Oklahoma! (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (871)
See it if You’ve never seen Oklahoma or you’re open to this brilliant new version that lets darkness fall on previously brightly illuminated corners.
Don't see it if You’re an Oklahoma purist who isn’t open to a new interpretation. Read more
See it if you want to discover an atypical breakthrough in musical theatre.
Don't see it if you expect a traditional 1943 R & H revival. Nor, if you aren't open to receiving a somber side of a wonderful show in simple staging, Read more
See it if you love theatre. Simple as that. I don't have enough positive adjectives for this one. I loved it. Revelatory! Refreshing and unbelievable
Don't see it if you insist on Oklahoma being traditional . Though I'd argue that you should. It's an eye opener. So I guess if you don't want them opened...
See it if This is an exquisite revolutionary interpretation of a classic musical. The staging is truly inspired with several brilliant, sexy singers.
Don't see it if If you don’t like your classics upended. The second act opens with a loud dissonance that may rattle your brain. Read more
See it if You are ready for a new take on a classic that mines all the awkward and uncomfortable in gender roles and toxic masculinity.
Don't see it if You don't like musicals and want to stay comfortable. Read more
See it if you can! It is one of the best things I've ever seen - nothing like the Oklahoma of the past!
Don't see it if the modernization of a classic will make you angry
See it if you like edgy, newer content and want to see a classic musical reimagined for our modern times.
Don't see it if you don't like when people put Shakespeare in different places or time periods. Read more
See it if you want a brand new take on a classic work of musical theater. Edgier than previous revivals, this one brings Oklahoma! into 2019
Don't see it if you dislike re-imagined, updated takes on established classic works. You need your musical theater to be totally uplifting & without thought Read more
Critic Reviews (48)
"Fish has dusted off the original musical to reveal the skeleton of danger and the wind of tenacity...Everyone wears their hearts on their sleeves and serenades us in a countrified way...Each is in beautiful sync with the modest string orchestra...In the end, this will not be what you expected, but you may find yourself connected to these folks in a way you did not foresee. It is a bit of a theatrical ambush.”
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“Without considerable changes...Fish has totally reimagined the musical, infusing a whole new vision into the landmark show...For some, his pared-down version will be exhilarating; for those who love the original, the show will be disappointing and slow...Fish is baring the real emotions of his characters...Astonishingly, Fish achieves this by changing very little of the original musical...It’s a masterful reimagining of the musical, but it’s not your father’s ‘Oklahoma.’”
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“Inventive and daring...This ‘Oklahoma!’ knows how to show its dark and dangerous side...The revival soars as high as a bird in the sky, that is until it catches its wings on the electrical wires of lighting designer Scott Zielinski’s. Together with director Fish, the two get tangled up in their troublesome eccentricities, trying to be too clever and different for the sake of being just that...The cast, though, rises this iconic tale back up, finding the honesty and play within the dynamo dynamics."
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“Pretentious and overwrought...A ‘dream ballet’...leaving the audience nonplussed; and singing that challenges the very definition of vocal craft...This reimagining...adds very little...Fish’s revival fails to deliver authentic characters with believable conflicts. Despite the admirable and important diverse casting choices, the characters are not interesting – they come across more as stock characters...This ‘Oklahoma!’...leaves far too much to be desired.”
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“I’m grateful for having first seen Fish’s dark, hip and homey production at St. Ann’s Warehouse last year, because I can see how much improved it is now...I could enjoy this ‘Oklahoma’ without much reservation...What makes it stand out now for me are its beloved songs...It doesn’t much bother me that the new ending feels borrowed from a dark Japanese movie, and it’s hard for me to find fault with performers who focus less on their character’s motivation than on their own diaphragm.”
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“The nipped and tucked ‘Oklahoma!’ reboot deserves a page among The Best Plastic (Theater) Surgeons in America...Kluger, through new orchestrations and arrangements, has unearthed psychologically complex relationships among this band of settlers...Fish’s adaptation is jarringly atmospheric...’Oklahoma!’ still delivers plenty of humor thanks to a secondary storyline featuring Ado Annie...If there’s one misstep in this ‘Oklahoma!’ for a new generation, it is the dream ballet.”
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"But there is darkness too, not just literally - during one very pivotal scene -- but in Fish's subtle examination of the class system on which much of this seemingly plotless musical revolves. In fact, Fish has put almost every second of this show under a newly cleaned microscope and reformulated much of its DNA."
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"By the time the show is over, you'll either be frustrated to the point of anger or expounding…'This is the most exciting thing I've seen this year.'…Sometimes feels like Brecht directed it to explore its darker, subterranean themes by exposing them for us to closely observe and contemplate with the aid of experimental techniques, even at the expense of vigorous pacing, crowd-pleasing dancing, and glorious music…Daniel Fish's 'Oklahoma!' isn't doing fine at all, and it's certainly not OK."
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