OKLAHOMA! Previews- Page 8

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 5:46pm

Was at the matinee today, and it was being taped for TOFT. At one point, during “Surrey”, Laurey kind of pushes Curly towards the railing in front of the audience, and Curly literally went too far back and fell in the laps of audience members. He looked directly at the camera and said “did you get that on film?” then hugged one of the people he fell onto, and took a few seconds to recover from laughing.

I was not a fan of this production. It appeared that Daniel Fish was desperately trying to emulate a John Doyle production, but taking it even further. It just wasn’t for me. Thank god for Damon Daunno, James Davis, Ali Stroker, and Mary Testa for bringing some charm and brightness to a production where some actors seemed like they were directed to act like zombies. The only real shining moment for me was the first rendition of the title song. At least the chili and cornbread were delicious!

Updated On: 3/27/19 at 05:46 PM

[Pippin]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 7:40pm

What is TOFT?



I was also at the matinee today, and had the opposite reaction, Ijay. I loved it! I wouldn’t have called myself a fan of the show, but this production changed my mind. It was thrilling, sexy, dangerous, and the ending, during the reprise of Oklahoma was just devastating.

I loved curly’s little “accident” with the audience. They played it off as well as they could.

I was on at the stage seating, and I feel that maybe being up so close really impacted me. I got EVERYTHING the actors were trying to put across. I saw every subtle gesture. I could hear ado Annie breathing. I was totally in awe of the direction and the overall production, Dave the ballet, which I didn’t really mind, but it could have been cut, and the show wouldn’t have suffered at all.



Mary Testa was superb, as always. Damon Daunno was charismatic and sexy as hell, and the shakesperian trained Jud, Patrick Vaill, was incredible. I really hope he gets a tony nomination; it is well deserved.
Rebecca Naomi Jones broke my heart at the end.


I don’t know about the “zombies” comment. To me, they were living the truth of being country bumpkins living in the south/midwest. I’ve spent a lot of time in southern and midwestern states, and that’s kind of how a lot of the men are..... to me I thought it was pretty authentic .


This was the first time I felt that a director knew what this show was about, and brought out the underlying darkness of the story that has always been there, but I’ve never seen it as in your face as this version, and as I gravitate to darker things, this production will stay with me for a looooooong time.

I would go back in a heartbeat.

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 7:51pm

I don’t know about you all, but when I saw it at St Anne’s I thought this People will Say We’re in Love was full of sexual desire and love. After and entire act actively pretending to push each other away, they finally have a quiet but intense moment together.

[Zion24]

Posted: 3/27/19 at 10:26pm

Pippin said: "
Mary Testa was superb, as always. Damon Daunno was charismatic and sexy as hell, and the shakesperian trained Jud, Patrick Vaill, was incredible. I really hope he gets a tony nomination; it is well deserved.
Rebecca Naomi Jones broke my heart at the end"

Havent seen this yet, and actually not a real fan of Oklahoma! or the notion of some overdramatic "new" spin on something, but the main reason I am looking forward to seeing it is this cast. Testa, Daunno, and especially Jones have done such incredible work (and have sung so incredibly in the past) that its hard to imagine not enjoying it. Surprised at the lukewarm reception here to even these performances. 

 

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 3/28/19 at 12:18am

I wouldn't call the reception lukewarm, but rather divided equally between love and hate. There isn't really any middle ground on this one. You either think it's phenomenal or you think it's terrible. It's really very odd.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 3/28/19 at 12:35am

My friend who works in regional theater, primarily as a director, saw it at the matinee today and said, “Except for the nightmare ballet it was great...the chili was good.” I’d say he leans slightly more toward being a purist so I was impressed he enjoyed it so much. He is pretty open-minded about new musical works especially those he sees locally. He even liked King Kong even though he agreed with all the criticisms. He just really the Kong puppet and use of the set/projections. He is probably going to see Beetlejuice tomorrow night so I’m curious to hear his take.

[Zion24]

Posted: 3/28/19 at 12:36am

GeorgeandDot said: "I wouldn't call the reception lukewarm, but rather divided equally between love and hate. There isn't really any middle ground on this one. You either think it's phenomenal or you think it's terrible. It's really very odd."

Well, I guess what I am saying is that I can see myself hating the production, but have a hard time imagining being disappointed in Jones, Testa, etc. I guess we'll find out eventually. 

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/28/19 at 1:15am

Saw it tonight.

Really enjoyed it. The new orchestrations are just fabulous. Bluegrass totally works here. And I love bluegrass.

I appreciate how they exposed the darker/real side of the story for what it really is but it is not the really dark brooding production all the way through that I was expecting from what I have read. There is a lot of humor. Those moments in the dark were chilling.  loved the staging. I was told that the original production had more than one dancer for the dream ballet and some different staging. I found this to be the weakest part of the show and lasted too long.I had no problem with it opening the second act. I didn't hate it but i was just trying to figure it out! Especially the costume. That pose she strikes on the back wall is hot though! 

The ending totally threw me. It was jarring and all of a sudden made you think diffrently about all but one of the characters. It worked but it left me thinking that they could have achieved this with the original ending.

It's different and thrilling at times. Never lost my attention. I can't wait for the cast recording.

I can totally see people being in the middle on this. Since it is done mostly with all of the theater lights on iI could watch people's reactions. I could tell some were in the middle on this.

Also, I can see Ali Stroker being nominated for this. She was outstanding.

And the chili and cornbread were good!

Updated On: 3/29/19 at 01:15 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 3/29/19 at 8:51am

This isn’t you grandparents’ Oklahoma!... except it is, laid bare for all to see. Under the lush stagings and De Mille choreography and soaring vocals of the show we knew and orchestrations that crush you with romance, this is what we were swooning over for decades. A girl having to decide between an arrogant, toxically masculine cowboy and an incel creep, and her community letting it be known that there is a correct choice that will be upheld. It’s a bucket of cold water on the face of anyone who just wanted to hum along to songs they knew.

That being said, the reports here make it seem as though this is some crazy, backwards-through-a-vocoder, experimental staging. I was shocked by how straightforward a lot of Fish’s staging is- this is not nearly the most auteur-driven piece I’ve seen on Broadway. Hell, John Doyle’s work is a lot less comprehensible most of the time! Even the prolific Ivo Van Hove and his protege Sam Gold are doing much stranger and more symbolic and outre interpretations- on Broadway right now, even. These are largely just naturalistic performances, delivered in a stripped down presentation- and this is a much funnier production than any Doyle or Van Hove or Gold production in recent memory.

I appreciated that the two “production numbers” looked as though these were real people dancing in a real world- a little sloppy, awfully inelegant, but extremely sincere. And the much-discussed dream ballet was evocative and beautiful- and again, not much less comprehensible than a conventional staging.

The performances were across the board stellar. Those dismissing these accomplished musical performers as not being able to sing are quite simply wrong. They can, and they do. It’s not the style you’re used to hearing these songs sung, but they are nevertheless sung. Ali Stroker and Damon Duanno certainly steal the show, and Patrick Vaill is a haunting, menacing Jud. The character rings horrifyingly true these days, particularly in his threats to Laurey during their act 2 scene and his indulgence in the fantasy of his funeral that Curly so cruelly forces upon him.

There were quite a few moments where I simply forgot where I was- the transformation of the space, the strange beauty of the arranagements, the elegant but spare staging. So many moments will stick with me, having tapped into a visceral emotional part of my mind that no version of this show ever has.
 

Updated On: 3/29/19 at 08:51 AM

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 3/29/19 at 12:25pm

Beautiful review, Kad.

[Copperfield2]

Posted: 3/29/19 at 1:15pm

I was really hoping they would rethink the awful Dream Ballet. Apparently they haven’t.

[getupngo]

Posted: 3/29/19 at 3:49pm

ColorTheHours048 said: "Yes, it’s all abstract, but it’s far from “random.”"

OK. so I saw it again last night. and made it a point to pay extra close attention to the ballet. and I kind of understand it now. but... (this is all going into a spoiler box)

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

curly and jud do not appear at the doors. they don't appear at all, until the very end of the ballet when everyone walks out. maybe they did at st. annes, but not here. also the boots. they dropped 1 by 1 the first time I saw it, and now they drop all at once. which is quite jarring when they all hit the ground.

while curly no longer appears, she starts dancing seductively AT HIS GUITAR (how did I miss this before) and she starts mimicking Laurey's dancing from earlier in the show when Curly is singing.

then the ballet shifts to Jud and (AGAIN HOW THE HELL DID I MISS THIS BEFORE LOL) the lights go dark. the night vision camera comes out and starts filming the dancer THE SAME EXACT WAY it was filming jud in the smoke house scene. 

it doesn't hint at anyone dying, but maybe they did that so its more of a shock at the end for those that aren't familiar, but I definitely understand how the new modern dance ballet is a tug of war between her desire for curly and jud.

I still think its way too long. lol but thanks for making me re-examine it

 

[Kad]

Posted: 3/29/19 at 3:55pm

Jud appears and pushes the boots offstage... 

[getupngo]

Posted: 3/29/19 at 3:59pm

Kad said: "Jud appears and pushes the boots offstage..."

at the very end after curly

colors was saying they used to appear during the ballet.

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/29/19 at 4:18pm

They appeared in pairs during the ballet the other night.

[Fan123]

Posted: 3/29/19 at 5:10pm

Kad said: "This isn’t you grandparents’ Oklahoma!... except it is, laid bare for all to see. Under the lush stagings and De Mille choreography and soaring vocals of the show we knew and orchestrations that crush you with romance, this is what we were swooning over for decades. A girl having to decide between an arrogant, toxically masculine cowboy and an incel creep, and her community letting it be known that there is a correct choice that will be upheld [...]

That being said, the reports here make it seem as though this is some crazy, backwards-through-a-vocoder, experimental staging. I was shocked by how straightforward a lot of Fish’s staging is- this is not nearly the most auteur-driven piece I’ve seen on Broadway. [...] These are largely just naturalistic performances, delivered in a stripped down presentation [...]"

Appreciate your comments, Kad. I've been curious to hear more about this production, which I won't get to see, partly because I've been wondering to what extent this production's take is really 'new'. (I don't mean that as a diss. I would rather a production be good, than be new just for the sake of being new.) I've make a couple of flippant posts in the past on this board about how somebody should do a modernized production with Curly as a "douchebag entitled jock" and Jud as a "bitter entitled nerd". It sounds as though, sans the overt modernization, my wish has been granted. Or maybe it always was with this show. My 'modern' idea wasn't a particular leap on my part; the Nunn production, the first one I saw, already screams out those connotations to today's eyes IMO, even if we're using different words for it these days. Maybe if I'd seen the original Broadway production, those themes would come through just as strongly there too. I guess that's the joy of theatre, that these things can be rediscovered in shows anew each time that they come back around.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 3/29/19 at 5:34pm

getupngo said: "at the very end after curly

colors was saying they used to appear during the ballet."

I definitely did not say that. Someone else did. But I’m glad you were able to see the show again and reevaluate and even catch things you didn’t before.

I also saw it again last night with Kad and they’ve clearly done some work on picking up the pace in certain sections, particularly the first smokehouse scene with Jud and Curly. The first act also feels noticeably brighter, mood-wise.

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 2:53am

Is there a rush? Has anyone tried?

[JayElle]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 3:33pm

Can I get input on best seating location.  The stage is U shaped.  Best viewing at the bottom of U location or on either side. It looks like band sits at bottom of U and I wondered if that would block the view.

[getupngo]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 3:47pm

JayElle said: "Can I get input on best seating location. The stage is U shaped. Best viewing at the bottom of U location or on either side. It looks like band sits at bottom of U and I wondered if that would block the view."

Doesn’t block at all. There’s like 2 rectangular blocks dug down into the stage that the band steps down into... maybe a  foot n half or 2.

def try to sit in the U part. You see everything. Avoid the back wall, at the very tops 

Updated On: 3/30/19 at 03:47 PM

[JayElle]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 5:10pm

Thank you GetUPNGo.  I was looking row E in the U part so that should be okay.  JayElle

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 5:34pm

I would say sitting as close to center on either of the sides of the U as possible. You see the big picture, but you also get to take in all of the facial expressions and intimate moments. Doesn’t matter if you’re close or far back, but I’ve sat at the floor table near the band (at St. Ann’s), centered in the next to last row on the side, and in the back row of the “bottom of the U”.

All had their advantages and disadvantages, but I think it’s best viewed from the sidelines.

Updated On: 3/30/19 at 05:34 PM

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 9:55pm

Wow.  So many thoughts on this one.  Part of me really enjoyed the creativity and the original take on a story with which we're all familiar.  The other part of me really wanted "Oklahoma."  

Things I'm still on the fence about or am not fan of:

1) Dream "ballet" - the interpretive, modern dance just didn't work for me.  I didn't feel that any of the choreography helped me understand her conflict.  There was athleticism but no story.  It's one of the few moments of dance in the production, and it was a miss (although the people around me seemed to love it).

2) The lack of dancing as a whole was something I missed.  I get the realistic approach being taken and massive choreographed numbers aren't necessarily the most realistic, but I still missed them.  I was anticipating a big table tap number a la Mr. Doolittle '18.

3) I liked Laurie, but I didn't love her.  Ms. Jones belted most of her moments nicely, but the few moments that required her to go into her falsetto were so soft.  Not sure if that was a choice the actress made, and if so, I'd like to know why.

4) **SPOILER** Still trying to wrap my head around that ending.  A stone faced "There's a bright golden haze on the meadow" with blood dripping down your face is not how I know Oklahoma, so this really required me to think of this as its own entirely different show.

5) Not sure what the microphone situation is.  Most times it felt like they were just projecting without mics which worked, but there were moments where they were very soft or the music was drowning them out.

Things I enjoyed:

1) Curly, Ado, Jud and Aunt Eller were great.  I was swooning over Curly, heartbroken for Jud, impressed by Aunt Eller's strength, and amused by Ado.  Cast was good, as a whole.  

2) The band.  I'm not sure if the instrument I was focused on was a banjo or something else (it was the middle one on the side on the aisle one entrance, but it had such a beautiful southern sound that I never knew I needed in a production of Oklahoma but now will always want.

3) Chili at intermission was a nice little extra that made the production feel homey.

4) The use of the video for Jud's big scene.  The initial darkness really made me focus on their conversation and the darkness of Curly's comments and Jud's reactions.  Then staring into Jud's eyes on that big wall added another sympathetic layer to his character.

Updated On: 3/30/19 at 09:55 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 11:23pm

I sat second seat in, top row at the end on the right. (In that little cove like area). Didn't miss a thing. Not even the projections. Sound was also fine.

[LxGstv]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 11:26pm

Saw the show tonight again and it appears they are still making changes, there was one that made a big difference in the dance sequence.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

So the part where the boots fall down, tonight they came down one by one and eventually 4 or 5 came down together. Last Saturday matinee they all came down at once, which I much preferred, it was so jarring and unexpected, almost like a gun shot, there were gasps in the audience. The way it happened tonight almost felt like a toned down version, didn’t have the same effect at all.

 

Updated On: 3/30/19 at 11:26 PM