Oklahoma!

Oklahoma!” was a play that was written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was first performed on Broadway around 1943. This version was directed by Trevor Nunn and makes you feel like you are watching a musical play at the Royal National Theatre in London. “Oklahoma!” take place around 1906 and is the story of the several love triangles and dramas that involve Curly (Hugh Jackman), Laurey (Josefina Gabrielle), and several other characters. The play has won several awards and is considered a musical classic.

This is my first time watching “Oklahoma!,” but I have heard a lot about the play before. I enjoyed the actual feel of this production because you get the actual feel of being in a theater from the audience applause to the camera panning through the audience before the play starts. The singing was great, but the songs were not memorable or catchy. The choreography was well done, but the actual dancing was a bit repetitive. The acting was impressive, but some of the accents, especially Hugh Jackman, made it a bit difficult to understand what was being said. Lastly, the play did feel outdated and the pacing was too slow for my taste.

If you enjoy musicals, this would be the perfect Blu-ray for you. However, I feel “Oklahoma!” would appeal more to older audiences than those in my generation or younger crowds. I can appreciate the history and the production value of “Oklahoma!”, but I do not plan on watching it again. I liked Hugh Jackman more as Wolverine than the whiny Curly in this play. The fact they did not include any other extras, besides a making of featurette, made me dislike this Blu-ray even more. For those reasons, I am giving “Oklahoma!” a “D+.”