While I love musicals I usually prefer the more contemporary numbers like Jesus Christ Superstar, Leader of the Pack, and Million Dollar Quartet. I had never seen Oklahoma! but had heard enough about it to feel skeptical. Was there really any point in doing a revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s notoriously hokey first collaboration together, especially after a movie version and countless high school productions?!?
It turns out that when done by Artistic Director Molly Smith at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre, the answer is a resounding “YES!” Smith changed literally hundreds of details in the production from lighting, to choreography, to musical arrangement, but one of the more intriguing choices on her part was to bring diversity to the cast reflecting the racial and ethnic mix that existed in the territory at the beginning of the 20th century. This move helps modernize the play’s themes of community outreach and cooperation at a time when the U.S. is experiencing such demographic upheaval and transformation in the new global era. This interpretation gives the show the fresh feel it probably had when it first debuted in 1943—a harbinger of a new age in American musical theatre where music and plot would henceforth be intertwined. This production is particularly challenging given the Fichlander’s in-the-round tier-style seating. In this 683-seat main stage at Arena Stage, the actors are required to hit their marks and project in all directions, all the while making the task look effortless. They succeed brilliantly.
The performances are uniformly excellent. Faye Butler is a spectacularly earthy, domineering presence as Aunt Ella. Eleasha Gamble and Nicholas Rodriguez are utterly charming in the lead roles of Laurey and Curley and Rodriguez’s singing voice is pure honey to the ears. Aaron Ramey (above) lends a fine baritone to the part of Jud Fry and Nehal Josi displays perfect comedic timing as the notorious Persian peddler Ali Hakim.
But the real standouts are June Schreiner as Ado Annie and Cody Williams as Will Parker. Schreiner breathes new life into the stereotype of the ditzy, vacuous blonde who “caint say no,” an achievement all the more remarkable considering her youth; she just turned 17. I expect to be hearing and seeing a great deal more of her in the years to come. Cody Williams as Will Parker is pure dynamite; his fancy footwork at times seems to be levitating him off the stage as if he were past the laws of mere gravity. His twinkly-eyed, offbeat charm makes him a focus whenever he is on stage. Like Schreiner he’s another young performer to look out for.
The ultimate testament to the show’s success? My companion for the evening commented that the songs remained stuck in our heads for hours afterwards and our feet were itchin’ for a hoedown.
Photos by Carol Rosegg
Oklahoma!
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Directed by Molly Smith
Choreography by Parker Esse
Fichlander Stage
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre
1101 Sixth Street, SW
202-488-3300
