Barbara Walsh and Patrick Clanton in the national tour of Oklahoma!! Photo credit Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.
Broadway revivals have been the lifeblood of musical theater for decades. They are, for the
most part, feel-good reminders of the golden age of Broadway. Big voices such as Howard Keel and John Raitt became superstars of their era crooning Jerome Kern and yes—Rodgers and Hammerstein. I was not expecting to hear the grand orchestral arrangements or see the crowds of extras on stage for the revival of
Oklahoma! American musicals from the golden era of Broadway tended to be picaresque outsized portrayals of how America came to be. Neither was I expecting the dark and brooding naturalism of American fortitude that is closer to reality than usually portrayed on the Great White Way. The touring production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's
Oklahoma! is a jarring and surreal take that reflects how Americans live in this era as much as when the Oklahoma Territory became the 46th state.
Director Daniel Fish has revamped the story into a pared-down production that veers from the original premise of hardscrabble folks homesteading and quaintly courting by vying for boxed lunches. The stage is a study in contrast with neutral tables and chairs against a wheat-colored backdrop. Racks of rifles on the walls remind us of how disagreements and land used to be settled in what was called Indian territory.
The play opens with Sean Grandillo as Curly McLain crooning, "Oh What a Beautiful Morning," accompanying himself on guitar. Grandillo delivers a hushed and twangy version of a song that was laden with strings and layers of melody in 1943. McLain is traditionally a role sung by a baritone robust in voice and size. Grandillo has a sweet tenor with a smooth yodel edge that I found appealing. There is a bluegrass ensemble of violin, cello, steel pedal, accordion, and strings to give a subtle accompaniment to the fine if non-cohesive singing.
Sasha Hutchings plays Laurey Williams as a firebrand young woman who has a flirtatious banter with Curly. Hutchings possesses a lovely soprano where you can practically see the notes dance. Laurey owns a farm with no-nonsense Aunt Eller played by Barbara Walsh. Laurey's other suitor is the lead farmhand Jud Fry, played by Christopher Bannow. Jud bunks in the smokehouse and Bannow plays him dark, quiet, and stalkerish. This character is not the broadly drawn Snidely Whiplash villain. Bannow's Jud is more Hannibal Lechter with shocking outbursts of violence and then retreat into the shadows.
Christopher Bannow, Sean Grandillo, Sasha Hutchings and the company. Photo credit Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.
I found the comic subplot of this show to be much more enjoyable and a welcome break from the menacing edge of the main characters. Ado Annie is played by the terrific actor who goes by the mononym Sis. She is hilarious as a libidinous gal "Who Cain't Say No." Sis has a fantastic stage presence and her storyline with Hennessey Walker as Will Parker and Hunter Hoffman as Ali Hakim is more akin to traditional musical theater. Hennessey Walker is Krazy Kat to Sis' brick-throwing Ignatz. They seem mismatched on the surface but they fit where it counts with heat and chemistry. This part of the ensemble is the most cohesive with Hannah Solow as Gertie Cummings put in partly for laughs, literally. Solow projects a laugh that is part slapstick and part maniacal. Hoffman as the fast-talking peddler selling snake oil, opium, and French postcards has a great supporting role. Hoffman and Walker play off each other with excellent comic timing.
Some of the new additions or changes to
Oklahoma! are problematic for the plot and in trying to meld a past era to the current one. The use of projected video is a stroke of surrealism that takes the audience into the minds of Jud and Curly. Their exchange starts in pitch darkness, and then the video of a silhouetted and angular cowboy illuminates the stage. It is a chiaroscuro of two characters who are not as different as they are made to seem. The exchange is a display of machismo and coercion played realistically. The "Dream Sequence" is a classic dance originally choreographed by Agnes De Mille as an opium-induced dream that turns into a nightmare for Laurey. This production features Gabrielle Hamilton from the Broadway revival and is a complete departure from the balletic skip through the fog of the original. Hamilton is a whirlwind of passion thrashing about the stage with equine furor. It is beautiful but marred by the music played like Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock. It is disquieting as Laurey's fever dream is supposed to be, but it would be even more evocative of Laurey's longings and fear with a more subtle soundtrack. The music is a little too post-apocalyptic.
The company. Photo credit Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.
Speaking of music, what is up with the music ensemble sucking up stage space? Stage left is completely obscured by the curtain and some comedic action is missed when Ado Annie sets out after Will Parker with a shotgun. Those of us out of sightlines had to surmise that Annie and Will made up when he reappears disheveled with a single hay straw hanging off his sleeve. The music ensemble should be all the way stage left or on a platform so that all of the action can be seen by all of the audience.
As beautiful as the singing was, it was uneven. Some voices boomed to the back of the house and others were nearly sotto voce. The pacing of this
Oklahoma! needs to be tightened up especially in the end coda sequence. The reimagining of Jud and Curly's fatal showdown is bleak and revisionist from the original book by Rodgers and Hammerstein. It dampened the enthusiasm of the show and lent a dour feeling to the reprise of the title song. It is quite indicative of the times that we live in that some of the audience loved it and some were befuddled asking, "What was that?" on their way out of the theater. I was asking myself the same question. I like to see revivals and updated musicals, but this feels more like a musical
based on Rodgers and Hammerstein's
Oklahoma! rather than a revival. It is a group of great performances against choices that seem to have been made just for the sake of being edgy and naturalistic. I do recommend this show with the caveat that it may not be what you expect from a Rodgers and Hammerstein escapist musical. I give it two and 1/2 stars.
Oklahoma! features music by Richard Rodgers and a book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, based on the play
Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs, with original dances by Agnes de Mille.
The creative team includes John Heginbotham (new choreography), Daniel Kluger (orchestrations/Arrangements) Nathan Koci (music supervision), and Andy Collopy (music direction), with casting by Taylor Williams and Borna Barzin. Laura Jellinek (scenic design), Terese Wadden (costume design), Scott Zielinski (lighting design), Drew Levy (sound Design), and Joshua Thorson (projection design) round out the creative team.
Oklahoma! continues at the CIBC Theater, 18 W. Monroe St., through January 23. Performances are daily except for January 17. The performance is 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission. Tickets are $27-$98. For tickets call 312-977-1710 or visit
www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
This show is suitable for ages 12 and older. There is an audience advisory of gunshots, fog, and total darkness. Bring your mask, Covid vaccine card or a negative PCR test and photo ID.
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