OKLAHOMA! Previews — Page 8

Was at the matinee today, and it was being taped for TOFT. At one point, during “Surrey”, Laurey kind of pushes Curly towards the railing in front of the audience, and Curly literally went too far back and fell in the laps of audience members. He looked directly at the camera and said “did you get that on film?” then hugged one of the people he fell onto, and took a few seconds to recover from laughing.

I was not a fan of this production. It appeared that Daniel Fish was desperately trying to emulate a John Doyle production, but taking it even further. It just wasn’t for me. Thank god for Damon Daunno, James Davis, Ali Stroker, and Mary Testa for bringing some charm and brightness to a production where some actors seemed like they were directed to act like zombies. The only real shining moment for me was the first rendition of the title song. At least the chili and cornbread were delicious!

Updated On: 3/27/19 at 05:46 PM

GeorgeandDot said: "I wouldn't call the reception lukewarm, but rather divided equally between love and hate. There isn't really any middle ground on this one. You either think it's phenomenal or you think it's terrible. It's really very odd."

Well, I guess what I am saying is that I can see myself hating the production, but have a hard time imagining being disappointed in Jones, Testa, etc. I guess we'll find out eventually.

This isn’t you grandparents’ Oklahoma!... except it is, laid bare for all to see. Under the lush stagings and De Mille choreography and soaring vocals of the show we knew and orchestrations that crush you with romance, this is what we were swooning over for decades. A girl having to decide between an arrogant, toxically masculine cowboy and an incel creep, and her community letting it be known that there is a correct choice that will be upheld. It’s a bucket of cold water on the face of anyone who just wanted to hum along to songs they knew.

That being said, the reports here make it seem as though this is some crazy, backwards-through-a-vocoder, experimental staging. I was shocked by how straightforward a lot of Fish’s staging is- this is not nearly the most auteur-driven piece I’ve seen on Broadway. Hell, John Doyle’s work is a lot less comprehensible most of the time! Even the prolific Ivo Van Hove and his protege Sam Gold are doing much stranger and more symbolic and outre interpretations- on Broadway right now, even. These are largely just naturalistic performances, delivered in a stripped down presentation- and this is a much funnier production than any Doyle or Van Hove or Gold production in recent memory.

I appreciated that the two “production numbers” looked as though these were real people dancing in a real world- a little sloppy, awfully inelegant, but extremely sincere. And the much-discussed dream ballet was evocative and beautiful- and again, not much less comprehensible than a conventional staging.

The performances were across the board stellar. Those dismissing these accomplished musical performers as not being able to sing are quite simply wrong. They can, and they do. It’s not the style you’re used to hearing these songs sung, but they are nevertheless sung. Ali Stroker and Damon Duanno certainly steal the show, and Patrick Vaill is a haunting, menacing Jud. The character rings horrifyingly true these days, particularly in his threats to Laurey during their act 2 scene and his indulgence in the fantasy of his funeral that Curly so cruelly forces upon him.

There were quite a few moments where I simply forgot where I was- the transformation of the space, the strange beauty of the arranagements, the elegant but spare staging. So many moments will stick with me, having tapped into a visceral emotional part of my mind that no version of this show ever has.

Updated On: 3/29/19 at 08:51 AM

Jud appears and pushes the boots offstage...

getupngo said: "at the very end after curly

colors was saying they used to appear during the ballet."

I definitely did not say that. Someone else did. But I’m glad you were able to see the show again and reevaluate and even catch things you didn’t before.

I also saw it again last night with Kad and they’ve clearly done some work on picking up the pace in certain sections, particularly the first smokehouse scene with Jud and Curly. The first act also feels noticeably brighter, mood-wise.

Can I get input on best seating location. The stage is U shaped. Best viewing at the bottom of U location or on either side. It looks like band sits at bottom of U and I wondered if that would block the view.

Thank you GetUPNGo. I was looking row E in the U part so that should be okay. JayElle

Wow. So many thoughts on this one. Part of me really enjoyed the creativity and the original take on a story with which we're all familiar. The other part of me really wanted "Oklahoma."

Things I'm still on the fence about or am not fan of:

1) Dream "ballet" - the interpretive, modern dance just didn't work for me. I didn't feel that any of the choreography helped me understand her conflict. There was athleticism but no story. It's one of the few moments of dance in the production, and it was a miss (although the people around me seemed to love it).

2) The lack of dancing as a whole was something I missed. I get the realistic approach being taken and massive choreographed numbers aren't necessarily the most realistic, but I still missed them. I was anticipating a big table tap number a la Mr. Doolittle '18.

3) I liked Laurie, but I didn't love her. Ms. Jones belted most of her moments nicely, but the few moments that required her to go into her falsetto were so soft. Not sure if that was a choice the actress made, and if so, I'd like to know why.

4) **SPOILER** Still trying to wrap my head around that ending. A stone faced "There's a bright golden haze on the meadow" with blood dripping down your face is not how I know Oklahoma, so this really required me to think of this as its own entirely different show.

5) Not sure what the microphone situation is. Most times it felt like they were just projecting without mics which worked, but there were moments where they were very soft or the music was drowning them out.

Things I enjoyed:

1) Curly, Ado, Jud and Aunt Eller were great. I was swooning over Curly, heartbroken for Jud, impressed by Aunt Eller's strength, and amused by Ado. Cast was good, as a whole.

2) The band. I'm not sure if the instrument I was focused on was a banjo or something else (it was the middle one on the side on the aisle one entrance, but it had such a beautiful southern sound that I never knew I needed in a production of Oklahoma but now will always want.

3) Chili at intermission was a nice little extra that made the production feel homey.

4) The use of the video for Jud's big scene. The initial darkness really made me focus on their conversation and the darkness of Curly's comments and Jud's reactions. Then staring into Jud's eyes on that big wall added another sympathetic layer to his character.

Updated On: 3/30/19 at 09:55 PM

Saw the show tonight again and it appears they are still making changes, there was one that made a big difference in the dance sequence.

Updated On: 3/30/19 at 11:26 PM