Santa Monica Mirror - Not Recommended
"...Now don’t get me wrong. I encourage creativity and thinking of ways to present a classic in an unconventional manner. What comes to mind is the Shakespeare in the Park version of “The Taming of the Shrew” set in the Old West starring Morgan Freeman and Tracy Ullman. Ethan Hawke did a film version of “Hamlet” set in corporate America, Anne Bogart directed a production of “South Pacific” at NYU, which was set in a military hospital, and “Measure for Measure,” set in feudal Japan. The reimagined version of OKLAHOMA! directed by Daniel Fish, received a total of eight Tony nominations, winning for Best Revival of a Musical. That award-winning version was clearly not onstage opening night at the Ahmanson Theatre. What was on stage was an amateurish production one would expect in middle school."
Broadway World - Somewhat Recommended
"...That being said, I'm still on the fence about it all. So much of this update of Rodgers & Hammerstein's acclaimed 1943 musical in which a farm girl is courted by two rival suitors, works. But leaving behind the entire idealistic prairie fantasy for a provocative, gritty commentary on oppressive American history, is going to leave some audiences confused. Maybe even a little upset."
Edge - Recommended
"...Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" has always been one of my favorites. Whether it's the 1955 film, or the countless times I've seen it on and off Broadway, I have always absolutely loved it. Now director Daniel Fish brings us a fresh take on the original work, shucking the classic of its down home roots. What we have is a completely reimagined "Oklahoma!," a 21st century dark take with a diverse cast and innovative creative decisions, all without changing the original text. Does this daring take work? Sure. But it may be too much of a far cry from the original for everyone's taste."
Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended
"...This ain’t your mama’s Oklahoma! While Daniel Fish’s completely rethought and stripped-down production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1943 watershed musical comedy Oklahoma!, now at the 2000+-seat Ahmanson as part of a national tour, has moments which will provoke post-theater discussions, I can’t help but believe that something has been corrupted since the show opened Off-Broadway and then transferred to the 800-seat Circle-in-the-Square on Broadway."
LA Splash - Recommended
"...Daniel Fish does an excellent job of helming the production, keeping to the basics while using multiple levels of subtlety to alter the production. The talented cast sing and dance their hearts out. Costumes are in keeping with the story line (but considerably more sensual than in the original). This OKLAHOMA revival will likely prove intriguing for fans of Rodgers and Hammerstein, although purists may have difficulty accepting the many variations which the show presents. It appeared that the current production has been geared to younger audiences. As such, the producers are congratulated for appealing to more youthful audiences and so broadening the scope of potential viewers. It should entertain and delight this focused group. Older viewers may find themselves longing for the original."
Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended
"...Forget every Oklahoma! you’ve ever seen. Forget everything you’ve ever heard or said or thought about the 79-year-old classic. Director Daniel Fish’s radically revisionist revival of the Broadway musical that reinvented the genre back in 1943 now feels every bit as revolutionary in 2022 as Rent did in 1994, Spring Awakening in 2006, and Hamilton just a handful of years back."
Entertainment Weekly - Recommended
"...What made this Oklahoma fresh and sexy was its nearness, its immediacy - the sense of being plopped into the world of these characters to eavesdrop on their better angels and their devilish desires."
Stage Raw - Recommended
"...Director Daniel Fish’s re-imagining/deconstruction of this traditional classic has arrived in a Broadway touring production at the Ahmanson Theatre. It opens with lead character Curly (Sean Grandillo, with guitar in hand and wearing chaps and boots) crooning “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” — but there’s a twist of mockery to his electrifying rendition. When Sasha Hutchings’s Laurey joins him for a later verse, the effect is beyond mesmerizing. She glares, she knocks over chairs, she tosses back her mane of hair. She throws aside husks of corn, uncaring. She could be Medusa, smiling with a kind of feline seductiveness before plucking out your heart. This is not my grandmother’s Oklahoma!"
Ticket Holders LA - Not Recommended
"...Oh, I so wanted to love this new take on a tired old musical warhorse but simply, I did not. For me, this glaringly pretentious and self-satisfied Oklahoma! was definitely not OK."
Its Not About Me - Not Recommended
"...I really wanted to at least love the voices, but there is not one really special voice nor performance. On opening night, I noted that it felt more like I was watching a regional theatre company than a National Tour. (And then, just as I was writing this review, I was beckoned to another room by Hugh Jackman’s mellifluous tones as Curly, because Mr. X was watching a bit of that old production of Oklahoma! on PBS! So my feelings on the caliber of talent of this new rendition was cemented even further.)"
Indulge Magazine - Recommended
"...Based on the Lynn Riggs‘ 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs, Oklahoma was a trailblazer in many ways — it was the first musical written by the duo, Rodgers and Hammerstein; the first to cast singers who could act, rather than actors who could sing; the first musical to have a complete original cast album by a major label; one of the first — if not the first — “narrative musicals,” which places a priority on telling a narrative – a story with a beginning, middle, and end. So it’s only natural that it continues evolving in radical, but respectful ways, and reminding us that all our challenges are better handled when we are part of a united community."