"Oklahoma!"

Theatre review
"Oklahoma!" at the Hangar Theatre
Ithaca Times
July 16, 2008
730 words
"It's a Ho Down!"

full text here

It's a Ho Down!
By: Mark Tedeschi
07/16/2008

"Oklahoma!" directed and choreographed by Dan Knechtges. Music by Richard Rogers, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein. Starring Whit Baldwin, Joseph Breen, Caitlyn Caughell, Piper Goodeve, Dan Kiely, Joanna Krupnick, Mark Leydorf, Judy McMahon, Sorab Wadia. Scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costumes by Janifer Caprio, lighting by Aaron Spivey, sound by Don Tindall.

Early last year, the government of Saskatchewan launched a campaign to add an exclamation mark to their province's name; according to a handbook of guidelines, the special punctuation was reserved for "optimistic" messages as on billboards and websites. Their rare use of the stamp of exuberance on a proper name was perhaps inspired by the buoyant select few entertainment productions that also provide a home to the mark: "Jeopardy!", "Airplane!", "Oliver!", "Oh! Calcutta!", and a classic paragon of optimism, the musical play "Oklahoma!"

In its introductory incarnation (originally called "Away We Go" - the exclamation mark on the new title was a last-minute addition), Rogers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" (based on a 1931 Lynn Riggs play, "Green Grow the Lilacs") broke ground as a musical with a wider range of drama and better music/story cohesion than audiences had come to expect. It was grounded in a dawn-of-a-new-era sanguineness not always as prevalent in theatre nowadays. The staff at the Hangar Theatre recognized this absence and decided to stage a revival - a successful, dynamic, and wholly enjoyable revival.

The story unfolds in the early 1900s on an Indian Territory that would eventually become the state of Oklahoma. Curly (Baldwin), a spirited cowboy, kicks off the show with the iconic "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'." He and farm girl Laurey (Goodeve) exhibit a Calvin-and-Susie relationship, one that's in plain sight but that each refuses to admit.

Their stubbornness runs them into trouble when Jud, a shady farm hand, asks Laurey to a box social and she accepts just to get a rise out of Curly. He visits Jud and sings "Poor Jud is Daid," a protracted, veiled insult that segues into an exchange of direct confrontation (and later evolves into a fight, directed by Norm Johnson).

Meanwhile, Laurey's malleable friend Ado Annie (Goodeve), admits in the showstopping number "I Cain't Say No!" that she's easily influenced by men - this time, by the Persian peddler Ali Hakim (Wadia). Hakim was unaware she had a sometimes-boyfriend, Will Parker (Breen), but once her father, Carnes (Kiely), decides Hakim is the man for her, he laments his in-too-deep situation and tries endlessly to remove himself from it.

Director Dan Knechtges endows most of the show with an involved poignance, the same element that gave "Oklahoma!" such a successful audience response on Broadway in 1943. The impressive dance numbers, particularly "Kansas City," "Many a New Day," and "The Farmer and the Cowman," show Knechtges's knack for solid choreography and the ensemble's collective dancing talent. "Dream Ballet," being a great dance sequence, stands out as a beautiful spectacle of lighting (Spivey), set design switchery (Boritt), and sound (Tindall).

In other scenes, the set design also cooperates with the lighting. The burlap-patched background and painted clouds over muted brown tones evoke a farming landscape of the South Central United States. And though the lighting is pleasant and consistent per location in the story, it occasionally shakes noticeably over stationary characters, and the paper lanterns, though a neat idea, distract with their constant jiggling.

The casting in "Oklahoma!" is phenomenal, thanks to casting director Alan Filderman. Krupnick and Goodeve both shone brightly among the giant cast of last year's production of "Hair" at the Hangar; here, they work together seamlessly and seize the spotlight when their turn comes. The same is true of Baldwin, a newcomer to the Hangar who has most certainly proven himself. All three demonstrate singing voices both powerful and crisp. The only troublesome acting comes from McMahon (playing Aunt Eller) who stumbled over a few lines on opening night, a shame since the rest of her dialogue ("Ain't nobody gonna slug out anything - this here's a party!") was delivered quite well.

The writing, by today's standards, shows flaws toward the end. Aunt Eller gives a speech about prosperity's necessitating hardiness and steadfastness; without revealing too much, the tension is hastily resolved using neither of those qualities, and everything again turns blithe almost instantly.

Not that blithe is inherently bad. The acting and music (played by John Bell, Walter Stinson, and Josh Oxford) in "Oklahoma!" are enough to sustain interest, and maybe Rogers and Hammerstein deserve a break for taking that dramatic risk, slight as it may now seem. But one can't get by on optimism alone; in tough times, rather, it should be fuel for resilience. And, if the option is there, exclamation marks can only help!


©Ithaca Times 2008