Oklahoma! returns to Broadway! Stripped down to reveal the darker psychological truths at its core, Daniel Fish's production tells a story of a community circling its wagons against an outsider, and the violence of the frontier that shaped America.
Over 75 years after Rodgers & Hammerstein reinvented the American musical, this is Oklahoma! as you've never seen or heard it before - reimagined for the 21st century.
Many of the vocals avoid the bravura in favor of the isolated choke. Most of the dance has been cut; what survives is largely an expression of individual feeling, as when Gabrielle Hamilton dances a solo dream ballet, clad in an ironic 'Dream, Baby, Dream' shirt, wherein it seems America might crush Laurey under its oppressive weight. No wonder Rebecca Naomi Jones plays the putative romantic heroine as unhappy throughout, removed from her world, aware of her own metaphors, interested in a furtive fumble with Jud Fry (the excellent Patrick Vail, who avoids all the usual tropes) but clearly far smarter than her daffy Curly (Damon Daunno).
There's no denying the abundant pleasures to be had from a sumptuous large-scale revival of a classic American musical with a top-flight cast. But a bold reimagining of a familiar work from the canon can deliver an altogether different and far more startling thrill, bringing out unexpected textures and exposing previously subterranean thematic seams. The virtues of a revisionist production don't negate those of the traditional presentation, or vice versa. As the song says, 'the farmer and the cowman should be friends.' Purists will sniff anyway, but for audiences open to experiencing Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! from a fresh perspective, director Daniel Fish's probing revamp will be a revelation.
1943 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1943 | US Tour |
1st National Tour US Tour |
1947 | West End |
London Production West End |
1951 | Broadway |
Return Engagement [Broadway] Broadway |
1951 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
1952 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
1953 | Broadway |
Off-Broadway Revival Broadway |
1958 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1963 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1965 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1969 | Broadway |
Lincoln Center Revival Broadway |
1979 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1980 | West End |
London Revival West End |
1992 | Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
Paper Mill Production Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
1998 | West End |
Royal National Theatre Production West End |
2002 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2015 | St. Louis, MO (Regional) |
The Muny 2015 Production St. Louis, MO (Regional) |
2018 | Off-Broadway |
St. Ann's Warehouse Production Off-Broadway |
2019 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2020 | US Tour |
Broadway Revival tour US Tour |
2023 | West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Damon Daunno |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Rebecca Naomi Jones |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Daniel Fish |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Patrick Vaill |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Ali Stroker |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Mary Testa |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical | Scott Zielinski |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Daniel Kluger |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Daniel Kluger |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Projection Design | Joshua Thorson |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Oklahoma! |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Set Design for a Musical | Laura Jellinek |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Drew Levy |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Ali Stroker |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Oklahoma! |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Damon Daunno |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Daniel Fish |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Ali Stroker |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Daniel Kluger |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Oklahoma! |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Sound Design | Drew Levy |
2019 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance | James Davis |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Daniel Fish |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | Daniel Kluger |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Damon Daunno |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Ali Stroker |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Mary Testa |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Oklahoma! |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Laura Jellinek |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Musical | Drew Levy |
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