Theater Reviews + Features | Pittsburgh City Paper: OK. So Oklahoma! has been revived at least 3,578 times this past year.
And why not?
Rodgers and Hammerstein's first collaboration was a smash hit when it debuted on Broadway, in 1943, and the musical, arguably their finest, continues to make some enchanted evening.
It seems that I always hear slanderous talk about Point Park University's musical theatre program, but based on this review, the hearsay shouldn't be so slanderous. I have never seen a production of Oklahoma! but if it has been revived thousands of times in the last year, maybe there's a reason I should. I find that the classic musicals often do have strong lyrics and music and that it often takes a real, grounded singer to carry them. Not that singers in modern musicals aren't impressive, but perhaps it is the use of an older style that impresses me more. I applaud any student who can gracefully carry a classic like Oklahoma!
ReplyDelete