OKLAHOMA! Previews — Page 13

dramamama611 said: "Perhaps a ridiculous question, is Ali Stroker's understudy also wheelchair bound? (IRL?) Just curious. We're seeing in a few weeks, and my luck will certainly get me an understudy (which is fine) so I was just thinking about it."

I had a similar thought, in that the wheelchair is such an integral part to her performance. She literally zooms around and uses it to interact with the audience, so I was curious if her understudies would do the same- they are the same two understudies for Laurey, and I imagine its quite an adjustment if/when Ali is out.

MVintheheartland said: I saw it over the weekend, and both my friend and I thought WTH with the second act? I sort get what the director was going for, the "exceptional" birth of the United States was not all that pretty, and I was getting into the first act, but when the second act came on, they lost me. The cast came out and chanted something about art, which I could not understand, and the "dream ballet" seemed just inappropriate as it looked more like an Olympics gymnastic floor routine in a sparkly t-shirt. (yes, I know it's a dream). Reminded me of the SNL skits about the high school drama club presentations.

The various techniques used by the director seemed to just be a mish mash of stuff ("Hey, let's try THIS now!), The audience applause was less than enthusiastic.

However, the whole cast was fabulous. Curley's understudy (Denver Milford) was HOT! and great chemistry there. Patrick Vaill as Jud was amazing and just soooo creepy, a great characterization. And of course Ali Stroker was awesome.

Oldiebutgoodie (go see Hadestown!)"

I saw it Saturday (6/22) and I completely agree, we probably saw the show the same night. I feel like people are totally polarized on this production, they either love it or hate it, and I'm still somewhere in between. I do agree that Denver Milford was great. I saw Hadestown the night before so I was comparing the two productions a lot.

KnewItWhenIWasInFron said:
I get why the performance as Laurie is divisive, that she's not "likable." But what women, being bought and sold in a misogynistic culture, would be?

So, uh, no one not given the glorious luck of being born a Millennial can be likable?

I mean, people living in Indian Territory in 1906 surely conformed to traditional gender norms, but I don't think that makes the culture misogynistic: to me, such an assertion is just P.C. extremism.

Also, I think you must mean "brought up in and sold" not "bought and sold," which doesn't make sense (she can be sold it, but she can't be "bought" it, since it takes her own agency to adopt it). Unless in some weird way you think Laurie is bought and sold like a piece of property, which she clearly is not. You can make the (incorrect) argument that Ado Annie is because her Pa insists Will Parker have $50 in cash before he can marry her. But Laurie is totally in control of her own marriage destiny, and the whole show revolves around her free choice. In the end, Curly has to treat her right to gain her hand, and Jud loses her because she won't be threatened by his brutality (she fires him and banishes him from the farm--remember?).

I think Laurie has always been a likable character. Nothing I've seen of Rebecca Naomi Jones' performance through clips online seems dislikable to me. Aggressive, yes. Dislikable, no.

Updated On: 7/21/19 at 07:55 PM

If anyone going to the show in the next couple of days could let me know if any principal cast members are on vacation or are out (barring illness of course)? Thanks in advance!

broadwayboy222 said: "Apologies if this has been stated previously, but, as there is no song list in the Playbill listed on Playbill Vault, does the first act end with the dream ballet as is typically done?"

No. It ends with Laurie’s verse of “Out Of Your Dreams.” The dream ballet begins Act 2.