By Amanda VanNostrand.
Many of us have experienced Rogers & Hammerstein’s 1955 movie version of Oklahoma!, and may recall Shirley Jones perfectly belting out the music from the classic story. Today Oklahoma! can be considered plenty outdated, possibly encouraging thoughts of caution in anyone who considers attending a musical version. (Thoughts such as, do I really want to sit through that dance number for 15+ minutes again? And how long is the overture going to be?) Rest assured that this new version has taken the original story of 1906 Oklahoma and successfully presented it to present day America, creating a new experience amidst the same songs and storyline. (Many of the longer running pieces have also been cut down!) It may seem an impossibility, but take note that this version of Oklahoma! is the 2019 Tony Winner for Best Revival of a Musical, and now through March 20th, it will be showing at Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia.
Oklahoma! is Laurey Williams’s story. Two men wish to take her to the Box Social, and we follow Laurey as she works out the internal conflict about which man is a better suiter. Oklahoma! also follows Laurey’s family and friends, including Laurey’s beloved Aunt Eller, and Ado Annie, who is wrestling with a love triangle herself.
While the story of Oklahoma! may seem somewhat simple, viewers of the current version may wonder how they could have missed certain issues that did not appear as obvious in the movie version. The answer could be that Many a New Days have passed since the movie was last viewed, with Many a New revelations occurring about Oklahoma and its present day country. The beauty (tragedy?) of Oklahoma! is that one may see what is on the surface – a cutesy love story – or choose to dig a bit deeper and watch deep flaws and truths unfold. For example, was the way that Curly encourages Jud to kill himself as horrifying back then as it is now? (This scene is magnificently done, by the way. Live cameras project the silhouettes of both characters as they belt out “Pore Jud is Daid”, with the audience being present in a couple of shots. It’s chilling, and pretty awesome.) And is it fair to assume Laurey will be happily whisked away for her honeymoon with Curly after she has witnessed him kill a man? Or that Curly will be the same man after having (inadvertently) committed this murder? (Rest assured that the women in the current story will have answers to these questions.)
Various races, sexualities, gender identities, and backgrounds are represented in this version of Oklahoma!, and we all know that who tells the story is crucial. The cast (casting by Taylor Williams) is what truly revives Oklahoma!. Most prominent among cast members are likely to be Sasha Hutchings, the black woman (many of us know her from Hamilton on Disney+!) who plays Laurey, and Sis, the black, transgender woman who plays Ado Annie. Because of these actors and their fellow cast members, minds will be opened to new possibilities for the female characters whose storylines and personas may once have seemed so set in stone.
The Bluegrass band that reawakens the music can be found on set, in costume, just behind the actors. Audience members will recognize the ghost of the soundtrack as it, too, is revived. The set design (Laura Jellinek) of Oklahoma! is simple; it is made up of plywood tables in the foreground, while hints of Oklahoma terrain lie in the backdrop. Most of the scenery is similar in (plywood) color, but bright, multicolored fringe hangs from the ceiling. And then there are the guns hanging from the walls – 114 of them, to be exact. They blend in nicely. *It should be noted that for every gun in Oklahoma!, $100 will be donated to Gun Neutral’s 501c3 non-profit, which is meant to offset and account for gun violence in entertainment.*
This is Oklahoma! at its finest. For every facet of the show that remains true to its original form, there is another piece that has changed for the better. (Have I mentioned costume design {Terese Wadden} that brings the women on stage in jeans and cowboy boots?) It is a privilege to watch something blossom and become timeless; that is what this show does for any and all fans of musicals. Oklahoma is a true American story, and we now have the privilege to watch as it finally represents, and speaks out for, America.
Running time: 2 hours and 45 minutes with one 20-minute intermission
Oklahoma! will be playing at The Kimmel Center, Forrest Theatre, until March 20th, 2022. The theater is located at 1114 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA. For tickets contact the box office at (215) 893-1999 or click here.