Oklahoma! (Broadway)

See it if you like ctry-western music. Gr score re-created w blue-grass band. Standout perf by Daunno (Curly). No one else is close. Low prodn values.

Don't see it if you want "improved" play. Voices/acting uneven. Ballet is long/amateurish. More a concert than a play. Emotns/humor flattened. Wasted oppty.

Also So many of the performances disappointed, which I blame on the director. Worth seeing if $ is no object, but I found it gimmicky. I couldn't get engrossed in the action w all the distractions (the lights up and audience members across the hall) and the often flat delivery. The one exception was Curly...loved him!!!... Read more Read less

See it if If you want to see s modern rendition of Oklahoma. Not as good as the 90s version, casting is questionable here.

Don't see it if You like a classic changed to be modern. Or a classic that delves from past direction and writing.

See it if A thrillling, provocative re-think of R & H's classic Americana musical Amazing stagecraft via simple tonal adjustment of original script

Don't see it if Purists/traditionalists beware! Has "indie" feel in directorial/conceptual approach Some business falls flat esp misconceived dream ballet

See it if the safe anodyne Oklahoma is replaced by a dangerous version that challenges our romanticized history of the growth of America

Don't see it if humor at times is cartoonishly broad; still, a revival not to be missed

Also Production from smaller venue (St. Ann's Warehouse) was moved to larger Broadway one (Circle in the Square). Most of the production including the set was left intact. Things that are better: (1) Laurie's Dream dance sequence improved; (2) performance of Ado Annie (Tony Award winner Ali Stoker) even sharper and funnier; (3) tighter interplay between actors & the band; and (4) more inventive use of the sound system. Things that are worse: Some of the actors are swallowed by the larger setting. Others compensate by playing roles so broadly that they border on caricature. Nonetheless, in all, this continues to be an extraordinary new take on this classic, going back to its country and western roots and moving past the way it has been played w a romanticized, triumphalist view of America's past, to bring out the class-based and violent roots of our history. As Frank Rich has noted, MAGA is an empty slogan since the past captured by Oklahoma was never OK.... Read more Read less

See it if you’ve ever thought, “Gee, I wish Oklahoma had more blood in it,” or you’re looking for a wildly new interpretation of a classic work.

Don't see it if gunshots frighten you in theatre or you’re a Rodgers & Hammerstein purist. This ain’t your grandma’s Oklahoma!.

See it if You’re yearning for an interesting — albeit somewhat flawed — reimagining of a classic musical that makes it feel less dated/corny.

Don't see it if You’re going into it w/ a “they’d better impress me” attitude. It’s not perfect, but it makes you think, & the performances are great.

See it if It was mostly very entertaining. Great music, reimagined.

Don't see it if You want a lush, traditional musical. This is extremely stripped down. The scenes in full blackness did not work for me & were annoying.

Also Staging was awkward. Many times an actor was standing in front of another actor blocking the view. I sat directly behind the bass player who stood the whole time and blocked my view of many actors. I often thought it would have been better to just have used a regular stage although I realize that was not the vision for this. I find plays where the lights are on throughout the whole theater for much of the show and you can see your fellow audience members very distracting. I'd really rather focus on the actors but it is sometimes hard when your gaze goes past the performers to the audience members lit behind them The dance at the start of Act 2 was good, but it went on too long.
Be warned, the bathroom lines were the longest I've ever seen for both men and women at intermission (the first act was long). I thought people had left at intermission but then they were seated after the dance at the start of Act 2 (they'd waited on the bathroom lines after the second act had begun).... Read more Read less

See it if you are curious about what's causing all the controversy. There is free chili and corn bread during the intermission.

Don't see it if you love the original traditional staging. The choices made for this production will not please you.

See it if you like the story and the music and open to seeing it in a fresh new way that is lively, sad and moving. Great band, spectacular young cast

Don't see it if you want the original with all the farm scenes - this unique set allows for a fresh interpretation that has great lights and sound + a treat

See it if you like updated on classic shows. Show is in the round so each seat is a good seat.

Don't see it if you think like the movie or past show not into modern updated.

Also intermission is you want veg/chilli and cornbread go to the stage to get some. The day I went the role of Ado Annie was played by Sasha Hutchings. The music was good but different. The only part of this show that I did not like to much was the dance scene. The music and dancing to me did not fit. Gabrielle Hamilton- as she moves on the stage you can see a talent dancer dancing. The dance scene/music for this was too modern to me. I like the some of the changes they made but I take the Classic Oklahoma.... Read more Read less

See it if you wish to see a classic musical very creatively reinterpreted. Semi operatic voices and full orchestra overhauled.

Don't see it if you like a traditional version of a classical musical.

Also Staging is very creative. Casting is wonderful. It's easy to see everything because this is a much smaller theater. I did not like the dance dream sequence. It seemed to stop the story rather than assist it. The court scene at the end was like a dirge and the ending musical number couldn't recover from it.... Read more Read less

See it if The circle in the square is a great space for this show. Great acting and singing. Unique use of video production.

Don't see it if You don't like gritty shows. No real redeeming characters. This was my only interaction with the show so I can't comment on the original.

See it if you enjoy new takes on old fashioned musicals, minimal sets and costumes, an intimate setting. Excellent 8 piece band playing R&H music.

Don't see it if you want across the board great acting and singing; Mostly, I missed the original song arrangements & didn't care for the new ones.

Also This version of the play is very dark. For me, the only real joy is when Ali Stroker and Will Parker are on stage.

Try not to sit in the section behind the orchestra, our seating was C101&102. Most of the acting and singing takes place at the other end of the long stage, so words are lost and you don't feel the intimacy of the show.

Nothing was better than the previous production with Hugh Jackman singing and Hugh Jackman in chaps.... Read more Read less

See it if Liberties taken & lines drawn in this repurposed & reenvisioned classic retelling w/ bluegrass/honkytonk score.Courtship & bloody chaos.

Don't see it if The unfamiliar familiar--the new normal for B'way.Lotsa fringe(and chili) on the surrey, but no truth(even with bright lights uptop).Cartoon

Also OK! Modern dance dream ballet misfires.OK!

See it if You love traditional and moderm theatre. An exceptional example of what a revival can be that respects the texts and brings it to life again

Don't see it if You don't want to be challenged in a sensory way or with your familiarity with the show.

See it if you are not a Rodgers and Hammerstein purist and love to see a new spin on an old tale, great staging and voices

Don't see it if Oklahoma MUST be Oklahoma in your head. This is a much darker version of the same story

See it if You want to see what all the talk of the production is about. It really has no regard for what made this show a classic.

Don't see it if You want to see one of America’s great musicals. This rewriting is NOT it. It is a real downer.

See it if curious about how Rodgers & Hammerstein standards + 21st-Century demands = something rare and enigmatic at Circle in the Square Theatre.

Don't see it if expecting the original feel, look, & vibe of the classic Oklahoma!--or expecting something so newly edgy as to be shocked. This is subtle.

Also It’s some sort of magic: this Oklahoma! doesn’t change story or music from the beloved original and, yet, all the little subtle nuances (more contemporary clothing; a sparse, timelessly-Southern setting; skillful use of props and videography; and the certain intonations on *just* the right words) suddenly turn this lighthearted musical (or so it seems) into something dark, gritty, and depressing. All of the uncomfortable datedness—the violence, misogyny, and sexual repression that, in hindsight, feels so wrong—is brought to the forefront and, yet, the show still works as a thoughtful, provocative meditation on how we can never really know what is in anyone else’s hearts or minds—let alone our own. Blending dark comedy with down-home charm (chili and cornbread is served during the Intermission), Oklahoma! retains some sort of ineffable, ethereal quality best expressed through the fog that comes rolling along at the top of Act 2. Who knows what’s behind the façade, the smoke, the eyes.... Read more Read less

See it if you love Oklahoma and the soundtrack with great acting and singing.

Don't see it if don't want to see a transformation of a new and modern Oklahoma.

See it if you want a new interpretation of the show. This is not your grandma's Oklahoma. Very unique staging and interpretation.

Don't see it if you want to stay true to the original. Staging is great, but the dream dance is so out of left-field, it doesn't fit the rest of the show.

See it if you want BRILLIANT NEW TAKE on a classic musical. Staying within book and score, this production evokes darker (more realistic) themes.

Don't see it if you want conventional. Emotionally resonant, gritty, with, as such, greater heart ... this is not for all. Dream ballet, sadly, a waste.

See it if You enjoy seeing productions with a willingness to take directorial risks. You are either or both an R&H or country music fan.

Don't see it if You dislike productions that fundamentally alter source material.

Also "If somebody wants to sing my songs after I'm gone, nobody will be happier than my dead body." -Richard Rodgers

Richard Rodgers' dead body is surely beaming. While there is never a dearth of R&H revivals, this is the first in my theatre-going lifetime that attempted to be something more than live up to past productions and instead focus on being something entirely new.

Daniel Fish takes directorial risk after risk, rising to the level of theatrical free-climbing. Mostly these risks pay off, some do not. But either way, it's impossible not to be on the edge of your seat when you can't possibly imagine what is next.

The cast is excellent save for Rebecca Naomi Jones' accent, which comes and goes as it pleases. Dameon Daunno's vocal performance is not to be missed.

The one nearly fatal misfire is the Dream Ballet, which is truly bemusing.

Fantastic new orchestrations and all the tension of a horror flick make this show worth rentin' a rig and headin' down to the circle.... Read more Read less

See it if Life's tough but love and community will protect you. Amazing singing — lots of people were humming during intermission and after the show.

Don't see it if Gun/shots or male on female stalking/threats are triggering. Darker, updated reinterpretations of older pieces offend you.

Also Diversity: disabled female character in a wheel chair, Black female lead, two black ensemble cast.
Disclaimer: I never read or watched it until last year's off Broadway production. That first time was overwhelming, but I enjoy it much more the second time. Almost the same production except for the dance after intermission has only one dancer.
Ticket from online lottery for $40.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see an American classic yanked into the present day in a production that's only strengthened and deepened since Brooklyn

Don't see it if you're a traditionalist who can't stand musty, sentimental pieces being explored beyond the surface

See it if Advanced Placement musical theatre +10 points = 98 points for veteran theatregoers; crackerjack and versatile cast

Don't see it if Occasionally an acid trip and real rather than romantic - 10 = 78 points for novice theatregoers who should never choose this as 1st musical