When I was growing up, the Muny – or as the shorthand for it was then, "the Opera" – staged a lot of Sigmund Romberg operettas. Or at least they seemed to, and although I'd only seen them on film, I loathed them. They seemed to me to be some sort of Basic Grownup Boring thing. Last night as I waited for "Oklahoma!" to start, I wondered if Rogers and Hammerstein were the equivalent for today's kids.
I was relieved of that idea at the end of the first act, when a young lady, age 9, stood up behind me and announced, "That was awesome!"
And that's pretty much the story. Yes, it's a warhorse. But like travel cliches such as the Eiffel Tower and the British Museum, there's a reason such things become popular: They're great. It's easy to forget that. But here's a chance to be reminded of it – in spades.
To begin with, it's a great score. You can't have a great musical without a great score, of course. But the Muny and director Rob Ruggiero, who always seems to come through with wonderful stuff for his St. Louis audiences, have put together a fine cast to showcase the music. And it's visually beautiful – Michael Schweikardt's set, the farmhouse, the smokehouse and the barn-raising are all striking.
Equal credit to Ben Davis and Christine Cornish Smith, who play Curly and Laurey, the leads. One of the iconic moments in American musical theatre is when Curly strides onstage in the first scene, singing "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'". And Davis lives up to and exceeds expectations at that point. Throughout the show, he's hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-the-neck good. He can act, too. Smith is his equal, and their duet in "People Will Say We're In Love" is exquisite. Her Laurey is feisty and absolutely what the role calls for.
Good stuff, too from Alexander Gemignani as a menacing Jud Fry, Beth Leavel playing the level-headed matriarch Aunt Eller, and Nehal Joshi, who's the traveling salesman Ali Hakim, a sweetie of a charmer.
Pay attention to the dancing. Agnes deMille did the original choreography for this show and that's the version that's been used until Susan Stroman re-did it for a revival in London in 1998. Certainly, there are evocations of deMille, particularly noticeable in the dramatic ballet that ends Act I, but it's fresh and dazzling. The fact that it's accomplished in dresses evoking feed-sack prints makes it even better. (Hey, it's rural Oklahoma in the early years of the last century. Whaddya expect, Bob Mackie?)
This is a stirring revival of an American classic, and you won't see it done this well, I suspect, in a long time. A particular shout-out to the people who remind the next generations about the wonderful sounds and sight of musical theater, the teachers (RIP, Les Rosenstengel), grandparents, friends and mentors who lead young ones into awesomeness.
Oklahoma!
through August 16
The Muny
Forest Park
314-361-1900
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Ann, What a lovely article. I am going Wednesday and because of your thoughts and observations I am looking forward to it even more.