LUU Musical Theatre’s performance of ‘Oklahoma!’

Having watched MT shows since my first semester at university, I was already aware of the high standard of these productions, and their most recent production of ‘Oklahoma!’ did not disappoint. ‘Oklahoma!’ is a musical set at the turn of the century, just before the founding of Oklahoma as a state. The narrative follows the conflict between the farmers and the cowboys. This conflict presents itself in the form of the show’s love triangle between Laurey, cowboy Curly and farmer Jud. I was not aware of the narrative before I watched this musical however, directors Evie Grattan and Gabriel Curteis’ interpretation was easy to follow and filled with much lightness and comedic moments that were balanced by darker themes and explorations of the characters that were maturely tackled throughout. 

We walked into the theatre to see a gorgeous ombre sunrise on the back screen, and the farmhouse's simple yet effective structure tactfully transported us into the barren farmland of Oklahoma – showcasing the strengths of the collaboration between MT and Backstage. The play began with an opening movement sequence to the ‘Oklahoma! Overture’ (commendations to the band and musical directors Millie Falconer and James Gadd for a seamlessly performed score). This sequence set out the tonality of the musical and if you looked closely, you could spot the small character quirks and moments of foreshadowing. We could see Aunt Ellen (Erin Brady) commanding the space as the much-loved matriarch of the farm; Erin held such an influence and power throughout the play and exuded much warmth and intellect in her character. This warmth was juxtaposed by Jud Fry’s (played by Louis Mockler) entrance. I must commend the acting and stage presence here; a feeling of unease spread across the audience. In noticing the smaller interactions between the ensemble, you could tell that it was not perhaps all the ‘beautiful day’ that the starting lyrics imply. ‘Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ was sung with such confidence and ease by Tom Grice, playing Curly, who charmed the audience as he came down the stairs of the seating rig; the smooth charisma that he brought into the space was underscored by the slight eeriness of knowing the impact that Jud Fry had had on the space and I was gripped immediately. 

There had clearly been a lot of work put into developing the ensemble roles and smaller characters of the play - each had their own worlds and stories. Also, there was some incredible characterisation and adoption of the ‘bow-legged’ stance from Harry Roberts who could be easily differentiated from when he was a cowboy to the farmer. The ensemble collectively produced a lot of humour from the, if I may say, slightly camp cowboys who had an incredible wardrobe of waistcoats – thanks to the producers: Lucy Butterworth, Brad Freeman and Lucy Davey. 

Amelia Perry was such a joy to watch as the character of Laurey, the slight outsider, farming girl who is at the centre of one of a love triangle that she does not know how to navigate.. Her fear of love, and perhaps also rejection, was delicately handled by Perry, and I cannot get over the poise and control by which she was able to hit all those high notes!. I would have liked to know more about the tensions between a farm girl marrying a Cowboy and whether that had anything to do with their hesitation to be together when their chemistry was so palpable form the start.  This chemistry was created so wonderfully – a product of great direction and acting.

I was not so sure how I felt about the choice of play, as the script itself felt a little alien to a contemporary student audience. However, their performances provided such entertainment to the audience but also the disconcertion that we were left with was certainly powerful.

One of the stand-out moments for me was the relationship between Jud and Curly. The interaction in Jud’s room was incredibly unnerving, revealing a darker undertone to Curly’s sweet boy demeanour. The two men are almost antitheses of each other, Grice appears sweet and charming to the rest of the town however in the one-on-one interaction he holds the power with a steady, controlled, and calculated swarm. In contrast, Jud is such an overtly creepy and dangerous force, yet Mockler performs the character with such humanity that I could not help but feel empathy towards this deeply misunderstood, vulnerable and troubled character. 

As said the group numbers really added a fun freshness to the darker undertones of the narrative, and this was supported by the second love triangle, which was much flirtier and more playful. Ado Annie, (Katie Crowther) the naïve, lover girl has men falling at her feet but is drawn to the Peddler, played wonderfully by Jenny Fullerton, who does not want to be tied down. The interactions between the two were great and very well acted, finding the moments of nuance throughout. There were some slight faults with the mics, but this did not phase the performers, Katie Crowther sang beautifully, and her performance was not once influenced; she maintained the cheeky, fun persona throughout. 

I cannot finish without mentioning the phenomenal Dream Ballet sequence - choreographed by Grattan, Curteis and Edie Gray. I was apprehensive about how this moment was going to be handled and whether I would enjoy it. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised, it was incredibly captivating and visually beautiful as well as being very thought-provoking for the progression of the narrative. Tasha McCracken as Dream Laurey, gave a beautiful performance, I couldn’t quite believe that the same person had delivered a stellar performance as a loud riotous farmer. 

I really enjoyed this production of ‘Oklahoma!’ I think that everyone should be very proud of the production, and congratulations to Grattan and Curteis for their great direction; it was something exciting and provocative to watch on a cold November evening. 

Words by Naomi Poole she/they