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Oklahoma! The theatre over 80 years ago as it debuted in the year 1943. It is a play written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, the first of their many more to come. Directed and revised by Trevor Nunn with choreography by Susan Stroman help from Agnes De Mille. Lighting from David Hersey, sound from Paul Groothius, and set from Anthony Ward. Presented by the Royal National Theatre production, starring (in the 1999 version) Hugh Jackman as Curly McLain and Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey. Curly the cowboy wants to take his on-and-off again childhood friend and romantic interest, Laury, to the box social, but she decides to go with the disturbing, unwell farm hand Jud Fry to make Curly jealous, leading to a cluster of unfortunate and horrible events.
Playing our star cowboy Curly is Hugh Jackman, known for many roles such as The Greatest Showman, Wolverine, and more. I personally thought that he had done so well embodying Curly, a loud, confident, young man who works hard for what he wants and does not give up. He just has an amazing voice with projecting and hitting notes; he is just 10/10. I have mixed opinions on his actual character, like Jud becoming morally gray in “Poor Jud is dead” where he convinces another character to kill himself. Curly has his morals challenged multiple times in the musical, but one of the biggest moments is when he sells everything he has to win an auction, giving away his horse like it’s nothing, and all he got was Laury’s basket of food, and I’m guessing time to talk with her. Even though that sounds sweet and selfless, it is a very self-destructive moment where he thinks nothing of the possible consequences of his actions, which, as we see later in the play, are not out of the ordinary for him.
The eerie and disturbing role of Jud Fry, who was played excellently by actor Shuler Hensley, really amplified the untreated mental illness, obsession, and other unhealthy behaviors with his body language. The way he talked during the performance, with pauses and lip licking, especially when talking to Laurey, amplified his character. When he talked to other characters, he looked distracted and uninterested, looking away, focusing on other things, etc. I personally thought the dream scene was disturbing and kind of terrifying, mostly because of his character. I felt so scared, it was so amazing, it still gives me chills. I like that they delve deeper into his character as a mentally disturbed man in the early 20th century, when almost nothing was known about mental illness and how to treat it. In this, they created instead of a straight-up evil man, a morally grey character leaning toward a darker character with a backstory that may not excuse his actions, but at least explains them.
The lighting for this play depends on the time and place. For example, during the night it's dark, if it is day it's light, but they also use multicolored lighting in the dream scene, the assorted colors depending on Laury’s feelings, red for scared, blue for neutral/ok. The scenes are filled with exactly what you would expect from something set in 1908. Large, wooden structures, places to care for the animals, sharp picket fences, and old, timely furniture and appliances. Costumes share the same theme: long dresses and skirts with light lace accents, frilly blouses, cowboy boots, and holsters. Hats, leather, etc. The sound work was amazing, every song felt alike but so different, as if they could each be a verse in the same song. The songs carried the plot without them, we would all be clueless about what was going on. They sound modern but not too modern, embodying the 1908 style loosely.
My love for this play is rooted in my deep hatred for these characters and/or their choices. Overall, in the end, regardless of the morally wrong and/or gray characters, the plot keeps you hooked and makes you wonder if you should support a few characters, how to feel about them and their morals, and why. It follows such deep people through a tough time with all the confusion and feelings. You could watch this play and hate every character but still love Oklahoma! Its plot is so complex and beautifully told. My biggest highlights are any of the scenes centering around Jud Fry, the way the character moved, talked, and looked just makes anyone and everyone uncomfortable. Curly, the questionable hero, does reckless and self-destructive things “in the name of love” without any thought to the consequences of his actions, such as tossing away his horse, gun, and saddle just to win an auction. As a cowboy, he threw away his entire income and a horse he had built a relationship with for years, a great, strong horse. All this for a girl who cannot even say she loves him, all this for a girl who cannot even say she likes him. His entire character just wants to make me scream with anger and confusion, which is one of my number one reasons I love Oklahoma!