Oklhoma Oh Perfect

Song, dance classics thrill in Stratford's 'Oklahoma!'

May 31, 2007

BY MARTIN F. KOHN

FREE PRESS THEATER CRITIC

STRATFORD, Ontario -- Ten minutes into Donna Feore's (or anyone else's) production of "Oklahoma!" we've already heard two certified classics, "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' " and "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top."

After 25 minutes we've heard two more, "Kansas City" and "I Cain't Say No" and a little while later another two: "Many a New Day" and "People Will Say We're in Love."

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That makes an even half-dozen great moments in musical theater before the first hour is up. No wonder Rodgers and Hammerstein wanted to slap an exclamation point on their show's title.

There'll be a couple more before Act One concludes and then Feore the choreographer adds a couple exclamation points of her own, allowing dance to carry the show forward, as original choreographer Agnes de Mille did in 1943.

All that singing and dancing leaves little room for narrative or building characters, which may be just as well. As a story, "Oklahoma!" shows its age and, like the song says, the corn is as high as an elephant's eye.

There's the lead couple, Curly and Laurey (Dan Chameroy and Blythe Wilson) who are crazy in love but pretend not to be, especially Laurey.

There's the funny second couple, Will Parker and Ado Annie, whose road to true love faces its own impediment: Ado Annie, the girl who cain't say no, is a bit indiscriminate with her affections.

No wonder the show-stealing Lindsay Thomas, who plays her, looks like the happiest person in the Festival Theatre. That includes the 30 cast members and all 1,826 in the audience when the house is full.

Kyle Blair plays Will Parker with matching effervescence, and does rope tricks besides.

Nora McLellan as genial Aunt Eller, Jonathan Ellul as comic itinerant peddler Ali Hakim and David W. Keeley as farmhand Jud Fry deliver enriching performances.

Chameroy and Wilson sing powerfully. Unlike the movie, where separate dancers performed, Feore has her actors dance Laurey's fantasy of what the future holds, the "Dream Ballet," reasoning that the audience has become attached to them.

Indeed, we have.