It’s rare nowadays to be truly transported by musical theatre; to leave the auditorium buoyed by a cloud of happiness and let that joy carry you all the way home. Yet, I must confess, after leaving the Theatre Royal Drury Lane last night following the much-anticipated Oklahoma! In Concert, I floated through Covent Garden, along Longacre, and straight home on a raft of positivity.
Oscar Hammerstein’s 80-year-old book (adapted from Lynn Riggs’ 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs) remains more compelling than many of today’s West End offerings. Hammerstein’s unique blend of humour, tinged with sadness, and a seemingly simple homespun philosophy – “everyone pulling together to make a better world,” or in this case, “a brand-new state” – imbues the characters with depth and makes us care. These feel like real people in real situations.
It wasn’t until the performance began that I sensed history gently tugging at my sleeve – more on that later – but tug it did.
Though marketed as a concert, Bill Deamer has crafted what is essentially a fully realized show, complete with dance numbers. The sixteen cast members are bolstered by the London Musical Theatre Chorus and accompanied on stage by the London Musical Theatre Orchestra under Ben Glassberg’s direction, utilizing Robert Russell Bennett’s lush original orchestrations.
And lush is precisely how the cast sounds.
Leading the charge is musical theatre royalty Zizi Strallen, whose multi-award-winning talents shine brightly. You suspect she could fill the auditorium un-miked. She’s paired with Phil Dunster as Curly, who, by his own admission, doesn’t have a booming voice, but while he’s no Howard Keel or Hugh Jackman, he more than compensates in other ways.
But alongside Strallen, the star of the evening is Tosh Wanogho-Maud as Jud. His voice is like treacle – sonorous, smooth, and brooding – both menacing and mesmerizing. Perfect casting. I can’t wait to see more of him.
More musical theatre royalty graces the stage in Joanna Riding as Aunt Eller, alongside the delightful pairing of Jordan Shaw and Christina Bianco as Will Parker and Ado Annie. Their chemistry is undeniable, and Shaw’s lively performance of “Kansas City” keeps the song as fresh and charming as ever. His dance numbers are particularly impressive.
Irvine Iqbal as Ali Hakim may be more robust than traditionally cast, but this only adds to the humour in his scenes with Ado Annie. His rendition of the often overlooked “It’s a Scandal! It’s an Outrage!” is spot-on.
But what was it about this evening that made history feel so present? Perhaps it’s because these songs have been embedded in my memory since my youth in the 1980s, when I was a member of a modest amateur dramatics’ society in Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire: The Pepperpot Players. The group was spearheaded by June Hall, a woman who, before family life called, had pursued a career in theatre—this very theatre, in fact.
In 1947, she was part of the chorus in none other than Oklahoma!
To think that I learned these songs from someone who, quite possibly, learned them directly from the composer is an extraordinary connection to the past – a living thread that stretches from the golden age of musical theatre to the present moment.
Director: Bill Deamer
Book, & Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein after Lynn Riggs
Music: Richard Rodgers
Cast includes: Zizi Strallen, Phil Dunster, Christina Bianco, Jordan Shaw, Tosh Wanogho-Maud, Joanna Riding, Irvine Iqbal, Nicole-Lily Baisden, Sebastian Torkia, and supporting cast.
Dates: 19th & 20th August 2024
Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes, including 20 minute interval
Photo credit: Danny Kaan