OKLAHOMA! Previews- Page 13

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 6/13/19 at 2:51pm

dramamama611 said: "Perhaps a ridiculous question, is Ali Stroker's understudy also wheelchair bound? (IRL?) Just curious. We're seeing in a few weeks, and my luck will certainly get me an understudy (which is fine) so I was just thinking about it."

Neither understudy uses a wheelchair. I'd be interested to see how the character's songs/scenes would be staged without it.

[Zion24]

Posted: 6/13/19 at 9:44pm

dramamama611 said: "Perhaps a ridiculous question, is Ali Stroker's understudy also wheelchair bound? (IRL?) Just curious. We're seeing in a few weeks, and my luck will certainly get me an understudy (which is fine) so I was just thinking about it."

I had a similar thought, in that the wheelchair is such an integral part to her performance. She literally zooms around and uses it to interact with the audience, so I was curious if her understudies would do the same- they are the same two understudies for Laurey, and I imagine its quite an adjustment if/when Ali is out. 

[MVintheheartland]

Posted: 6/24/19 at 8:10am

Danielle49 said: "Saw it again last night — loved it even more the second time around. What a fantastic production. The cast was ON FIRE, especially Ali Stroker. Every time she was onstage, one of the band members just looked around, nodding and grinning, as if to say “yep, she’s the real deal.”"

I saw it over the weekend, and both my friend and I thought WTH with the second act? I sort get what the director was going for, the "exceptional" birth of the United States was not all that pretty, and I was getting into the first act, but when the second act came on, they lost me. The cast came out and chanted something about art, which I could not understand, and the "dream ballet" seemed just inappropriate as it looked more like an Olympics gymnastic floor routine in  a sparkly t-shirt. (yes, I know it's a dream). Reminded me of the SNL skits about the high school drama club presentations.

The various techniques used by the director seemed to just be a mish mash of stuff ("Hey, let's try THIS now!), The audience applause was less than enthusiastic. 

However, the whole cast was fabulous. Curley's understudy  (Denver Milford) was HOT! and great chemistry there. Patrick Vaill as Jud was amazing and just soooo creepy, a great characterization. And of course Ali Stroker was awesome.  

Oldiebutgoodie (go see Hadestown!)

[suspendabledisbelief]

Posted: 6/24/19 at 12:24pm

MVintheheartland said: I saw it over the weekend, and both my friend and I thought WTH with the second act? I sort get what the director was going for, the "exceptional" birth of the United States was not all that pretty, and I was getting into the first act, but when the second act came on, they lost me. The cast came out and chanted something about art, which I could not understand, and the "dream ballet" seemed just inappropriate as it looked more like an Olympics gymnastic floor routine in a sparkly t-shirt. (yes, I know it's a dream). Reminded me of the SNL skits about the high school drama club presentations.

The various techniques used by the director seemed to just be a mish mash of stuff ("Hey, let's try THIS now!), The audience applause was less than enthusiastic.

However, the whole cast was fabulous. Curley's understudy (Denver Milford) was HOT! and great chemistry there. Patrick Vaill as Jud was amazing and just soooo creepy, a great characterization. And of course Ali Stroker was awesome.

Oldiebutgoodie (go see Hadestown!)"

I saw it Saturday (6/22) and I completely agree, we probably saw the show the same night. I feel like people are totally polarized on this production, they either love it or hate it, and I'm still somewhere in between. I do agree that Denver Milford was great. I saw Hadestown the night before so I was comparing the two productions a lot.

[Ctyrkko318]

Posted: 7/21/19 at 3:56pm

Does Ali Stroker stage door after the show?

[joevitus]

Posted: 7/21/19 at 7:55pm

KnewItWhenIWasInFron said: 
I get why the performance as Laurie is divisive, that she's not "likable." But what women, being bought and sold in a misogynistic culture, would be? 

So, uh, no one not given the glorious luck of being born a Millennial can be likable?

I mean, people living in Indian Territory in 1906 surely conformed to traditional gender norms, but I don't think that makes the culture misogynistic: to me, such an assertion is just P.C. extremism. 

Also, I think you must mean "brought up in and sold" not "bought and sold," which doesn't make sense (she can be sold it, but she can't be "bought" it, since it takes her own agency to adopt it). Unless in some weird way you think Laurie is bought and sold like a piece of property, which she clearly is not. You can make the (incorrect) argument that Ado Annie is because her Pa insists Will Parker have $50 in cash before he can marry her. But Laurie is totally in control of her own marriage destiny, and the whole show revolves around her free choice. In the end, Curly has to treat her right to gain her hand, and Jud loses her because she won't be threatened by his brutality (she fires him and banishes him from the farm--remember?).

I think Laurie has always been a likable character. Nothing I've seen of Rebecca Naomi Jones' performance through clips online seems dislikable to me. Aggressive, yes. Dislikable, no.

Updated On: 7/21/19 at 07:55 PM

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 7/22/19 at 1:39am

Seriously, loyalists should at least read Frank Rich’s article. Oklahoma is NOT an original story created by Rodgers and Hammerstein. It carries over the unease and undertones of the work it is adapted from despite their attempt to water them down. This production is not “revolutionary” but any means; it only uncovers what is already there in the material that people refuse to see not admit, same with Sher’s productions of the golden age musical repertoire. 

Updated On: 7/22/19 at 01:39 AM

[Melodicinflation0]

Posted: 7/22/19 at 2:22am

Wasn’t that the point of this revival? To bring up the hidden story buried within a beloved golden age musical?

[binau]

Posted: 7/22/19 at 3:55am

But does this story exist because of or inspite of the intentions of the original authors? Maybe it’s the wrong question to even ask. Regardless of what the authors intended, I think it’s a fair claim that through the movie, through other productions, through the evolvement of the musical as an art form - the subtext has been lost over the years. And this production is pretty successful at bringing it back.

Updated On: 7/31/19 at 03:55 AM

[MX888]

Posted: 7/30/19 at 8:21pm

If anyone going to the show in the next couple of days could let me know if any principal cast members are on vacation or are out (barring illness of course)? Thanks in advance!

[broadwayboy222]

Posted: 8/12/19 at 12:24am

Apologies if this has been stated previously, but, as there is no song list in the Playbill listed on Playbill Vault, does the first act end with the dream ballet as is typically done?

[VotePeron]

Posted: 8/12/19 at 12:26am

broadwayboy222 said: "Apologies if this has been stated previously, but, as there is no song list in the Playbill listed on Playbill Vault, does the first act end with the dream ballet as is typically done?"

No. It ends with Laurie’s verse of “Out Of Your Dreams.” The dream ballet begins Act 2. 

[sndtrklvr]

Posted: 8/12/19 at 6:23am

Saw this on a weekend theater trip (along with Mean Girls and Hadestown) and absolutely loved it. Grew up watching and loving the movie and have seen many local stage productions but this gave me a whole new level of love for the show and now have the OCR on my playlist. The whole cast was great - Stoker obviously was the fan favorite but Daunno and Jones were perfect. The only thing I would have tweaked was the dream ballet - shorter would have been better in opening up the second act. Planning to head back somehow to see this again. Also is the recipe for the chili online anywhere because it was very good!

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/13/19 at 11:51pm

Saw this tonight via the lottery, and honestly I was 100% into this until the very ending. I still really enjoyed it, but the sitting around talking the lines instead of any action, at the climax, was such a dull choice. Everything else I really enjoyed. I have nothing to compare it to, never seen a professional production.