Review # 23: Oklahoma!

A few days ago, I saw the 2019 revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! Is it still a musical classic? Find out in this review!

Plot: The plot is based on the 1943 musical with the same name. It is also similar to the 1955 movie that also has the same name. The show starts off with Curly, a hometown boy that plays the guitar. He comes to see Laurey and asks her to the box social. Laurey isn't interested in going out with Curly and rejected him multiple times. To keep Curly from asking again, she tells him that she is already going to the box social with Jud Fry. Curly tells her that she'd be better off going with him. Laurey tells her Aunt Eller that Jud Fry is a creepy man and she only agreed to go to the box social with him just so the town's folk don't assume that she is going with Curly. Meanwhile, Laurey's best friend, Ado Annie, is having some boy troubles of her own. Her heart is tied between a penniless cowboy named Will Parker and peddler named Ali Hakim. She doesn't know which guy she wants to marry. Will Laurey fall for Curly? Or will she keep rejecting him? And who might Ado Annie pick to be her husband? Find out in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! The plot of the story stayed true to its origin. However, in the 2019 version, they darkened the story a bit more. They also updated the show to make it fit in the 21st century. Overall the plot was heart racing yet alright. Let's just say this is not the same old Oklahoma! you once knew.

Characters: In addition to the dark plot, the characters in this show also got a dark makeover. They were also very interactive and extremely realistic. Maybe a little too realistic. For example, the characters Curly and Jud Fry were the characters that had major edgy modifications to their roles. They have a pretty serious moment in the first act that is very deep and nerve-racking. Laurey didn't get a major new update but she was still amazing talented. Her chemistry with Curly was so cute and heartwarming to see in action. Since the shows had a dark twist, they had to bring some humor to lighten up the production, and what better way to do that is by bringing Ali Stroker to play the role of Ado Annie. Ado Annie was so fun and cheerful and every time she came on stage you knew it was going to be a funny scene. Overall, some characters were enjoyable, while other characters might frighten you. 

Songs: Many of the songs where stayed true to their origin. All of the songs were so heartwarming and sweet such as Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin', The Surrey With The Fringe On Top, I Cain't Say No, and People Will Say We're In Love. Oh, and who can forget the title song 'Oklahoma'. Even though the show was very edgy, the songs were the best part of the whole production. 

Sets: I thought it was awesome that when you walked into the theater, it looked like a party was going on. The sets in this show were very interactive. Some of the audience members even got to sit on the stage. They would move chairs and even cook a meal with these sets. The sets aren't as big as most Broadway productions, however, the actors enjoyed themselves on stage and it was cool seeing them at work. Overall the sets were pretty cool.

Overall the show was alright. It wasn't the best show, yet it wasn't worse. There was a lot of scenes they could have fixed or even take out of the show completely. Adults should totally see this show, also people who like dark and frightening things would find this show enjoyable too. Lastly, fans of the old Oklahoma would enjoy this new reimagined version of this production of Oklahoma! I wouldn't recommend children to see this show because it deals with some dark and serious themes like I said before. I recommend them to see shows like Aladdin or Frozen. I also wouldn't recommend teenagers to see this show because they might find it too threatening or boring. I recommend taking them to see Mean Girls or Be More Chill. So if you find the show interesting, go see the 2019 revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!