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| re: “Oklahoma!”: Audience Rejection On the Road. | |
| Posted by: Glenn 11:36 pm EDT 04/06/23 | |
| In reply to: “Oklahoma!”: Audience Rejection On the Road. - kieran 08:12 pm EDT 04/04/23 | |
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| I never had any interest in “Oklahoma”, which seemed just too old-fashioned, even though it was once revolutionary. When this production came along, I was interested in seeing a fresh take, and expected to side with those who liked it. However, I detested the road company production, not because of the reinterpretation of the text, or the reconception of the score (which I found interesting), but because of its absolute and complete lack of theatricality. Actors delivered songs while seated sideways upstage at folding chairs and tables, in a single bare set, with hospital emergency room lighting (except of course when all the lights went out). I felt like I was seeing a first day table read in the least attractive room at Ripley-Grier. The performances seemed lackadaisical, and I suspected that was due to deliberate direction – Fish seemed determined to wring every bit of stage magic out of the show. I'm guessing that I would have liked it better had I seen it at Circle in the Square, and not on a proscenium (and there certainly was no one in the road company with the spark of Ali Stroker). But with a cast that was seldom directed to deliver songs in a way that created a connection with the audience, and a production design bereft of lighting cues or scenery changes to create mood or emotion (other than a blackout), I felt like the whole thing had contempt for the audience. | |
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| re: “Oklahoma!”: Audience Rejection On the Road. | |
| Posted by: Ann 07:38 am EDT 04/07/23 | |
| In reply to: re: “Oklahoma!”: Audience Rejection On the Road. - Glenn 11:36 pm EDT 04/06/23 | |
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| I think your last sentence is how a lot of people feel. What you describe about the staging worked better earlier, at least at St Ann's, but never seemed like something that could work in the big touring houses. | |
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