DVDs:

	Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! (London Stage Revival) Hugh Jackman, Josefina Gabrielle Image Entertainment, 2003 average customer review:based on 78 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

There's seldom a wish for true locations as the pace picks up and we move into the claustrophobic company of Judd Fry in his riveting encounter with the cowboy Curly. The close-up camera work affords an experience the theatre can't bring and also pays handsome dividends in appreciating Susan Stroman's intricate and lively choreography. Her dancers are a fine team, notably Jimmy Johnston who is outstanding as Will Parker leading the Kansas City ensemble. Hugh Jackman (X-Men) as Curly matches him in vocal prowess and looks, and Shuler Hensley sings the tricky role of Judd Fry very well. It's harder to place Peter Polycarpou's Pedlar, a considerably larger role than in the film version, whose accent strays from London's East End to the plains of Europe. Maureen Lipman, rightly deemed the lynchpin of the musical by Nunn, is a joy to watch as Aunt Eller. Laurey (Josefina Gabrielle) and Ado Annie (Vicki Simon) are good but not special. Aside from an abrupt start to Act Two and the occasional voice off microphone, the production sounds good with a larger orchestra present than in the theatre. An Oklahoma! on an epic scale. --Adrian Edwards

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Better than the movie version!

This version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic has made my two daughters (age 17 and 8) huge fans of musical theater. The singing and dancing are superb, the story line is easier to follow than the movie, and the ballet scene, which often seems a thorn in the side of this production, flows with the story better than any other version I've ever watched. Hugh Jackman is totally believable as the cowboy Curly, American accent and all. The motivation of the character of Judd is more understandable, and one is almost sympathetic to this man who wants something he can't have, who tries to cover his feelings of inferiority with bluster, anger and eventually violence.
Don't miss the bonus interview on the making of the London Stage Revival and DVD.

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Sexual tension in a Rogers and Hammerstein show? Get out of town!

For those who are familiar mainly with the innocent, lavish film version of Rogers and Hammerstein's musical OKLAHOMA!, this 1998 West End revival starring Hugh Jackman, Josefina Gabrielle and Shuler Hensley may come as a bit of a shock. There is not a hint of syrupy sweetness or camp to be found in Trevor Nunn and Susan Stroman's masterful reinterpretation of the material. Here, the characters are earthy, dirty, sweaty, and delighfully natural, and the actor's portraying them are all suberb (with one exception which I will address below).
Hugh Jackman's Curly is cocky and handsome as the role calls for, yes, but he also gives the character a sense of romantic awkwardness and a heart that makes his romance with Laurey heart-wrenchingly believable. He also has a good but playful singing voice that suits him well. If there is any doubt that Mr. Jackman is a masterful actor who can do just about anythig in terms of acting, his performance here will crush them.
Josefinna Gabrielle, however, is usually dismissed as being good, but not special, but this is simply not true. For the first time in all my viewings of this musical, I have never felt completely sympathetic to Laurey. As a matter of fact, I am usaully slightly annoyed by her vanity and incessant sulking, but not with Ms. Gabrielle - her Laurey is an earthy tomboy, staying in overalls for much of the first act until her Cinderella-esque transformation for the box social. You feel her calamity when it comes to her choice between Curly and Jud, and Ms. Gabrielle's dancing during the "Dream Ballet" and her reactions to the proceedings therein are simply beautiful. Her acting is very natural, very relatable, very real. Although Shirley Jones will always be the best-sung Laurey, Ms. Gabrielle holds the trophy for original interpretation in my book. I honestly believe part of the reason she may not stand out to some is because of her very dark brown hair. This may sound silly, but with a generation used to seeing the blonde Shirley Jones in the role, a brunette seems less conspicuous and exotic and slightley common. Had she been given a good blonde wig, she would have physically stood out more, but, that's an asthetic concern, not at all a problem or hindrance to Ms. Gabrielle's outstanding performance.
As Jud, Shuler Hensley achieves the daunting task of making a rather unlikeable character both relatable and in the end, somewhat tragic. Although, as an audience, we never want Laurey to end up with him, in this version we at least acknowledge him as a possible suitor for her. Mr. Hensley also has a very rich baritone that he uses to good effect, especially in the usually cut "Lonely Room" in which we feel the pain and lonliness of Jud's isolation.
Ms. Maureen Lipman as Aunt Eller is a revelation and force of nature. She possesses not only the most convincing accent in the piece, but also the best comic timing. Her humor is so rich not because she plays it for laughs but because she brings out the natural humor within her character without slapping the audience over the head with it. She will have you in stitches especially during "The Farmer and the Cowman Should Be Friends," in which she shoots and twirls a gun like a seasoned cowboy.
The supporting cast is also excellent, especially Jimmy Johnston and Vicki Simon as the secondary romantic couple, Will Parker and Ado Annie. Peter Polycarpou as the Persian peddler is effective but won't make you forget Eddie Albert of the film version. Vicki Simon balances him out well, however, and he is highly effective in his greasy characterization and selling of his cheap wares. His scenes with Ado Annie's father are especially funny.
All in all, the best production of the musical to date (even Mary Rogers, Richard Rogers's daugheter, says so!) with beautiful staging (thank you, Mr. Nunn)and choreography (bountiful thanks to Ms. Stroman), and sets and costumes that are naturalistic while still evoking the fantastical elements of this beautifully-scored and written musical fable.

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Absolutely Excellent!

How dumb am I? I thought this was actually done on a stage with a live audience until I got to the extra material and saw how it was put together. Seamless!

I also thought it was true to the original movie script until I was told differently. Brilliant!

My wife and I loved it! It is much better than the original movie (a matter of changing times, tastes, and techniques) and it makes the musical bright and shining as a new penny. Excellent!

Buy this DVD!


Oklahoma! OK and then some..

Saw the original. As good and even better. Wish this could be done for all the great Broadway shows of the past (and present).

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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