Oklahoma!
Written by John Gould
Wednesday, 13 June 2007 04:48
It is the music that sells the tickets. Most of the songs are well known and carry a great deal of audience anticipation as to how they should sound. The cast handles them admirably. Of particular note are “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin” (Curly/Dan Chameroy and Laurey/Blythe Wilson), “The Surrey With the Fringe On Top” (Curly/Dan Chameroy), “Kansas City” (Will Parker/Kyle Blair, Aunt Eller/ Nora McLellan and the chorus,“I Can’t Say No” (Ado Annie/Lindsay Thomas), “People Will Say We’re In Love” (Curly/Dan Chameroy and Laurey/Blythe Wilson), “Pore Jud is Dead” (Curly/Dan Chameroy and Jud Fry/David W. Keeley) and “The Farmer and the Cowman” (Andrew Carnes/Barrie Wood, Aunt Eller/Nora McLellan, Ike Skidmore/Mark Cassius).
With regard to technical considerations, the sound quality is generally good. Unlike many contemporary shows, it is neither too loud, nor sounded like Karaoke. However, it did appear to be muffled a few times which was probably caused by the wireless microphones. The sets were imaginative in their skillful use of perspective and lighting. The Festival Theatre’s stage must have been a challenge to create the illusion of the big sky and open prairies of the west. The play does not lend itself well to being presented on a stage that Rogers and Hammerstein would never have seen being used. The Festival Theatre’s rather small stage for such a big production must have made it difficult for the dancers to keep from falling off. One had the impression of viewing a human merry-go-round at times. The singers had to face a variety of directions so that all the audience got its money’s worth. This too seemed rather unnatural. With these things taken into consideration, it would be a good idea to try for centre seats. The audience loved the performance, even with these considerations taken into account. And that is the proof that Oklahoma! is “still goin’ strong” after sixty-four years.
 | Oklahoma |
CAST | |
Will Parker | Kyle Blair |
Cord Elam | Matt Cassidy |
Ike Skidmore | Mark Cassius |
Curly | Dan Chameroy |
Ali Hakim | Jonathan Ellul |
Gertie | Stephanie Graham |
Jud Frye | David W. Keeley |
Fred | Jamie McKnight |
Aunt Eller | Nora McLellan |
Slim | Paul Nolan |
Laurey Williams | Blythe Wilson |
Andrew Carnes | Barrie Wood |
ARTISTIC CREDITS  | |
Director and Choreographer | Donna Feore |
Musical Director | Berthold Carriere |
Designer | Patrick Clark |
Lighting Designer | Alan Brodie |
Sound Designer | Peter McBoyle |
Fight Director | John Stead |
Stage Manager | Cynthia Toushan |
Assistant Stage Managers | A Naomi Duncan |
| Zeph Williams | |
Production Assistant | Kristopher Weber |
Production Stage Manager | Margaret Palmer |
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