It seems everybody is having one of two reactions to Director Daniel Fish’s revival of OKLAHOMA! currently playing at the Ahmanson Theatre. But love it or hate it, so much of this update of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s acclaimed 1943 musical in which a farm girl is courted by two rival suitors, works.
Theatre Review: 'OKLAHOMA!' at Kennedy Center | Maryland Theatre Guide mdtheatreguide.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mdtheatreguide.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The National Tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! arrived at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theatre this week for a mercifully brief engagement, and shortly before Thursday's performance began, the preshow announcement encouraged audience members to pull out their phones, take a selfie, add a 50th anniversary hashtag, and then silence them. Left unmentioned was that the ensuing three hours would include bizarre theatre, gunshots ringing out in a pitch black theatre, and audience members being showered with kernels of corn and carbonated beverages.
The national tour of Daniel Fish’s reimagined Oklahoma!, now playing at the Forrest Theatre, is Oklahoma! like you’ve never seen it. Darker and sultrier than you ever imagined Rodgers & Hammerstein’s magnum opus could be, this production makes an almost 80-year-old musical feel not only modern, but dangerous.
The production is a sad introduction for new audiences and a spirit-crushing experience for those who’ve seen “Oklahoma!” many times throughout the years.