Oklahoma! returns to Broadway! Stripped down to reveal the darker psychological truths at its core, Daniel Fish's production tells a story of a community circling its wagons against an outsider, and the violence of the frontier that shaped America.
Over 75 years after Rodgers & Hammerstein reinvented the American musical, this is Oklahoma! as you've never seen or heard it before - reimagined for the 21st century.
Daunno, who plays his guitar a good bit, and Jones sing out with gusto and swap insults not far from the level of Benedick and Beatrice in William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Testa has fun with Aunt Eller's orneriness and adds to the evening's singing (in a traditionally non-singing role). Special praise has to be aimed the way of Ali Stroker, who's taken on the prairie-promiscuous Ado Annie. She bounds about with fervor in a wheel chair. It may be that her countrified version of 'I Cain't Say No' is the highest of the highlights on display. James Davis comes purty close with his sung and danced 'Everything's Up to Date in Kansas City.' Will Brill doesn't lift his voice in song much, but he nails down the meddling peddler well enough, particularly on his 'mind your own business' line.
This isn't a case of redefining a character but of acknowledging a character's secret self. It's no gimmick, then, but a stroke of directorial invention to play some scenes in complete darkness - the better to allow that private self to step out from the shadows and declare itself. In that spirit, Fish exposes those sexual passions that are kept firmly repressed in traditional productions. (In this version, Curly and Laurey are free to enjoy some candid make-out sessions.) The only failure with this let-it-all-hang-out directorial style is the Dream Ballet, which is supposed to hint delicately of the lovers' yearnings but is here allowed to go on ad nauseam.
1943 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1943 | US Tour |
1st National Tour US Tour |
1947 | West End |
London Production West End |
1951 | Broadway |
Return Engagement [Broadway] Broadway |
1951 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
1952 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
1953 | Broadway |
Off-Broadway Revival Broadway |
1958 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1963 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1965 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1969 | Broadway |
Lincoln Center Revival Broadway |
1979 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1980 | West End |
London Revival West End |
1992 | Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
Paper Mill Production Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
1998 | West End |
Royal National Theatre Production West End |
2002 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2015 | St. Louis, MO (Regional) |
The Muny 2015 Production St. Louis, MO (Regional) |
2018 | Off-Broadway |
St. Ann's Warehouse Production Off-Broadway |
2019 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2020 | US Tour |
Broadway Revival tour US Tour |
2023 | West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Damon Daunno |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Rebecca Naomi Jones |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Daniel Fish |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Patrick Vaill |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Ali Stroker |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Mary Testa |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical | Scott Zielinski |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Daniel Kluger |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Daniel Kluger |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Projection Design | Joshua Thorson |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Oklahoma! |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Set Design for a Musical | Laura Jellinek |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Drew Levy |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Ali Stroker |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Oklahoma! |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Damon Daunno |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Daniel Fish |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Ali Stroker |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Daniel Kluger |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Oklahoma! |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Sound Design | Drew Levy |
2019 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance | James Davis |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Daniel Fish |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | Daniel Kluger |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Damon Daunno |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Ali Stroker |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Mary Testa |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Oklahoma! |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Laura Jellinek |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Musical | Drew Levy |
Videos