Oklahoma!

Oklahoma! Is a classical musical set in the mid-west of America in the early 1900’s. It was the first musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein and is based on the 1931 play by Lynn Riggs, Green Grow the Lilacs. It tells of the spirited rivalry between the local farmers and the cowboys and in particular tells the story of farm girl Laurey and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain and the sinister farmhand, Jud Fry. A secondary romantic tangle concerns cowboy Will Parker, Ali Hakim and the flirtatious Ado Annie.

The set consisted of connecting flats surrounding the stage area depicting a cornfield and built onto a truck to one side was an excellent frontage and entrance to the farmhouse which had a hinged roof, for easy access when it was needed to be removed from the small stage. Later this structure was revolved and became the scruffy interior of Jud Fry’s shack with the ‘gallows’ to one side. Both were wonderfully and appropriately painted for the different scenarios, as were the flats, by Scenic Artists Andrew and Sabina Aucock. On the floor in front of the stage and to one side was a wooden windmill structure, used in the 1900’s for pumping water, and on the other a large handcart containing sacks and farm tools. The Set Construction was by Mark North and Chris Peck and additional props were overseen by Chris Nussey.

The opening scene saw Aunt Eller sitting in a rocking chair and from the back of the auditorium came Curly singing “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’” as he walked down the centre aisle towards the stage and Aunt Eller. Chris Peck gave a fine performance as Curly, his confident and assured acting skills portrayed the charming, friendly and somewhat cocky aspects of the character so well and he coped with the numerous songs admirably. He had a great affinity with Aunt Eller and there was a lovely chemistry between him and Laurey. The scene with Jud in his shack was quite creepy, and Chris delivered a different side of Curly as he acted out and sang “Poor Jud is Daid”. Maddy Sutton was delightful as Laurey capturing her feistiness but underlying vulnerability superbly. She has a lovely singing voice especially evident in her singing of ‘Many a New Day’ and her duet with Curly, “People Will Say We’re I Love”. Julie Clifford was superb and totally convincing as Aunt Eller. She portrayed the different aspects of the character perfectly, from being a motherly figure towards Laurey and Curly, to being strong willed with an ‘I’m in Charge’ attitude when dealing with certain situations and her handling of the auction was so eloquently and impressively achieved. Nicky Constable was in his element playing Will Parker,who is madly in love with Ado Annie. He has such a natural flair for comedy, so essential in this role, and his enthusiastic and exuberant performance was absolutely top-notch. As well as having great acting skills his singing of “Kanas City” and “All Er Nuthin’” with Laurey, was just splendid. Another super portrayal came from Abbie Proud as Ado Annie Carnes. She was every inch the dizzy, flirtatious, naively innocent young lady, just looking for love, and she brought out the comedic aspects of the part so endearingly especially in her singing of “I Can’t Say No”. A first-rate performance came from Istvan Koszegi as the travelling salesman, pedlar, come con man, Ali Hakim. He was definitely larger than life, had great facial expressions as he persisted in trying to convince about the uniqueness of his wares but he definitely got his comeuppance when finding himself married to Gertie Cummings so well enacted by Tara Foster whose raucous laugh was amazing. Cohan Wildgoose was just brilliant as Jud Fry. He totally looked the part and so disturbingly and menacingly portrayed the obsessed, misunderstood and tortured man yet managed to evoke some empathy for Jud as he wistfully and movingly sang “Lonely Room”. A very commanding performance came from Dale Shaw as the gun-toting father of Ado Annie also, as the town’s Judge. Excellent support came from Paul Holland as Ike Skidmore, from Peter Maddison as Fred, from Mathew Makin as Slim, from Holly Kirk as Ellen, from Grace Randall as Kate, from Katie Watkins as Vivian, from Amanda Huntingdon as Virginia, from Chris Nussey as Cord Elam, from Mick Whitehouse as Mike, from Daryl Dudey as Joe and from all the members in the Ensemble. 

The singing in all of the numbers involving the principals and the ensemble was of a very high standard and the accompanying dance routines were so creatively choreographed and exceptionally executed. I especially loved the tap routine in ‘Kansas City’. The Dream Ballet was so innovatively, imaginatively and movingly conceived and delivered and the five seductively dressed ‘temptresses’ added a definite sensual impact. The fight sequences between Curly and Jud were so realistically and brutally enacted, they were just terrific. The fabulous costumes were excellent and so in keeping with the period. The effective set together with the splendid props and lighting effects, all added that extra ambience in making this a most entertaining and super production. Congratulations must go to Director Janet Koszegi, to Musical Director Nigel Taylor, to Choreographer Leanne Collins, to the Stage Crew, to the wonderful enthusiastic and talented cast and to everyone else involved. It was definitely more than just OK!! Many thanks also, for the very warm welcome that I always receive. 

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