With concert after concert bringing musicals old and new into the West End, you may be forgiven for falling into a ‘not again’ state. But this is Oklahoma!
Despite the ultra-modern, stripped down version running just last year, this run of Oklahoma is fully traditional, with the lush orchestrations by Richard Rodney Bennett bringing out the best in the Rodgers & Hammerstein show, 80 years since its debut.
Yes, this is rather more than a concert, being both semi-staged and including the ballet by Agnes De Mille. It boasts a cast of ten principals, plus seven ensemble, with Christina Bianco stealing the show in comedy terms as Ado Annie with her giggles and smashing rendition of “I Cain’t Say No!”
There’s a lot going on, plot-wise. Cowboy Curly (Ted Lasso‘s Phil Dunster in his musical debut) is sweet on Laurey (Zizi Strallen). In turn, she is subject to the unwanted attentions of Jud (Tosh Wanogho-Maud), the farm’s hired hand.
Ado Annie is the town flirt, and while her beau Will (Jordan Shaw) has been up in “Kansas City” she’s been playing away with a passing peddler, Ali Hakim (Irvine Iqbal). Her father, Andrew (Sebastien Torkia) is both farmer and town Judge.
The glue in the disparate town, who brings “The Farmer and the Cowman” together, is the marvellous Joanna Riding as Aunt Eller, a former Julie (and later Nettie) in Carousel. And rounding up the cast is Nicole-Lily Baisden, whose Gertie has a braying laugh to die for.
Oklahoma! is the first musical from the long collaboration of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. First staged in 1943, it developed a natural narrative structure in which songs flowed within the story.
Dunster’s Curly opens the singing, starting “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'” acapella, before the orchestra join in. His voice is pleasant, light, and melodic, but lacks the rich tones we have heard from others in the part. He does bring a certain charm to the role.
As befits a true triple threat, Strallen does her own dancing in the ballet. Some might say this could be excised in a concert version, but I find it essential to underline Jud’s obsession with Laurey and her fear of his attentions. It’s beautifully done.
Her singing, although a fine soprano, threatens to overpower Dunster in their love duet, “People Will Say We’re In Love”. The acting in this is wonderful, as two people find themselves drawn together by starting to joke around and then, with the touch of a hand, realising the truth.
Jud is a difficult role. In the recent Young Vic/West End production he was intense and almost pitiful. The character is treated badly even in this version, but he’s a dark and twisted character. Wanogho-Maud has an air of menace and rich deep vocals which surprise in “Pore Jud is Daid” and stun in “Lonely Room”.
Iqbal, Shaw and Bianco make a fun trio to lighten the mood, and number after number leave the audience humming along with a smile. Bill Deamer‘s production is a glorious, if brief, addition to the West End stage, and Ben Glassberg directs the London Musical Theatre Orchestra and Chorus through a Golden Age classic.
****
Oklahoma In Concert is playing at Theatre Royal Drury Lane at two performances on 20 Aug , produced by Fourth Wall, with details here.
Image credit: Danny Kaan