Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! - Peter Markham

An Unexpected Yet Thought-Provoking Revival

People often prefer to gloss over and ignore what disturbs them, instead latching onto comedy to keep themselves satisfied. In the 2021 touring production of Oklahoma, this is no longer possible. This production uses the same script as the original Oklahoma, but makes much different production and technical choices that highlight just how horrifying many parts of the show truly are and should have been to audiences. It takes the sweet love story of Curly McLain (Sean Grandillo), and Laurey Williams (Sasha Hutchings), complicated by a sinister second suiter, Jud Fry (Christopher Bannow), and strips away any gilding added to the story in order to highlight its shadows. The set, appearing to be made almost entirely of unfinished plywood, consists of a single room community center, functioning as the few locations that the show would normally take place in. This, combined with the consistently bright lighting, truly invited me into the show, allowing me to feel as if we are a part of the community being shown onstage. This made me even more horrified later on, not only with the characters, but with myself, perhaps for expecting a more heartwarming story coming in. 

Sasha Hutchings was brilliant as Laurey, with her physically lofty and proud demeanor contrasting directly with her intense indecisiveness when trying to choose between suitors, even when the only reasonable and safe choice of Curly is made clear to the audience right from the start. This choice was clear because of the unchanging eeriness and lack of warmth shown by Christopher Bannoow in the character of Jud Fry. Personally I did not receive the amount of depth in this character that I was looking for, and Jud Fry was a fairly one dimensional character, which is surprising to me because of how central he is to the story. Christopher Bannow definitely made his character Jud Fry seem haunted and mentally unwell, but that was about all I picked up from him. Curly on the other hand enthralled the audience with his boyishness and wit, leading us through the show with his clear and high warble, and creating incredible intimacy during his more provocative scenes with Laurey. Although Sean Grandillo’s performance as Curly definitely stood out the most to me, Laurey’s brilliance shone through during the final song. Hutchings, covered in blood and wildly disturbed by the violent death of Jud Fry (immediately after her wedding), and the following rushed trial, joins in the final verses of “Oh What a Beautiful Morning,” and “Oklahoma” with a high powerful belt and enormous volume she hadn’t used throughout the show, truly showing how crazed Laurey is in this moment, driving the theme of the show home.

Although this show is most definitely for those expecting the older Oklahoma that they know and love, it serves as a more accurate and thought-provoking representation of the story itself. The unusual choices made in all aspects of this show highlight the shadows within it, captivating the audience and truly making for an interesting show.