Question about '02 revival of OKLAHOMA!

I recently came across a clip featuring the latest revival cast on Letterman. The title song is so infectious, and is now playing over and over in my head. The Tony performance from that year was also great - great set, great choreography. So my question is.. why did it have such a short run? From my little research, it closed in less than a year? I'm just really surprised that with all the hype and name recognition with tourists, it went dark in about 11 months... especially considering the original ran for what, 2,200 performances? Was it just bad directing? Marketing? Have audiences just grown tired of the ground-breaking, classic musicals of yester-year because they figure they've seen it done (badly) a million times in high schools?

BTW.. from the short clips I have seen, I love Andrea Martin as Aunt Eller. I was never a big Oklahoma fan... but how can you not love and appreciate the music. It still holds up all these years later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woXKaFsHhO8&feature=related

Updated On: 1/5/11 at 10:21 AM

i remember the nap i took.

---

The production (especially the set) was swallowed up by the huge Gershwin stage. It would have been much better in a smaller theater on a smaller stage.

I wholeheartedly loved this production.

---

As someone else said, the Gershwin is huge. It is hard for any show to sell out or do well. I watched the production on DVD and while it was enjoyable and had some clever staging (I loved how big they made the stage and the forced perspective used to capture the vastness of Oklahoma), the show was just just boring and dull.

---

I loved the production and saw it around 4th of July with a terribly enthusiastic audience.

To be honest, OKLAHOMA! is a show I have always enjoyed on film, stage or video.

Had a few quibbles with some of the staging - some of "cute" steps in "The Farmer and the Cowman" had more to do with Stroman milking the number than with character.

The ballet tended to plod -it comes at tehe end of an already long Act One (and there is really no other place for the intermission.)

I didn't see the necessity of moving to the train station (for "Kanasa City") and then back to the farm. Seemed like they were just trying to copy the movie, but really that entire first scene can be played effectively on one set. (The miniature train running across the apron of the stage as part of the transition was fun.)

Patrick Wilson was a fine Curly and Andrea Martin was younger more vibrant Aunt Eller (If she is Laury's Aunt would it not make sense that she wopuld be a contemporary of Laury's parents instead of a great-grandmother type?) Justin Bohon really dazzled with his dancing in Kansas City.

I liked some of the bits of Riggs Play (or Hammerstein's original script) that were restored helping flesh out teh characters a bit more - even though is was hardly more than a few lines here and there.

The revival opened to mostly favourable reviews (I gave it 4 stars out of 5 but The NY Times was especially negative) and did good busines through the summer tourist season and then tapered off taking a big dive in Jan 2003. The show is done so often that is is no longer a must-see on Broadway. The 1969 Lincon Center summer revival, the 1979 Broadway revival and this 2002 revival all lost money. Perhaps if this innovative Washington staging comes in it might break that trend.

---

The train station didn't bother me. It kept the plot moving instead of always being stuck on the farm
And I have to admit I LOVED the miniature train that went across the stage during the scene change.

---

I agree about Gabrielle's singing, but I thought her dancing (at least in the video) was fantastic.

Are we all mad at Patrick Wilson for some reason? I didn't get the memo.

Completely forgot about Jessica playing Ado simply as a bimbo and (obviously) having NO CLUE who her character was. Josefina's dancing (IMHO) was MUCH stronger in the DVD than live onstage, but that could have had more to do with filming than anything else.

I didn't have a problem with Patrick and quite enjoyed seeing him onstage in chaps, but that's just me! I thought he had a wonderful charm and warmth.

---

I've seen Jessica Boevers in a few projects and she has never impressed.

Speaking of the revival, did anyone catch it again with the replacements? (Buntrock, Bodnar, Foard, Duke etc?)

I've seen Patrick Wilson in enough things now to feel confident in my assessment that he never has chemistry with anyone. You obviously had a strong chemical response to him, DP, and that can make one forgiving. But seriously. The problem is him.

---

...the arena stage production or a brand new revival?

---