -- AND WON! So we are going tonight. He's excited because he didn't see the Broadway revival with me. Looking at the text carefully. I suspect that other lines were cut also since everyone who is present at this shivaree/hazing actually witnessed Curly shoot and kill Jud. I'll try to take notes and post tomorrow. When the show first began performances, there was a thread on ATC where a certain poster (who had not seen the show) suggested that the line about Jud falling on his knife could have been spoken very softly and thus many audience members would not have heard it. However, when I saw the production, I was seated in the first row very close to the action, the line was definitely not spoken by Curly or anyone else. |
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| "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO -- at the CIBC Theatre | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 08:35 pm EST 01/18/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL - BroadwayTonyJ 08:46 am EST 01/18/22 | |
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| Found a parking spot right away, only 8 blocks or so from the theater. Excellent seats: 8th row, Orch, House Right, slightly off center. Not bad for a lottery seat. |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL | |
| Posted by: musicalsfan 12:31 am EST 01/18/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO (HUGE SPOILERS) -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS REVIVAL - Singapore/Fling 11:53 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| Since I haven't seen this production, I don't know for sure that the line was cut. I've only heard/read that it has or had originally been. Regardless of whether or not the line's there, and regardless if its meaning has been changed in this production to make a statement that the community is lying, the physical action of Curly shooting Jud rather than Jud falling on his own knife is or was there, as I've heard from several people who have seen the production. It's still a changing of the story line and intention of the writers, which in this scene in this production have apparently been twisted. | |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO | |
| Posted by: young-walsingham 01:33 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO - T.B._Admin. 01:25 pm EST 01/16/22 | |
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| This production sounds too changed in wrong ways for me to enjoy, but given that I have not seen it, does the cast album work in it's own merits away from the production? | |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO | |
| Posted by: PlazaBoy 03:06 pm EST 01/16/22 | |
| In reply to: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO - T.B._Admin. 01:25 pm EST 01/16/22 | |
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| I'm glad I passed on seeing this. It sounds dreadful. This and other touring shows in Chicago are offering two for one tickets. Including Moulin Rouge which surprised me. Unless it is show I really want to see, I'm not heading to the theater at the moment. Although, I'm not sure sitting in a theater is more or less risky than most activities. Other than staying home, everything feels like a roll of the dice at the moment. |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO | |
| Posted by: MTPROF77 04:17 pm EST 01/16/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO - PlazaBoy 03:06 pm EST 01/16/22 | |
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| This Woke-lahoma was, indeed, dreadful. | |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO | |
| Posted by: BruceinIthaca 07:44 pm EST 01/16/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO - MTPROF77 04:17 pm EST 01/16/22 | |
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| I liked it, but it's one of my least favorite of the major Rodgers and Hammerstein to begin with and I was in the chorus of it in high school, which wasn't as much fun as you might think ("Li'l Abner" was the most fun chorus experience I had). I don't think Fish's re-visioning works for everything (and he probably tries to do too many things in the course of one production--including media effects that don't work and a "dream ballet," which, while well-danced, didn't seem to me to have much to do with the plot--even if viewed on a purely expressionistic level). But there were many things--including a number of performances--in the Broadway production that were exciting. I don't know whether I think Fish's staging could be successfully adapted to a proscenium and I would need to see the touring production to decide whether the idea of casting trans performers as the secondary couple (Ado Annie and Will) brings anything productive (especially if the vocal ranges need to be adapted to typical differences between male and female voices--though I realize that it all depends on each performer--some may have vocal ranges that, either innately or because of hormone therapy, sit in the ranges, fit the score as written). I did like the adaptation of the orchestration for country band--not the same as the sweeping sound opf the full orchestra, but inventive. So there--just another opinion |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO | |
| Posted by: AlexanderKat 11:33 am EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO - BruceinIthaca 07:44 pm EST 01/16/22 | |
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| How sad to read this review. My first exposure to OKLAHOMA was a City Center production with a young exuberant cast including Susan Watson, John Davidson, and Karen Morrow. But the most enjoyable production of the show for me was the 1979 Broadway revival production directed by William Hammerstein. It just worked so well and seemed so fresh for a decades-old show I'm all for new takes on a classic musical but I see no reason for seeing what sounds like a major directional blunder on so many levels. As for the seven-piece orchestras, I'm still perplexed as to how the theatre-going public has been fine with the reduction of musicians in recent years. And the thought of Laurey dancing to a heavy metal guitar is more than I can bear. Guess I 'll stick my memories I guess. | |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 05:57 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO - AlexanderKat 11:33 am EST 01/17/22 | |
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| I saw this production on Broadway, and it was wonderful. The direction was sublime, with Fish using a number of downtown theater ideas and blowing them up to Broadway scale in order to create a satisfying new take on showbiz razzmatazz. I can't speak to how well the production works when it's attempting to fill a massive proscenium theater, but in the intimacy of Circle in the Square, moments like the pitch black scene between Curly and Jud felt monumental, asking the audience to engage in the story in a new and profound way - and then when we suddenly get this blown-up close-up of Jud's face, it's devastating. This is one reason why video is not used throughout the production: it hits hard precisely because it is a unique event. The reviewer here is clearly struggling with the way it's directed, and rather than investigating what has been presented and attempting to understand why it's done the way it's done, is instead condemning it for not conforming to the reviewer's idea of "good" directing. That's within their purview as a critic, but it strikes me as a rather hysterical reaction to a well-conceived production that, at least in the round, brought the material into the present in ways that made it feel fresh and new. Obviously, it's not going to be for everyone, but like it or hate it, this production was not a blunder. |
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| agree... | |
| Posted by: garyd 07:29 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO - Singapore/Fling 05:57 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| the Circle in the Square production was superb. I too wonder how it will play in proscenium. However, we found it to be a thought-provoking, entertaining and bold production. To be honest, I still ponder the meaning of the dream ballet which I found a bit baffling. | |
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| disagree? | |
| Posted by: HadriansMall 07:48 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: agree... - garyd 07:29 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| I found the Broadway production to be just "okay." It was experimental and - like many experiments - was varied in it's success. The comedic/musical comedy elements were changed most in my opinion and the show suffered for it. The evening at Circle in the Square was definitely elevated by generally stellar acting (though Ali Stroker's charms continue to evade me). I wasn't clutching my pearls at the interpretation (there really weren't many "changes") - OKLAHOMA! is no sacred cow to me - but I also did not find it earth-shattering. As that character from The Devil Wears Prada might say "Gay Subtext for Jud and Curly? Groundbreaking." |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO | |
| Posted by: PlazaBoy 01:41 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO - AlexanderKat 11:33 am EST 01/17/22 | |
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| Agreed. I'll happily stick with my memories. For me, it was the London production with Hugh Jackman. That production (particularly in London, not so much on Broadway) had so many quiet or even still moments. It rally gave on the sense of the vastness of the land. | |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO | |
| Last Edit: singleticket 10:22 am EST 01/18/22 | |
| Posted by: singleticket 10:17 am EST 01/18/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO - PlazaBoy 01:41 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| I saw the Jackman/Trever Nunn production in nyc and I remember the projections were impressive as well. I didn't like the production much. Comparing it with the Fish production I'd say the Fish production had much more of a thematic and aesthetic integrity to it. I still struggled with the Fish production, I felt like I was in an operating room watching OKLAHOMA getting vivisected. I loved some things like the boots falling from the sky and the bloody ending. Other things irked me, I had seen those flag buntings used as an art gallery trope for the past few years and even though they worked beautifully in the design they felt trendy to me. The black out scene did not land for me and I found it rather precious. Looking back on the Fish production it seems to have captured the American zeitgeist of the Trump era in a way that other theater pieces have not yet been able to. Someone above asked why not pick on Shaw to deconstruct and leave Rodgers & Hammerstein alone, but R&H are our Shaw or at least as central to American theater as any play by a canonical playwright. |
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| re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 03:19 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 03:14 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO - PlazaBoy 01:41 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| I wasn't a big fan of Daniel Fish's ''Oklahoma!'' either. My favorite version was the radiant 2010-11 revival at Arena Stage in Washington D.C. It featured a wonderfully diverse cast, starring Nicholas Rodriguez (Latino) as Curly and Eleasha Gamble (African-American) as Laurey. Molly Smith directed it. I wish it had moved to Broadway's Circle in the Square, where I bet it would've been showered with Tony nominations. (Rodriguez is now in ''Company,'' and another Rodriguez who was in ''Oklahoma!,'' Vincent Rodriguez III, as Sam, went on to star in the CW's ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.'') |
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| Link | 'Oklahoma!' opens at Arena Stage |
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| Arena Stage 2010-11 "OKLAHOMA!" -- Big Spoiler Request -- DON"T READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE OKLAHOMA! REVIVAL | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 05:26 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "OKLAHOMA!" in CHICAGO - WaymanWong 03:14 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| That clip is incredible. E. Faye Butler is one of Chicago's stalwart performers. She's a force of nature and has played dozens of great female roles in plays and musicals at all of Chicago's top theaters. I've been privileged to witness all those performances and have had some great conversations with her. I've lost count of how many Jefferson Awards she has accumulated over her career. Valisia LeKae (who played Laurey at some point in the Arena revival) was stunning as Diana Ross in Motown on Broadway and equally fine as Sarah in Ragtime at the Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre (another of my favorite Chicagoland venues). I read about the Arena Stage revival of Oklahoma!, but can't remember the details. Did it use the revised ending in which Curly essentially murders Jud instead of Jud dying accidentally by falling on his knife? |
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| re: Arena Stage 2010-11 "OKLAHOMA!" -- Big Spoiler Request -- DON"T READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE OKLAHOMA! REVIVAL | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 07:28 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 07:19 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: Arena Stage 2010-11 "OKLAHOMA!" -- Big Spoiler Request -- DON"T READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE OKLAHOMA! REVIVAL - BroadwayTonyJ 05:26 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| Butler was wonderful as Aunt Eller, and in fact, she and Gamble were both nominated for Helen Hayes Awards for their performances. Another Hayes nominee was Cody Williams, who played Will. He's gone on to appear on Broadway in ''Memphis'' and ''On the Town.'' This ''Oklahoma!'' won 4 Helen Hayes Awards, including Best Resident Musical, Choreography and Actor in a Musical (for Nicholas Rodriguez). As for LeKae, she was announced to play Laurey, but 10 days before the opening, she withdrew due to ''pressing personal matters.'' Gamble took over after that. ... In 2013, I saw LeKae in ''Motown the Musical,'' which earned her a Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award. As for the ending, I'm pretty sure it was the traditional one (with Curly falling on his knife). I'd recall if they had vastly changed it. |
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| Link | Behind the scenes of Arena Stage's 'Oklahoma!' (Includes rehearsal footage of LeKae and an interview with Butler) |
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| re: Arena Stage 2010-11 "OKLAHOMA!" -- Big Spoiler Request -- DON"T READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE OKLAHOMA! REVIVAL | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 11:34 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Arena Stage 2010-11 "OKLAHOMA!" -- Big Spoiler Request -- DON"T READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE OKLAHOMA! REVIVAL - WaymanWong 07:19 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| As for the ending, I'm pretty sure it was the traditional one (with Curly falling on his knife). That would be a radical change indeed. :-) |
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| re: Arena Stage 2010-11 "OKLAHOMA!" -- Big Spoiler Request -- DON"T READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE OKLAHOMA! REVIVAL | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 08:06 am EST 01/18/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Arena Stage 2010-11 "OKLAHOMA!" -- Big Spoiler Request -- DON"T READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE OKLAHOMA! REVIVAL - Chromolume 11:34 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| That could work with the right casting. I have seen at least two productions of Oklahoma!, in which the actor playing Jud was better looking and more sexually interesting than the actor playing Curly. That could make the waving wheat smell even sweeter when the wind comes right behind the rain. Just sayin'. | |
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| re: Arena Stage 2010-11 "OKLAHOMA!" -- Big Spoiler Request -- DON"T READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE OKLAHOMA! REVIVAL | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 02:47 pm EST 01/18/22 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 02:43 pm EST 01/18/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Arena Stage 2010-11 "OKLAHOMA!" -- Big Spoiler Request -- DON"T READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE OKLAHOMA! REVIVAL - BroadwayTonyJ 08:06 am EST 01/18/22 | |
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| ''As for the ending, I'm pretty sure it was the traditional one (with Curly falling on his knife).'' Oops. I blew it. Obviously, I meant ''Jud falling on his knife.'' For the record, Molly Smith cast two sexy leading men to play Curly and Jud in her ''Oklahoma!'' at Arena Stage, and Rodriguez commented: ''Molly’s incredible. She wanted it to be a viable love triangle. Jud is often portrayed as slovenly and dirty. But she wanted him to be a bad boy and sometimes, women are attracted to them. She wanted Curly to have to work harder to win Laurey. Luckily, Aaron and I get along very well and have each other’s back. If we didn’t, it could be dangerous because of our fight scenes. That’s a lot of testosterone.'' (Laughs.) |
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| re: Arena Stage 2010-11 "OKLAHOMA!" -- Big Spoiler Request -- DON"T READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE OKLAHOMA! REVIVAL | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 08:44 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Arena Stage 2010-11 "OKLAHOMA!" -- Big Spoiler Request -- DON"T READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE OKLAHOMA! REVIVAL - WaymanWong 07:19 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| Oh, I see. I read the BWW article about LeKae being in the show, but it must have been written before she dropped out. I agree that based on the clip you posted and others that I saw on YouTube, the Arena revival must have been fantastic. Thanks for the information. I definitely liked the diverse casting because, after all, that is how America most likely looked post-Civil War. |
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| Nicholas Rodriguez on 'Oklahoma!' and being ethnic and openly gay | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 11:56 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 11:52 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Arena Stage 2010-11 "OKLAHOMA!" -- Big Spoiler Request -- DON"T READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE OKLAHOMA! REVIVAL - BroadwayTonyJ 08:44 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| In 2011, I interviewed Rodriguez and asked him about the racial diversity in his ''Oklahoma!'' He said: ''My father’s Mexican-American, and my mom’s Cherokee and Welsh. But even though our Laurey and Aunt Eller (E. Faye Keller) are portrayed by African-Americans, we’re not playing race. We’ve all done a lot of historical research; although all these ethnic groups [blacks, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans] existed at that time in Oklahoma, they didn’t co-exist. So our modern take is that they’re all co-mingling, like our country is now. But I’m not playing Curly as a Latino; I’m just Curly.'' And speaking of diversity, Rodriguez also dished about being a Broadway leading man of color who's also openly gay. |
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| Link | NewNowNext: Nicholas Rodriguez Talks Life, Love and 'Oklahoma!' |
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