Oklahoma! (1999)

This is easily the best version of Oklahoma! that I've ever seen. The one thing that slightly annoys me, though, is that in a lot of comments I've seen everyone seems to talk so much about Hugh Jackman that they mostly ignore the rest of the amazing cast here. Jackman is wonderful--don't get me wrong--but Josefina Gabrielle (Laurey), Maureen Lipman (Aunt Eller) and Shuler Hensley (Jud) are just as wonderful and it truly is an ensemble work rather than a one-man show. A great Curly doesn't have much to do without an equally great cast around him. Of the principals, I think Gabrielle and Hensley have the hardest jobs--their roles being almost complete re-inventions of their characters--and both handle their roles extremely well.The role of Laurey in particular is approached here in a completely different way than it has ever been done before. The somewhat pampered, petulant girly-girl of past productions has been turned into a reserved, slightly tomboyish girl who seems somewhat uncomfortable with the emotions she feels for Curly. Gabrielle handles this characterization perfectly, and her singing and dancing are also top-notch. She and Jackman have a palpable chemistry that makes their scenes together a major highlight of this production. I also really like that they dance their own parts in the dream ballet, which makes this scene much easier to relate to than previous versions. Also, Hensley brings a great deal more depth to the Jud character than I've ever seen before. He's still a villain, but his motives are made more clear in this version, and Hensley is a powerful presence.I love that this version succeeds in making the characters more real and less stereotypical, particularly the female characters. Lipman's Aunt Eller is a strong presence in the show, and even Ado Annie is less of a caricature than she has been in the past. Also, the sets and costumes reflect a more realistic approach than past productions, and it works very well. It is not a museum piece but a living, breathing production and most of the players rise to the occasion excellently. Peter Polycarpou as Ali Hakim is the only weak link--he's not bad but not great either--but the rest of the cast shines and works very well together.If you go into this production expecting an Oklahoma! like you've seen many times before, you are in for a surprise. To me, it is a delightful surprise, and definitely worth purchasing the DVD.

Not that I would ever proclaim heresy against the "original" Gordon McRae movie, but those folks looked too clean - meaning, the main characters are too well dressed, too refined, too ... clean. The London stage production of the play is well set, and the characters look like roustabout cattle drivers, rough-hewn farm hands, floozy girls, and hard-worn ranchers from turn of the century Oklahoma. Shuler Hensley is wonderful as Jud Fry, and Maureen Lipman makes an Aunt Eller you just want to take home with you! The use of a rotating set for scene changes allows for a wonderful continuity of the story Everyone I know who has been involved in a production of OKLAHOMA! on a local theater level (you know, folks like you and me!) say that this is the best OKLAHOMA! ever!

I have never seen the old version of "Oklahoma" but I know a pretty good bit about it. I saw "Oklahoma" put on by a church in my town when I was about six, but I don't remember much about it.I really enjoyed this version, the British know how to do musicals! I loved how they made Laurey a tomboy in the beginning to show us how strong and willful she is. Josefina Gabrielle is like a younger, brunette Shirley Jones. She has a beautiful singing voice, she is a beautiful dancer, and a great actress. Did I mention that she's beautiful? I really liked how the actors did their own dancing in the Dream sequence.I thought Hugh Jackman was amazing. To think that this is the guy who plays Wolverine!!!! This man is is an amazing actor. He's good-looking (very), he can sing, he can dance, and he can really act. He does a very good southern accent. He's also a very believable romantic hero.Jud was great. That voice...oh my gosh! Such a rich voice, it's like "Lonely Room" was written for him. And Aunt Eller....oh I looove Aunt Eller. She steals the show. She's perfect.I have nothing bad to say about this show. It's well-done. I just wish Hollywood and Broadway could do more things like this. I got the DVD for Christmas, by the way.

As exuberant and wonderful as Kenneth Branagh's 1993 "Much Ado About Nothing", this amazing production deserves a "15"; alas, I can only give it a "10". Hugh Jackman is a revelation, leaping into the film with cheerful high energy from his first appearance on the set. A must-see for lovers of musicals and for all others too. A sure cure for depression!