Oklahoma!

Oklahoma is a musical masterpiece. Set in the wild west of the new US state of Oklahoma in 1906, this new production by the Wigston Amateur Operatic Society performed at the Little Theatre has all the magic of the original 1943 stage show. Now when the words “amateur” and “society” are mention in a stage show programme, many musical theatre die-hards shudder. They have ideas of out of tune singing, terrible acting and dodgy set pieces. Absolute rubbish. This show is West End standard. The actors can ACT, the singers can SING and the sets, props and costumes are marvellous.

The orchestra opens with three terrific minutes of music. The music really connects with the audience, who seem to get into the spirit of the show from the off. The band does the famous pieces of music justice, a new arrangement that respects the old but embraces the new.

The plot of the first act is basic, but filled with rich characters. Curly (Jamie Fudge), a young cowboy wishes to take his sweetheart Laurey (Laura Carvell), a local farm girl, to the village box social, a charity dance event which includes an auction for baskets of food young women, such as Laurey, have donated. However despite encouragement from her Aunt Ella (Sue Hubbard) and the promise of a trip in “a surrey with the fringe on top” Laurey turns down the offer, just to spite Curly. Meanwhile Curly’s best pal, Will Parker (Allister Smith), returns from the hustle and bustle of Kansas City to find his girlfriend, Ado Annie (Lucy Foreman), stuck between him and a peddler, Ali Hakim (Phil Royley). Jud (Ady Bale), a worker on Laurey’s farm also likes Laurey, but for a darker, dirty reason. Jud’s invitation gets accepted, but Laurey doesn’t know what purpose she would have in his household.

The opening of this show is what changed the face of musical theatre. Instead of a curtain rising with a huge group of chorus girls, it opens with an old aunt making cheese. Then the strong male voice of Jamie Fudge as Curly fills the theatre with its depth and warmth. Oh What a Beautiful Morning is the king of opening songs to musicals. It sets the scene and the style with wonderfully crafted music and lyrics. OK, some of Oscar Hammerstein’s lyrics, such as, the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye, may seem a little, well, corny. But the strength of the performance and the music overpowers this.

A unique selling point of this show is its ballets. This gives the choreographer (Josie Tweddle) minutes of music which is theirs to own. Act One closes with a phenomenal 15 minute ballet dream sequences. Laurey the farm girl takes a “magic potion” that causes her to dream about her two possible lives. One in the gentle arms of Curly and the other in the hands of the wild twisted Jud. The two men fight it out to timed perfection. The chorus move and spin around poor Laurey as she tries to run and free herself from this nightmare of hers. The music is great here, tunes known to the audience at this point, such as Surrey with the fringe on top,are reworked into a dark, nasty minor arrangement.

The second act builds on the story of the first act with a union between the farmers and the cowboys and the getting together of Laurey & Curly and Ado Annie & Will. Jud gets fired by Laurey after he tries to make a move on her. At her wedding to Curly, Jud makes a surprise appearance. He and Curly struggle until he falls on his own knife, killing himself. The local sheriff does a quick trial, after allegations of murder, but he finds Curly not guilty as he was defending himself. The whole town rejoice to the strains to the title song:Oklahoma!

This story was brilliantly put to life by the actors and production time of the Wigston Amateur Operatic Society and I hope to see another one of their shows, if based solely the standard set in Oklahoma.