Oklahoma!<\/em> was somewhat of an unusual choice for this company that usually brings us much more modern musicals, such as\u00a0Tarzan<\/em>,\u00a0The Addams Family<\/em>, and\u00a0Beauty and the Beast<\/em>. But an appreciated one.<\/p>\n Photo by Salvador Farfan\/Caught in the Moment Photography, as is the big one at the top of the page.<\/p><\/div>\n The weird thing for me is that, growing up in New York, I saw just about every classical musical, (and play, too,) that was ever produced there!\u00a0 Except for Oklahoma! \u00a0<\/em>I don\u2019t even have an explanation for why that was, except to fathom a guess that it never played there, or anywhere around there, in my eighteen years at home.\u00a0 I thought that I had never<\/em> seen it, but then I had a flash of being in the audience at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood about a dozen years ago, when I was doing my show, Karen\u2019s Restaurant Revue<\/em>.\u00a0 So, that means it was before I began my writing career, so I have no record of my thoughts on it.\u00a0 And the most shocking part is that I remember almost everything that ever happened in my life, (and in those of my pals, too,) but I have no recollections of this show whatsoever, except for where I sat in the theatre, and wondering why someone was named \u201cEller.\u201d\u00a0 But that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n So, this \u201cre-imagined\u201d version (as they\u2019re labeling it) isn\u2019t really that<\/em> to me\u2014I never imagined it to begin with!\u00a0 I never even saw the lauded British production that was recorded and shown on American TV, even though my big crush, Hugh Jackman, was the star! So I went into this<\/em> telling of Oklahoma!<\/em> at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, a theatre I adore, with an open mind.<\/p>\n Zachary Ford as Curly and Rufus Bonds, Jr. as Jud. Photo by Salvador Farfan\/Caught in the Moment Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n Before I get to the many<\/em> positives of this very professional production, I feel compelled to first discuss the one egregious liberty they took, which literally ruined at least half of my enjoyment of the experience.\u00a0 I was on edge from shortly after the show began until almost the final curtain because of it.\u00a0 So, here\u2019s my complaint:\u00a0 They cast an older black man, (who sings beautifully, I must add, but I\u2019ll also get to that in a moment,) as the villain, Jud Fry.\u00a0 The action takes place in–guess where?–Oklahoma in 1906, and the role was not written that way in either 1943, when the musical came into being, nor in 1931, when the play the musical is based on was published. Making the only bad guy in the script be a black man, (the only one with a major role in this production, by the way\u2014there was also one ensemble member,) would have been even more racist back in the day than it is now. And it would have made it a different story!<\/p>\n But, since I had yet to do research on Oklahoma!<\/em>, (because I like to experience everything in life with no pre-conceived notions,) I was confused the entire time. And appalled, thinking that the writers of the original had maligned black people like that! But, as always, I did a lot of research when I got home, and found-out that Jud is supposed to be a tough, threatening type of white<\/em> guy, which makes sense.\u00a0 But this production, in their attempt to include racial tensions in the story by making Jud into a black man, made it unintentionally racist!\u00a0 The director\u2019s note in the program explained his choice, but I didn\u2019t have time to read it before the show, (and would not have agreed with it if I had! But at least it would have helped with my confusion.) [Note: I\u2019ve since read it, and I\u2019ll get to his thoughts in a minute.*]<\/p>\n Julia Aks as Laurey and Zachary Ford as Curly. Photo by Salvador Farfan\/Caught in the Moment Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n Jud is also supposed to be not that much older than Laurey, so this version adds that extra bit of creepiness to have it be an older man who\u2019s after her. (The dream sequence ballet that I\u2019ll discuss later is supposed to be about Laurey envisioning her life with two men who are rivals for her affections, but this entire production shows her to be scared of Jud from the get-go, with no relationship between them, other than her being the boss of the hired hand.)<\/p>\n While I appreciate diverse casting in all mediums, (and have written about it several times,) the roles in every show must be correct when it comes to age, race, gender, and abilities, or else it\u2019s not fair to the audience.\u00a0 For instance, I\u2019ve always known that, no matter how great of an actress I might be, I will never be cast in\u00a0A Raisin in the Sun<\/em>.\u00a0 Or to put it in musical terms,\u00a0Porgy<\/em> and Bess<\/em>.\u00a0 Nor should<\/em> I! (Just as no producer should have allowed forty-four-year-old Kevin Spacey to play twenty-to-thirty-seven-year-old Bobby Darin in the film Beyond The Sea<\/em>! I\u2019m still not over that<\/em> one!)<\/p>\n That\u2019s just the way it is.\u00a0 And I totally understand and respect that fact. So, when you throw an older black man into Oklahoma!<\/em>, as the villain, no less, it makes the whole show different from the one the author(s) intended.\u00a0 It does a major disservice to the actors, the original author and producers, and, most of all, the audience members, who are seeing a different product than the one they bargained for.<\/p>\n So, much less importantly, but while I\u2019m on the subject, I have to remark that these producers also made the female lead\u2019s love rival a black girl, thus changing the intention of that<\/em> storyline, as well.\u00a0 I doubt there were many inter-racial couples in Oklahoma back then, and, if old movies are even a little<\/em> correct, relationships between whites and Indians were taboo, too, so I\u2019d assume that was the same with whites and blacks.\u00a0 So, that<\/em> casting was erroneous, as well.\u00a0 In an attempt to accommodate the modern diversity-in-casting policies in the entertainment industry, 3D Theatricals really mucked-up a couple of aspects of a musical classic.\u00a0 And I\u2019m not pleased with them for that. [Note: While I was, of course, happy for the actors themselves to be cast in such excellent roles, I really wanted to see the story these authors intended.\u00a0 A tale of inter-racial dating in the early twentieth century farmlands of America, while extremely interesting, is not this one.]<\/p>\n Drew Boudreau as Ali Hakim, in the center. Photo by Salvador Farfan\/Caught in the Moment Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n One more point\u00a0on this topic\u2014because, as I said, I didn\u2019t look up Oklahoma!<\/em> before I saw this show, I could not figure-out if the race issues were part of the story or a quirk of the casting. So I wound-up wondering if the character of a Persian salesman was \u201cas written\u201d or not, as well. I would have preferred to just enjoy the show, and not wonder if I was seeing the show my parents had seen.<\/p>\n (Stories are written with the main characters as specific entities, so that\u2019s how they need to be portrayed. Jud should not be played by a woman or child, either. Smaller, generic roles, such as postmen, store clerks, policemen, waiters, etc. can be cast any way the director wants. But please, everyone in theatre, no matter where\u2014don\u2019t mess with the main characters, ever! That tells a completely different story! Enough already with show business going overboard in the diversity casting arena!)<\/p>\n *[Note: T.J. Dawson, the charming and accomplished director of the show, and head of 3D Theatricals, writes that he did digging and discovered that the original writers and producers were thinking of making Jud a black man to begin with, (which might explain why Curly referred to him as \u201cblack\u201d once in an early scene. I couldn\u2019t believe it. But then I realized that the author might have meant \u201cdark,\u201d or \u201cwith a black heart.\u201d It also occurred to me that perhaps the director of this<\/em> rendition had added that line, to explain the casting.) What he doesn\u2019t<\/em> say is that they thought better of it, especially since the show is based on the play Green Grow The Lilacs<\/em>, where Jud is white. T.J. acknowledges, in a big way, that Oklahoma!<\/em> is considered the musical that became the blueprint for all musicals after it, so why mess with it? He can\u2019t have it both ways.]<\/p>\n Okay, now that that\u2019s off my chest, let\u2019s finally get to the very many positives of this very professional production, which is always the case with 3D Theatricals! I must give them major props for employing the largest cast I\u2019ve ever seen them have\u2014over fifty people! And not only did that not create a traffic problem on stage, but it really filled out the visuals and made the group singing numbers that much richer. The performance of the title song alone gave me chills!<\/p>\n The entire cast has beautiful operetta-type voices, but Julia Aks, who plays the lead, Laurey, was the best female to me. I had actually written about her before as a dancer, but I had no idea she could sing like this, as well. (She could have actually done the ballet dream sequence herself<\/em>!) I think I may have to hate a girl who can sing, dance, do aerials, and is tall and thin! How can she not be a star on Broadway?!<\/p>\n Speaking of someone who should be a big star\u2014OMG–Rufus Bonds, Jr. is just that!\u00a0 He plays Jud, and, as miscast as he is, they\u2019re lucky to have found him, for roles down the line.\u00a0 I would love to hear him in concert sometime.\u00a0 Or in the aforementioned Porgy and Bess<\/em>. Or perhaps in\u00a0Jesus Christ Superstar<\/em>, where racial casting is no problem. Or even singing the phone book! The opening night crowd went absolutely crazy for him!<\/p>\n The ballet. Photo by Salvador Farfan\/Caught in the Moment Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n And everything about the set is perfect. I especially loved the fireflies among the cornfield!!! And the projections add so much, especially when birds fly by on it several times. They were always a welcome surprise to me.<\/p>\n The fifteen-minute, Act I-closer, dream ballet was really well-done.\u00a0 I know that it was considered the highlight of the very first production of Oklahoma, (and all subsequent ones, as well,) so I\u2019m glad that it didn\u2019t get short shrift this time. I love good dancing more than any other art form, so fifteen minutes of colorful ballet is no problem for me. I could have watched lovely male dancer, Dustin True, who portrays the ballet version of Curly, dance all night, and been thrilled! (3D is lucky to have him now\u2014he\u2019s leaving shortly to dance with a ballet company in Germany!)<\/p>\n Dustin True in the ballet. Photo by Salvador Farfan\/Caught in the Moment Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n I hope that everyone can notice the hands in the corn, beckoning Laurey to come in to the dream. Brilliant touch.<\/p>\n And, of course, let\u2019s not forget the timeless, beautiful, iconic Rodgers and Hammerstein songs, such as People Will Say We\u2019re In Love<\/em>, and the show opener, Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin’<\/em>. Knowing the score so well, but not the story, it was fun to see where and how they all fit into the narrative.<\/p>\n Photo by Salvador Farfan\/Caught in the Moment Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n The absolute winner was the second act opening number, The Farmer and the Cowhand<\/em>. I don\u2019t even remember hearing that song ever before, but it was about so much more than the song on that one. The choreography, by Leslie Stevens, was joyous, and you could just feel the fun the entire cast was having. Fabulous number!<\/p>\n And while we\u2019re on the music, I want to laud the wonderful musicians, led by female conductor, Julie Lamoureux. I\u2019ve rarely seen so many audience members stay behind at the end to listen to the orchestra finish playing the exit music, to give them their own applause, even at Broadway shows!<\/p>\n I also must give a shout-out to the actors who performed a lot of the show\u2019s comic bits that worked, most notably Drew Boudreau as Ali Hakim, Tom Berklund as Will Parker, and Kelley Dorney as Ado Annie. Who doesn\u2019t love a good laugh among the possibly impending doom?!<\/p>\n It’s hard to tell how beautiful this cornfield that fronts the stage is, because the theatre lights were already back on, but it really is an impressive sight! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n And now back to the few negatives, none of which are the fault of this production; they all have to do with the actual corny (pun intended) story.<\/p>\n I hate that two-thirds of the show takes place on one day.\u00a0 That was one loooong-ass day!!! (Almost as long as this review, right?)<\/p>\n The story is sooooo old-fashioned and goony, but it\u00a0was<\/em>\u00a0written in 1943!<\/p>\n And I hate that we have to use an exclamation point every time we write the name, Oklahoma!<\/em>, because that\u2019s included in the official title. How annoying.<\/p>\n And there\u2019s a horrible scene where Curly tries to get Jud to commit suicide, which would rarely be written into a musical comedy in this day and age. But, it\u2019s part of the original story, so you have to keep it in. But I was cringing the whole time! And hoping that there were no susceptible young people in the audience.\u00a0 (Maybe that girl who was just convicted for enticing her boyfriend to kill himself should have used the \u201cOklahoma!<\/em> defense\u201d\u2014she could have said she thought that, like the show, there would be no consequences to the suggestion!)<\/p>\n Because of that, and because of the threatening aspect of the Laurey-Jud relationship, this show is definitely not for kids, especially impressionable ones.\u00a0 Those parts are way too dark, even for me<\/em>!\u00a0 I finally understood why Oklahoma!<\/em> is just about the only musical my parents never took me to see when I was little!\u00a0 I was scared the whole time, at this<\/em> age!!!\u00a0 (You can never trust a happy-seeming musical\u2014you never know when\u00a0a good character is going to die!\u00a0\u00a0Carousel<\/em>\u00a0anyone? Little Shop of Horrors<\/em>? Into The Woods<\/em>? At least in Titanic<\/em>, we see it coming!)<\/p>\n But I\u2019m totally recommending this show for every adult<\/em> who can get to either of the SoCal venues it\u2019s playing at. And now that you know how the villain is meant<\/em> to be portrayed, you can just relax and enjoy the ride. (Just maybe bring along a pillow and blanket\u2014the show is three and a quarter hours long!!!)<\/p>\n And let\u2019s end on some really<\/em> good news\u2014both theaters offer complimentary parking!\u00a0 You can\u2019t do better than that!<\/p>\n Oklahoma!<\/em> running through June 26, 2017<\/strong> OKLAHOMA! There is so much to say about this 3D Theatricals production of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical,\u00a0Oklahoma!, so please bear with me while I say it all. This just may be the longest review I\u2019ve ever written, but I didn\u2019t want to leave any stone unturned on this one, so please read it<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/006-Oklahoma-produced-by-3-D-Theatricals.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
\n Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center<\/strong>
\n 1935 E. Manhattan Blvd., Redondo Beach 714-589-2770<\/strong>
\n Then continues through July 9, 2017<\/strong>
\n Cerritos Center For The Performing Arts<\/strong>
\n 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos 562-916-8500<\/strong>
\n www.3dtshows.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"