Oklahoma!

Oklahoma! was the first musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein and is based on the 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs. It is set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906 and tells of the spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys. This provides the backdrop for the story of farm girl Laurey Williams and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain and troubled farmhand Jud Fry. A secondary romantic tangle involves cowboy Will Parker, Ado Annie and Ali Hakim.

The group are celebrating the start of their 25th. Anniversary and Oklahoma! is the first full length Rodgers and Hammerstein musical they have performed and it too is celebrating an Anniversary, it’s 80th. There was an open and empty stage that initially greeted the audience with country and western music playing but what followed, when the show began, was just so innovative. To selections of music from the show the cast wandered about and literally, brought on the set. This included white picket fencing, large barrels, a rocking chair, benches and small tables plus a very impressive truck depicting the outside of the farmhouse which when later turned, became the interior of Jud Fry’s shack. All the manoeuvring of the set and props for the different scenes was very efficiently carried out by the cast. 

The opening scene saw Aunt Eller seated in the rocking chair and knitting when Curly entered singing ’Oh What a Beautiful Morning’. This was the first of many of Curly’s solos and/or duets which were indeed, all so terrifically and movingly sung by Matthew Szadura. He not only sang so well but acted the role with great confidence and panache as befitted the charismatic and charming, if somewhat cocky, cowboy. His interactions with Laurey and especially those with Jud, were splendid - it was a top-notch portrayal. Lauren Turner definitely captured the feistiness and headstrong characteristics of Laurey superbly but also showed the vulnerability of Laurey quite expressively. Her singing of ‘Many a New Day’ and ‘Out of My Dreams’ were so beautifully sung and delivered and the duet with Curly ‘People Will Say We’re in Love’ was just stunning. One usually associates the role of Aunt Eller as being that of quite a mature, motherly person of a certain age but here we had a much younger person playing the part and for me, it worked perfectly. Rebekah Petrillo most effectively put her own stamp on the part and she was certainly in charge as was evident in her handling of the auction, which she controlled so well, and her interventions when required to calm down situations or sort out problems were so confidently and so assuredly displayed. It was a very strong, energetic performance and to add to that, Rebekah is also a most proficient dancer. What a deliciously sweet performance came from Alys Raine as Ado Annie. She so impressively portrayed the flirtatious, naive and innocence of the character with such superb comedic overtones, it was an exquisitely and delightful performance. An outstanding characterisation came from Gareth Elvidge as Jud Fry. I was really taken aback when such a deep and powerful voice came from this tall young man. He portrayed the obsessive and misunderstood nuances of the character with great conviction and his singing of ‘Lonely Room’ was so hauntingly, heartfelt and emotionally sung, it was just brilliant. Leighton Hendon was perfect as Will Parker the impulsive, rather dimwitted who is madly in love with Ado Annie. He was so full of energy and enthusiasm and managed to squeeze every ounce of comedy from the role. His singing of ‘Kansas  City’ and ‘All Er Nuthin’ with Ado were sublime. I was a little disappointed at first that Josh Skeldon played Ali Hakim without a ‘Persian’ accent, but here again, it’s what one’s expectations are of the role. However, Josh played it so well that after a while I just accepted it and he did give a first-rate performance of the pedlar come con man. Daniel Ellis was fine as the up-standing, no nonsense, father of Ado Annie and the town’s Judge as was Bethany Haystead as Gertie Cummings, loved the laugh! Excellent support came from Hannah Donovan as Virginia/Dance Captain, from Nicola Smith as Ellen, from Chloe Nunnington as Kate, from Damon Mason as Cord Elam, from Mark Szadura as Fred, from Sophie Taylor as Vivian, from Dylon Cicéron as Ike Skidmore and from Charlotte Brough, Ensemble.

The singing by the soloists was of a very high standard as was that in all of the ensemble numbers and the accompanying dance routines, so creatively choreographed and executed, were stunning. The fight scenes with Curly and Jud were so realistically enacted and I particularly liked the imaginative interpretation delivered in the ‘Dream Ballet’. As Choreographer Emily Skill says in the programme, “It was the first time many of our members were exploring ballet techniques with varying abilities among the cast”. Well all I can say is, that the result was spectacular and obviously conveyed the hard-work that went into not only this scenario, but into all the other splendid dance routines. The costumes were super and very much in period and I loved the fact that the ladies wore ‘pantaloons’. I’ve already mentioned the lovely set and together with excellent props, lighting and sound this proved to be a most joyous, entertaining and wonderful production so worthy of “kick starting” the celebrating of the Company’s 25 years of Theatrical Productions. Many, many congratulations to Joshua Mason Creative Director, to Melanie Gilbert Musical Director, to Emily Skill Choreographer, to the very talented and outstanding cast and to everyone else involved. Also many thanks to Joshua for his very warm welcome and for the hospitality that myself and my friend received.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.