-
Oklahoma is a truly "classic" of the American stage. The accessible plot, relatable characters, tuneful melodies (that stick in your head long after you've left the theater) and ease of production mean this show will be produced again and again and again. (Sadly, it also means that folks like me will SEE it again and again and again!) There's not a lot of room to "re-invent" the show (since reinventing Oklahoma is a lot like trying to re-invent the wheel: there is simply no room for improvement.) Because of this, if you've seen the show as many times as I have (seven or eight--in versions from the latest National Tour to small Community Theater productions) it begins to lose some of it's magic. For a production to truly fly it really needs to be completely first class and, this being Performance Riverside, you know there's going to be some problems.
-
I can't fault the Lighting, Set Design or Costumes in the show and, for once the sound mix at the Landis Performing Arts Center wasn't a muddy mess. The choral work and dance sequences were first rate so that was another plus. Musically, the stage band was first rate (as always) but I found it a bit heavy in the brass and woodwinds: I could have done with a second keyboard to fill out the piano and strings to give an even fuller sound but I guess you can't have everything.
-
Bryan Vickery (as Curly) is convincing in his role and he has a magnificent singing voice. (I think he's classically trained.) If there is any criticism of his role is that Vickery may be just a bit "too" perfect in his part and that he only has two volumes--loud and ear-splitting. (That being said, I'm not sure if the guy just has a really big voice or if he was simply over mic-ed.) Emily Lopez (as Laurie) is a charming ingenue with a voice that matches Vickery's in timber perfectly. Chelsea Emma Franko doesn't provide any revelations as Ado Annie but she's believable in her role. Casey Garritano's Will Parker uncomfortable reminded me of Austin from The A List New York but there's no denying the boy can dance! Performance Riverside veteran Patricia Scarborough gives a creditable Aunt Eller. I'd like to have seen a bit more oil and ethnicity from Travis Lincoln Cox in the role of Ali Hakim but maybe the Director was trying to be sensitive. Paul Kehler (Jud Fry) has a beautiful bass voice but doesn't bring the menace and his dark shadings are no more than medium gray. The guy comes off about as scary as a Teddy Bear. Jason Wesley Green as Andrew Carnes lacks the "big" voice of the leads and it shows on stage. Still, he gets the best "insert" in the show (from, of all places, The Monkees!) so props to him.
-
I do have to give kudos to the entire cast for one thing: no matter how little energy they got back from the audience (and the Sunday Matinee crowd was DEAD!) they never flagged. As a former Actor I can't tell you how difficult it is to keep the energy flowing to an audience that isn't giving anything back. Hooray for their professionalism! Thank you all for trying so hard in what had to be a difficult situation. Kudos also to show Director and interim Producing Artistic Director Matt Neves for keeping his pre-show announcements short and sweet. I'm sorry to see Rey O'Day leave the position but she did have a tendancy to go on and one. If Neves keeps the position I hope he keeps the pre-show patter just like he did for this show.
-
As a show Oklahoma might not be the best vehicle for a sour old critic like me but for the casual theater-goer this production would be 2 1/2 hours of utter delight. Check it out if you want to see some nice theater in the Inland Empire.
-
FINAL GRADE: C (for sour old critics) A- (everyone else)
No comments:
Post a Comment