Champaign Urbana Theatre Company returned to The Historic Virginia Theatre (I think "historic" is part of the official title) for a four show run of Oklahoma!. Oklahoma! itself is historic. It has a reputation for being the first to truly integrate song and dance into the story. (That's not exactly true, but close enough) For a change, songs were not so much filler or chances for solos or written to top the charts. Rather, characters were developed and emotions revealed in song. And dance. Mustn't forget "dance" as Agnes DeMille choreographed a long ballet sequence to end Act One - a very daring thing for the time. (Okay, it's still daring, given shorter attention spans and lack of audience knowledge of dance). But, time has passed, and the "newness" or revolutionary nature of Oklahoma! has faded. Over the last 70 years, the modes and motifs of Oklahoma! have been copied, parodied, homaged, developed and refined. The challenge is to make the show feel fresh and not a museum piece.
So, curious as to what CUTC had done, I made my way to the final matinee show at The Historic Virginia Theatre.
And for the most part, I think CUTC did a credible job in making this Oklahoma! feel - if not exactly fresh - certainly not stale,
Oklahoma! is an odd story show. Laurey, played by Liz Banaszak, is the owner of a farm in the Oklahoma territory. (Well, it's not exactly clear if she owns the farm or it's owned by Aunt Eller and where are Laurey's parents anyway?). In any event, Laurey is the apple of Curly (Jesse Trieger) the cowboy's eye. But, neither she nor he will admit they care for each other. Meanwhile, hired hand, Jud (Jeff Dare), has his eye on Laurey. Just as if they were in high school, Laurey decides to go to the big Social with Jud just to spite Curly or to induce jealousy. (Ok, the social is that night, and Laurey still doesn't have a date? Both of these fellers are very slow to make their move). Meanwhile, the virginal Laurey's best friend, Ado Annie (Chloe Ward), has recently discovered she has power over men and likes to have fun with them - and she is not exactly a one man woman. Another cowboy, Will (Ray Essick), wants to marry Ado Annie. But, Annie has recently taken up with a peddler, Ali Hakim (Craig Smith), and Annie's father (Jim Dieker) does not approve of Will. More conflict ensues over the course of the day through the social. Overseeing the entire show is Aunt Eller, played by Jenny Gleason.
Director Stephen Fiol has a reputation (fair or otherwise) for not having his performers move while singing - a style known as "park and bark". But this time, the actors did move around as they sang to denote action and character. The most static song was the title number - which with the full cast of 50 or so people left no room for anyone to move about the stage, anyway. As a result, it lacked any big "oomph" that that number should get. Vocally, it was fine, but it was missing that extra bit of energy to bring the roof down.
Jesse Trieger was a very pretty Curly. Probably too pretty, since he never looked like he got dirty a-riding on the range. Mr. Trieger has a nice clear voice, which can be expressive. His line readings were straightforward and adequate. Curly really has very little growth as a character. He is cocksure at the beginning, middle and end. His reticence with regards to Laurey is a character flaw - which makes little sense. So, it didn't bother me too much that Mr. Trieger's actions didn't make much sense. Mr. Trieger's playfulness with Laurey lacked any notion of the feelings he was to have, although that is due, in large part, to the script. That said, I want Curley to be both stand-offish and infatuated. I got more stand-offish than infatuated. Even Curley's "jealousy" was muted. According to the program, Ms. Banaszak majored in vocal performance and it shows as she sang operatically throughout. To me, this limited her Laurey - who rarely was able to meld well in song with others. Her voice was too unique and strong. Yes, it's the lead female role, but harmony was lacking, to my untrained ear. Jeff Dare looked the part of a dangerous "hired hand". He hulked around the stage. When Laurey explains to Aunt Eller that Jud frightens her, you believe her. Which makes her agreement to go to the Social with him all the more inexplicable. Mr. Dare, whom I haven't seen on stage in a while, tries to bring some humanity to Jud in Act One, but is stuck with "nuthin to do" with the character in Act Two other than to be villainous. That said, he and Mr. Trieger did bring out more humor in "Poor Jud is Dead" than I've seen in other productions. It's still a very sick twisted song - and bears too much resemblance to online cyberbullying today. Ray Essick continues to improve as an actor and singer. His Will, while not the sharpest knife in the drawer, had a quaint naivete. His Will truly was someone who would spend the fifty dollars he needs to wed Ado Annie on presents for her and his friends and be flabbergasted that he needs to get another fifty dollars. It's usually hard to believe the character of Will, but, this time, I believed. Jenny Gleason made for a younger Aunt Eller than the role is usually played. The respect she garnered from the other characters was more from force of character - and seeming wealth - than for being older and experienced. Her Aunt Eller certainly spoke from experience, but, to me, from experience of a more recent variety, than a wizened older woman. Ms. Gleason's Aunt Eller commanded attention - even when she wasn't firing off a pistol. Craig Smith was Ali Hakim - the peddler of indeterminate nationality. Smith's accent was also indeterminate and wandering. It made me wonder more about the character's backstory and, so, for me, it distracted from the story. His final fate, as a result, lacked the humorous impact I would have expected. Chloe Ward's Ado Annie was fine, if a bit typical. She let the music define her character for the most part. I also should mention that Sarah Robinson stole every moment she was on stage with a laugh that had to be heard to be believed.
Rebecca Nettl-Fiol's choreography was generally appropriate. She did get to let go for the Act Two opener "The Farmer and the Cowman", which, for me, was the best number in the show. She rustled her dancers into appropriate lines and areas - so that those who could dance - or at least remember the movements - were up front. She also must have put a lot of time and effort into the Dream Ballet that closes Act One and lasts close to fifteen minutes. The dream Curly had ballet training and it showed as he moved all around the stage capturing the audience's eyes and the various moods of the ballet. There was no indication in the program that the dream Laurey, Lauren Deppe, has ballet training, but it appeared she must have been trained, as she exhibited excellent body control. These two numbers shone above the rest.
The minimalist set was, well, minimal. I'm not exactly sure why the farmhouse was open so that we just saw framing. It just didn't add to the show - and detracted a bit, because I expected something to be done with it. The minimalist set did allow for the stage to be cleared for the bigger numbers - the ballet, "Many a New Day", "Kansas City" and "The Farmer and the Cowman." Sad to say, the orchestra was less effective than the cast. The brass, in particular, seemed off to me. Rather than supplementing the vocals, the orchestra detracted.
It was nice to see a big musical in The Historic Virginia Theatre. Things just feel "bigger" on that stage. The auditorium rake give most people an excellent view. (Although why The Historic Virginia thought the first two rows were "premium" is mystifying. I can't enjoy a show from there as those seats are too close to the orchestra (so that the instruments swamp the vocals) and the stage is too high for me to enjoy a show.) There is something to be said to be amongst 400-500 people for a show. More people can mean more audience excitement, which can be contagious. The tradeoff is that CUTC could only do four shows at The Historic Virginia Theatre, such that they are just really getting into a groove when the run ends.
All in all, it was a good afternoon at the theatre. The over three hour running time (with the interval) didn't drag. Even if I didn't leave on a "high" or humming the songs or contemplating what I'd seen, I felt like I was more than sufficiently entertained Oklahoma! was good solid comfort food and that's what you need every now and then.
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