Oklahoma!

Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'Oklahoma!' occupies an important place in the history of musical theatre, being really the first time that music, drama and movement all come together to create what we now know as the 'musical' in its most easily recognisable form: a stage show where music and drama come together to carry forward the narrative, rather than merely being a story with musical interruptions. As well as being a groundbreaking piece of work, it is also a show which has stood the test of time in its own right and is a well-loved part of the theatrical repertoire. A show which is a popular choice with amateur societies and audiences alike, there can be nobody who needs a reminder of the story or the characters as it has entered very much into the popular consciousness. St Cuthbert's did a great job of creating a particularly confident and well realised version of the show and I might add that (in my humble opinion) this was the best production I've seen the society stage at the Community Hall during my tenure as District 3 NODA rep and to make such a triumphant success of this all-American classic on a dark wet evening on Burnley's Sharp Street is an even greater testament to the skills of this award winning society.

The curtain opened to reveal a set which was reminiscent more of an earthy, battle-scarred corner of Afghanistan than the wide open prairies of Oklahoma but a flavour of the frontier spirit was soon established as Aunt Eller emerged to sort out her washing. Heather Nicholas excelled as Aunt Eller, putting just the right amount of twinkle-eyed humour into the role, confidently dominating proceedings on stage with her every appearance, which is of course just how it should be. Another great performance from Heather here; is there anything she can't do?! Richard Parrish as Curly similarly had the measure of the role, exuding a cheeky arrogance straight from the opening bars of 'Oh What a Beautiful Morning' - surely the greatest show opener in the history of the musical? Perhaps Curly could have toned down the grinning a little - Richard's face must have ached by the interval from the fixed rictus Curly seemed to have to display - but Vicki Riley's Laurey didn't seem the slightest bit put off by it, which is perhaps just as well. Vicki was a doughtily confident Laurey from the off, perhaps losing a little of the character's wavering uncertainty along the way but this helped to create a more obvious signpost to Laurey's character as being just a little bit self-centred and self-absorbed, which worked well. Loveable lunk Will Parker was played with just the right amount of dozy obliviousness by Gareth Doe who won over the audience with his portrayal. I think I'd have liked to have seen a little more of the sparky, comical bond between Will and Ado Annie but that said, Gareth's quietly plodding interpretation of the character worked well. The aforementioned Ado Annie was played with charm and grace by Nicola Barrett who brought a more knowing intelligence to the character than I've seen before, which was a nice touch. Sweet of voice and firm of purpose, here was an Ado Annie to be reckoned with! Ali Hakim was perhaps a little less convincing as the smart talking salesman than I'd have liked: he seemed to be rather more seedily apologetic than brashly confident - and his accent did appear to be rather more 'East Lancs' than 'Mystic East' - but Michael Smith brought out a more endearing side to this snake oil charlatan which worked well nevertheless. I did wonder at one point if both Ali and Andrew Carnes (Lawrence Whittaker) were part of some council sponsored 'twin town' expedition and had been shipped over from an obscure Northern Civic Borough on a fact finding mission... But seriously - and do forgive my attempts at light-hearted frivolity there! - Lawrence made a super job of bringing Carnes to life as a fully rounded character, a tricky thing to pull off in productions of Oklahoma where he is often treated as mere blustering comic relief: well done Lawrence. The rest of the cowboys, farm girls and other assorted Western characters all performed well: particular mention must go to Marina Monk as Gertie Cummings - she of the comically hideous laugh - and Robert Bennett as a particularly enthusiastic Sheriff, Cord Elam. It was also nice to see some fresh male faces given a chance to shine on stage (Blake Morris, Maison McGowan-Doe and Karl Pilkington, take a bow) in the supporting cast, alongside the more experienced ladies in the shape of Anne Reid, Marcia Turner and Elaine Morris: this combination worked well and the directors had clearly marshalled their forces on stage carefully. This came over the footlights with the creation of a happy, energetic and thoughtful production, one in which everyone on stage had clearly given of their best.

One performance of extra special note was Jason Morris's Jud Fry. In a role which can be a difficult nut (if you'll pardon the expression) to crack, I have no hesitation in naming this as Jason's best performance to date. This is a role which needs careful handling and skilful direction to really exploit to the full: playing a role in which one needs to suggest a troubled mind, a violent, even psychopathic personality and yet which needs to be able to elicit sympathy, is very difficult. It was clear that Jason, Susan and Janet had obviously worked hard to thrash out a Jud who managed to tick all of the above boxes and as a result, the scene in Jud's smokehouse was very powerful and had a big impact: full marks all round. 

I was also very impressed with the dream ballet at the end of the first act. That moment everyone dreads - an interminable clomp through the show's more memorable tunes before being released to the bar for a half-time glass or two - became an intelligent and thoughtful pleasure on this occasion. Skilful choreography meant that the movement had a distinct narrative and presented Laurey's dream dilemma with flair and panache. The care which had gone into presenting the Dream Ballet paid off as everyone involved really made the story come to life without any longueurs: again, very impressive work here.

The first half of Oklahoma can feel like an eternity unless handled well - the long-winded introduction of one character after another; one song and dance routine following on from another for what seems like forever; the seemingly never ending exposition of plot and sub-plot - but that wasn't in evidence here. The show moved along at a good pace, with the much shorter second act neatly coming to an agreeable conclusion with its ambivalent ending (Curly getting away with a crime he may or may not have committed always provides food for thought) handled nicely too. Technically speaking, the show proceeded smoothly too: lighting was unobtrusive and helped rather than impeded the events unfolding on stage; costumes and makeup were of a good standard; props and scenery were more than up to the task. Musically, the small three piece band handled themselves well (despite a rather uneven overture, they soon settled into their stride) but I really could have done without the free-form, 'prog rock' style drum solo (I exaggerate a little there perhaps - but not much!) which punctuated the big 'Oklahoma!' number in Act Two - perhaps the drummer had his band mates in the audience on the night I came and was letting his hair down...?

This was a good, solid production which, at the risk of repeating myself, was the best I've seen from St Cuthbert's in recent years. My thanks go to all involved and also, for making myself and Stuart so very welcome: I look forward to the next production with interest and would urge all right minded followers of the lively arts in Burnley to do likewise. Keep up the good work and may your endeavours go from strength to strength. 

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