United States Rodgers & Hammerstein, Oklahoma!: Soloists, Orchestra of St. Luke’s / Rob Berman (conductor). Carnegie Hall, New York, 12.1. 2025. (RP)
Jolts of American can-do optimism and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s glorious melodies swept through Carnegie Hall in the Orchestra of St. Luke’s high-energy Oklahoma! in concert. Shorn of most of its Broadway trappings, the music and lyrics took center stage with a top-flight cast. Most thrilling of all was Rob Berman leading the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in Robert Russell Bennett’s original orchestration. His forces were double the size of what Broadway audiences would have heard in 1943 when the show opened, and unimaginable in a Broadway theater today.
Rodgers and Hammerstein ushered in the golden age of American musical theater with Oklahoma!, their first collaboration. Gone were the days of actors doing star turns in shows that combined spectacle with melodrama. Instead, songs and dance were fully integrated into the storyline to evoke genuine emotions rather than amusement. The original Broadway production was a box office hit, running for an unprecedented 2212 performances.
Oklahoma! is based a play by Lynn Riggs, Green Grow the Lilacs. The story is set in a small town in Indian Territory in 1906, just as Oklahoma was poised to become the 46th state. It tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams and her courtship by two rival suitors, the dashing cowboy Curly McLain and the sinister and frightening farmhand Jud Fry. The romance between cowhand Will Parker and Ado Annie, the ‘girl who can’t say no’, adds further spice to the plot.
The show was presented concert style, with the cast and ensemble all carrying scores, although most were off the book. Shuler Hensley, who performed the role of Jud Fry to great acclaim in the West End and Broadway, was the director. Staging was minimal, although Hensley made full use of the stage and hall. Curly made his entrance by walking the entire length of the theater to reach the stage. Ensemble members were placed in the midst of the orchestra, and for the finale, the ensemble was spread throughout the house.
Hensley focused on crafting characters more than on stage placement, which paid off in spades. Micaela Diamond’s softly-hued Laurie was conflicted and confused over the intentions of Emmett O’Hanlon’s Curly, and even more so over Jonathan Christopher’s towering Jud Fry. If this Laurey was a bit overpowered by O’Hanlon’s Curly’, who wouldn’t be?
O’Hanlon was matinee-idol handsome and full of bravado but at times short on nuance. He sang magnificently, however, delivering a winning ‘Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’, and partnering with Diamond in a tender ‘People Will Say We’re in Love’. Curly isn’t always the most likable of men, and O’Hanlon didn’t dodge that reality, especially in his exchanges with Christopher’s Jud.
Christopher balanced Jud’s yearning for romance with the darker aspect of an outsider’s character, the richness and depth of his voice conveying Jud’s longing, despair and anger in a chilling ‘Lonely Room’. Ana Gasteyer’s Aunt Eller ruled the roost in the small town and on the stage, too, at one point nudging Berman off the podium to conduct the orchestra.
Jasmine Amy Rogers as Ado Annie and Andrew Durand as Will Parker lit up the stage with their energy and comic flair. Rogers was a pure delight with her wide-eyed, big-hearted embrace of romance, and she danced with equal gusto. Durand’s Will Parker was blind to Ado Annie’s foibles, making each twist and turn on his path to love funnier than the previous one.
As Gertie Cummings, Katy Geraghty was a mix of energy and mad romance, chasing O’Hanlon’s Curly across the stage in an attempt to snag him as her beau. Parvesh Cheena’s Ali Hakim was interested in a roll in the hay with Ado Annie, not romance. He played both ends against the middle, never courting sympathy, until he could arrange his exit. With his unique blend of gravitas and humor, David Hyde Pierce’s curmudgeonly Andrew Carnes dispensed wisdom and justice in equal measure.
The orchestral highlight was the ‘Dream Ballet’, which grew out of Diamond’s heartfelt ‘Out of My Dreams’ in which Laurey sings of yearning to break free of her dreams and into the arms of the man she loves. Under Berman’s baton, the orchestra imbued the music with beauty and emotion, suspending the audience in time and space.
Rick Perdian
Featured Image: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! in concert with Orchestra of St. Luke’s © Rebecca J. Michelson
Production:
Director – Shuler Hensley
Choreographer – Chase Bock
Sound – Scott Lehrer
Costumes – Carmella Lauer
Lighting – Abigail Hoke-Brady
Cast:
Curly McLain – Emmett O’Hanlon
Laurey Williams – Micaela Diamond
Ado Annie Carnes – Jasmine Amy Rogers
Will Parker – Andrew Durand
Aunt Eller – Ana Gasteyer
Jud Fry – Jonathan Christopher
Gertie Cummings – Katy Geraghty
Ali Hakim – Parvesh Cheena
Andrew Carnes – David Hyde Pierce
I was lucky enough to see it in person. Absolutely terrific!