Oklahoma! (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (871)
See it if you like reinterpretations of classics, or like Oklahoma!; you're interested in relevant, smart theatre that is deeply moving and well-done
Don't see it if you want a traditional, proscenium-style, 4th wall experience; you don't like being a little uncomfortable or surprised with staging or set Read more
See it if You want to see this venerable classic reinterpreted (yet with original script completely intact) in a darker yet completely relevant way.
Don't see it if You don’t want to see a more spare, modern and dark production of this American classic that seems completely fresh and relevant. Read more
See it if you want to see the classic musical in a new light
Don't see it if you don't want to see a new darker interpretation
See it if You love imaginative experiential theater which transports you into another world with incredible music, singing & acting. A must see!
Don't see it if You prefer the traditional productions of this Rodgers & Hammerstein Classic. You don't like free homemade chili & cornbread at intermission
See it if You want to see a fresh take on a classic show.
Don't see it if You want a traditional production of Oklahoma!
See it if you want renditions of classic songs you’ll be dying to hear over and over, and a production that’s a fascinating examination of the text.
Don't see it if you’re expecting what you know.
See it if you love a contemporary twist on a classic. It's wonderfully adapted to the modern-day and doesn't feel unrelatable due to the time period.
Don't see it if you like safe, traditional theater or you're triggered by gunshots, blood, or scenes in the dark. Read more
See it if you understand the darkness that lives inside the original story and you can appreciate the original music with a modern arrangement.
Don't see it if you cannot handle seeing the truth on stage and you want a happy ending.
Critic Reviews (48)
"Cheapened and vulgarized...Designed to appeal to kids who have never heard of ‘Oklahoma!’ and ignorant ticket buyers who hate musicals in general and avoid anything categorized as ‘old-fashioned’ in particular...Everything that can go wrong in a lunkheaded misguided musical actually manages to do so...There is evidence that the cast can sing, but everything has been done by director Daniel Fish to disguise the fact."
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"A vibrantly, cerebrally remastered golden-age musical that is held back a bit by some weak-tea singing and dancing...Some actors add twangy flourishes to their numbers, or caterwaul the high notes, which only put you in mind of better renditions you’ve heard, or that the voices aren’t quite up to the demands...What’s best in this ‘Oklahoma!’ is the morally ambiguous cue Fish develops so smartly from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s own narrative impulses."
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"Everything you cherish about this classic has been taken out behind the barn and shot, replaced by an auteur’s bag of tricks and a thesis on gun control and westward expansion...No scene seems any different from the next, and the whole thing is a mostly joyless chore...Agnes De Mille’s famous Dream Ballet has been ditched for an overlong, gymnastics floor exercise...Fish clearly is saying he’s not a great fan of the culture of the Great Plains — of yesteryear or yesterday."
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"A crazily experimental theatrical experience...But this revival of ‘Oklahoma!’ happens to be terrific fun, too...The ensemble’s interactions are casual, loose, wiry, and scrappy, with an energetic sense of anticipation, and their singing, while full-throated, can also be raw...When director Fish’s inventively eccentric notions and Rodger and Hammerstein’s confident showmanship completely fuse, you stop fretting about incongruities — the effect is magical."
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"Marked by bold directorial choices that are invigorating one moment and jarring the next...New actions and characterizations are presented that are out of sync with the existing dialogue...This production succeeds thanks to revealing and vulnerable performances all around, immersive intimacy, cute touches, a streamlined flow, and new bluegrass-style orchestrations that work surprisingly well...Fish’s production is, for the most part, an intriguing and refreshing alternative."
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"The great Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is sturdy enough to withstand any interpretation as long as it’s thought well enough through. And this one’s quite a humdinger. You will just need to check your folksy feel-good memories at the door and then allow director Daniel Fish to take you for a ride on his audacious, sexy, upending take on the great American classic...And if the performers lack the vocal quality you’ve come to expect, they are still sublime."
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"Fish pares the show down to its barest essentials: words and music...Fish envisions the text through a distinctly contemporary American lens, focusing on the way we treat both the outsiders we like and the outsiders we don't...On Broadway, Daniel Fish's 'Oklahoma!' has reached its full potential. Sitting with rapt attention for three hours, I felt as though I was watching a brand-new musical, not one that just turned 76. It's one of the best revivals I've ever seen."
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"Illuminates ideas that have been in Hammerstein's script for 75 years, yet are more in the forefront of public thought these days... Daniel Fish's mounting of 'Oklahoma!,' may seem like an extreme departure on the surface, it displays the same respect for the authors' work while drawing out what will connect with modern audiences. This is a sensational Broadway debut for an artist we'll hopefully be seeing more from in years to come."
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