Today, John Livecchi takes a look at a revival of the classic Broadway show, Oklahoma.
One advantage in working for WRL is gaining exposure to materials I may never have considered borrowing. Almost every day something turns up in the return bin that I haven’t read, heard, or seen, and I either check it out right then or make a mental note to do so soon. The other day someone returned a DVD of Trevor Nunn’s 1998 London Production of Oklahoma!, and I happened to be on check in. What luck! Who knew such a thing even existed? I had seen the New York version of this production in 2002, but with a different actor in the lead role and had always wondered if Hugh Jackman of X-Man, Wolverine, and Australia fame had really been as good a “Curly” as the critics stated. The surprise is that Jackman’s even better and the entire production is so good, it’s like seeing a classic for the first time.
Still “doin’ fine” sixty-six years later, this Rodgers and Hammerstein landmark musical is now reborn in a haunting and richly human interpretation. Directed in 1998 by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Susan Stroman, this new production set box office records during its runs in London and Broadway, captivating critics and audiences alike with by its fresh new take on a venerable classic. Luckily for television audiences, the magic of the original London cast is captured in this deluxe film adaptation which includes Hugh Jackman’s sensational, star-making performance as Curly. Also featured are original cast members Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey, Maureen Lipman of The Pianist as Aunt Eller, and 2002 Best Supporting Actor Tony winner Shuler Hensley as the ominous yet movingly sympathetic Jud Fry. In addition to the cast members already listed, the film includes impressive performances by Vicki Simon as Ado Annie, Peter Polycarpou as Ali Hakim and Jimmy Johnston as Will Parker.
One factor that makes this production so fresh was Nunn’s desire to replace the Agnes de Mille choreography—so intrinsic to the original musical—with the work of a contemporary choreographer. The Rodgers and Hammerstein organization consented, and wholeheartedly approved Nunn’s choice: two-time Tony winner Susan Stroman, later dubbed by one critic as “the de Mille of the Nineties.” Stroman’s inventive approach obliged her and Trevor Nunn look at this revered classic as a “new work.”
From its first note, sung off-stage while we watch Aunt Eller peacefully greeting the new day, to its rousing conclusion, everything about the production is innovative. The exchange between Curly and Laurey in act one is suddenly not simple flirtation, but an ongoing skirmish in the battle of the sexes. Laurey is not a coquette and Curly no hayseed. There’s something deep and real between them that only someone as wise as Aunt Eller can sense—and guide. We can feel the danger that lies in wait for them when Laurey impetuously includes Jud Fry in the equation. Later, even when we hate what Jud has in mind for the pair, we find ourselves sympathizing with his desperate loneliness.
The Ado Annie, Will Parker, Ali Hakim love triangle often portrayed as merely a comic counterpoint to the serious main story has a more somber tone here. More than just flighty, Ado shows a darker recklessness in her flirtations. Will may not be a deep thinker, but his affections are genuine, and the consequences more desperate for Annie if things don’t turn out as we all hope. Only Aunt Eller, of all the characters, seems to comprehend Ali Hakim’s sinister mixture of salesmanship and lust. Another major change Nunn and Stroman introduced was a re-interpretation of Laurey’s dream sequence. In all prior productions, the stage directions called for the real Laurey to observe the “dream Laurey” as her dance with a “dream Curly” was suddenly interrupted by the “dream Jud.” Here the real Laurey and Curly dance and Laurey’s dream ominously foreshadows the play’s conclusion.
Act one was so exciting; I could hardly wait to see what was in store for the act two’s famous auction scene. Nunn’s vision was to place it in a barn raising—so the scene opens with feuding cowboys and farmers building something together, but not necessarily in harmony. The action gives new meaning to Aunt Eller’s line from the well-known song: “I ain’t sayin’ I’m better than anybody else, but I’ll be danged if I ain’t just as good.” In an interview Nunn gave to the British press he said, “Revolutions have been launched over statements like that.” Act two’s highlight, of course, is the rousing interpretation of the show’s title song and its reprise once the menacing final conflict is resolved. Does the resolution please us all? We find ourselves pulled at the end—happy that things work out and deeply sad for all the suffering. Laurey grows up at play’s end and gains a little of Aunt Eller’s wisdom. Curly, too, stands upon the beginning of a new chapter—like the territory itself, hopeful, unbroken, but not without regrets.
The film takes place on the actual stage settings, but often cuts to close-ups and travel shots so that the overall feel of the piece is smooth and unified. The lighting and staging are as one would experience them in a live production. Nunn really works at combining the experience of watching live theater with film’s fluidity. A few people might object to the shots of the audience from the stage, especially when the audience applauds a particular number, but I found those cuts enhanced the show’s theatricality rather than diminish its impact. In addition to the filmed version of the whole play is a “behind the scenes” extra disc that is fascinating. The disc traces the history of the production and has insightful interviews with Nunn and Stroman as well as the major performers. It’s fun hearing the actors’ English accents after enjoying their “spot on” Oklahoma twang. This DVD set is a gem I’m thrilled to have happened upon in WRL’s collection and I highly recommend it for anyone hankering for a great “Broadway” experience. As Mary Rodgers, the author’s daughter said to the London Evening Standard on the play’s opening night, “It’s better than the original.” She ought to know having seen them both.
Check the WRL catalog for Trevor Nunn’s Oklahoma
Check the WRL catalog for the 1955 version of Oklahoma