Pop Culture Advent 2023: Door 5
“Sexy” Oklahoma!
“Sexy” Oklahoma! AKA “f**k-lahoma!, AKA “The Oklahoma that f**ks”, makes reference to the most recent revival of Rogers & Hammerstein’s musical.
You may well know nice, cosy, Oklahoma! from the 1955 film that’s shown at Christmas, probably on Channel 5. You may even be familiar with the 1999 National Theatre production starring a pre-X-Men Hugh Jackman, which was streamed into cinemas this year.
The show tells the story of Cowboy Curly and his rivalry with farm hand Jud Fry, as they both seek the affections of a young lady called Laurey. Songs include Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ and People Will Say We’re in Love, both bangers in the musical theatre canon.
What director Daniel Fish does with this version, is to take the well known source material and turn it into something sexy, bold, and bloody brave. It is completely unafraid to tease out the darker aspects of the show, all while (as far as I can tell) not changing a single word of the text.
Fish first workshopped his version of Oklahoma! at Bard College, New York, in 2015. It then played at St Ann’s Warehouse in NYC in the later months of 2018, before arriving on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre from March 2019-January 2020.
The show then came across to the UK, premiering at The Young Vic in April 2022, before transferring to the West End, playing at the Wyndham’s Theatre from February this year. This is where myself and my husband, David, saw it in July.
This is actually David’s nomination for Pop Culture Advent. He loved it because:
“It stayed truthful to its roots with song and story, but the vibrancy and the energy of the cast, along with an original approach to the text, is completely innovative. Particularly in its use of lighting. One sequence has Jud & Curly playing out a scene in complete darkness, which makes it all the more powerful. It was a production we were still talking about weeks later”.
Myself and David were lucky enough to see Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who, Broadchurch). Darvill is a brilliant stage talent anyway, but from the opening moments where he grabs a guitar and thrusts his pelvis at the audience, I was both blown away by the boldness of the show, and simultaneously checking my blood pressure, lest I spontaneously combusted.
Hip thrusts aside, we were also lucky enough to see West end Veteran Sally Ann Triplett as Aunt Elmer, and Anouska Lucas as Laurie. Lucas is one to watch, particularly as her show Elephant, which she wrote and performed in, returned to The Bush theatre this year.
I also need to give a shout out to Patrick Vaill as Jud Fry, who has been part of this production since its inception at Bard College. It’s probably the only portrayal of Jud Fry that makes me feel disgusted and sympathetic towards him – a very hard to thing to pull off with that character. Vaill can now be seen in the West End, in Stranger Things, and I suspect that won’t be the last we hear of him.
Sadly this run of Oklahoma! came to an end after a limited run in September, with Nashville actor Sam Palladio, taking over the role of Curly in its final weeks.
If they ever revive this version (and I think it’d be a real shame if they didn’t), do go if you can. This ain’t yer granny’s Oklahoma! – and all the better for it.
The Broadway cast recording of Oklahoma! can be found here.
Further reading about the reaction to “Sexy” Oklahoma! can be found here.
