Oklahoma!

Oklahoma! was Rogers and Hammerstein’s first musical and both well-known musical and loved by many.  Set in a farming community in an Indian Territory, it tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams and her cowboy suitor Curly McLain.  Throughout the production, Laurey is pursued by various rival suitors including sinister farmhand, Jud Fry.

On a very warm May evening, we were transported to 1906 Oklahoma through the fabulous yet simple opening set which comprised of a ranch house, butter churn and windmill.  The audience were clapping excitedly along with the overture on this opening night.

The lead role of Laurey was beautifully portrayed by Hannah Smith with stunning vocals and gracefully executed dancing.  Hannah’s delivery was equally matched by Patrick Berry in the role of Curly with strong vocals and excellent cowboy characterisation.  Hannah and Patrick had lovely chemistry throughout, especially in their duet “People Will Say We’re In Love”.

Janie Lavelle gave a very strong performance in the role of Aunt Eller with lovely energy.  Dan Matuszak was excellent in the role of Jud Fry, his stature giving a frightening edge to the character.  I particularly liked Dan’s powerful, emotive delivery of “Lonely Room”.

The comedy role of Ado Annie Carnes was exceptionally delivered by the very talented Holly Matthews.  Holly’s characterisation, comedy timing, accent and vocals were outstanding throughout with tremendous stage presence.  Ado Annie’s love interest (Will Parker) was played with great comedy by Mike Harbisher, with Mike and Holly working extremely well together.  Mike Raw completed the principal cast in the role of Ali Hakim, a Persian peddler who had the audience laughing loudly throughout.

The supporting cast of 15 and ensemble cast of 21 sang and danced with energy, although at times I did wonder how on earth they would all fit on stage.  The choreography was very slick and was well adapted to the various skill levels of the ensemble.  It was nice to see members of all ages involved in the production.  I loved the choreography in the dream sequence between Laurey and Slim (Phil Bargewell).  They executed the choreography and difficult lifts with great ease and it was a joy to watch.

The costumes were bright and in keeping with the setting.  The sound was excellent throughout, with very authentic gun shots which had the audience jumping out of their seats.  Despite the cast using strong accents, the dialogue was loud and clear.  The lighting was well designed and added to the ambience of the evening.  The 17-piece band was well balanced under the expert baton of Stephen Sild.

The production was very long but the cast easily kept the audience engaged to the final curtain.  The finale number was full of energy, with lovely harmonies.  Well done to Alison and all the team on a fabulous opening night and thank you for a lovely evening.

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