"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
I think Christine Andreas was pretty spot on in the 1979 Broadway revival. She got a Tony nomination for it too.
Josefina Gabrielle played the role in the 1998 London revival and its 2002 Broadway transfer, but I don't rate her in the role. Her dancing was superb but her singing left a lot to be desired. Also, she spent the whole show like a big moaning kid who didn't get her way in the candy store.
The late 70's Broadway revival with Christine Andreas remains my favorite recording of Oklahoma!. I didn't see the production but she sounds like absolute perfection as Laurey.
That is the best Oklahoma recording across the boards IMHO - Laurence Guittard and Martin Vidnovic sing like baritone gods as Curly and Jud, Christine Ebersole and Harry Groener find all the fun in Ado Annie and Will, the wonderful Bruce Adler tears it up as Ali Hakim, and the great Mary Wickes lends her legendarily wry wisdom and humor to Aunt Eller. The ensemble featured a very young Jessica Molaskey.
Yes and one of the reasons the score sounds so sumptuous on the '79 recording is that that production had the original 1943 music director/conductor, Jay Blackton. He knew that score inside out, and he knew how Richard Rodgers envisioned it.
I'm guessing none of us are old enough to have seen Joan Roberts, but I bet she was pretty damn special live. I absolutely love her voice and am glad I got to see her perform in FOLLIES.
I've always loved Andreas on the 1979 cast recording. Many complain that her sound is too vibrato-heavy, but I adore it.
Josefina Gabrielle is a first-rate dancer and an okay singer/actress. I always assumed the reason that she was cast in the London revival because it was dance-heavy. I'm still surprised they decided to bring her over to Broadway, as there are many talented triple-threats in New York who might have sang and acted the role better.
Eleasha Gamble, in the Arena Stage production, was an absolute delight.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
Rewatched that "People Will Say.." recording, and WOAH I had forgotten how perfect Andreas is in that role. Nails that dialogue into the song- perfect combo of spunky flirtation and ingenue.
I would love to see a lush, appropriately cast professional production of this show ASAP.