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Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! (London Stage Revival) | 
 enlarge | Director: Trevor Nunn
Actors: Hugh Jackman, Josefina Gabrielle, Shuler Hensley, Jimmy Johnston, Maureen Lipman
Studio: Image Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $14.46
You Save: $10.53 (42%)
New (44) Used (14) Collectible (2) from $13.99
Rating:  78 reviews
Sales Rank: 5251
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 180 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 1057
UPC: 014381105728
EAN: 0014381105728
ASIN: B0000C23HY
Theatrical Release Date: 1999
Release Date: November 18, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
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Amazon.com
When Mary Rodgers, daughter of the composer Richard Rodgers, was reported as saying she never wanted to see another Oklahoma!, it was her way of paying the highest tribute to Trevor Nunn's production at the Royal National Theatre which was subsequently taken into the studio and filmed. The camera follows the playgoers into the auditorium of the Olivier where in their company we watch the show and applaud the numbers as the real thing. Nunn treats Rodgers and Hammerstein's first collaboration with the utmost seriousness, restoring the full text so that it comes across as a drama indebted to Eugene O'Neill. Although Oklahoma! unfolds at a leisurely pace, it is extraordinary how one is drawn into the drama under Nunn's direction. There's seldom a wish for true locations as the pace picks up and we move into the claustrophobic company of Judd Fry in his riveting encounter with the cowboy Curly. The close-up camera work affords an experience the theatre can't bring and also pays handsome dividends in appreciating Susan Stroman's intricate and lively choreography. Her dancers are a fine team, notably Jimmy Johnston who is outstanding as Will Parker leading the Kansas City ensemble. Hugh Jackman (X-Men) as Curly matches him in vocal prowess and looks, and Shuler Hensley sings the tricky role of Judd Fry very well. It's harder to place Peter Polycarpou's Pedlar, a considerably larger role than in the film version, whose accent strays from London's East End to the plains of Europe. Maureen Lipman, rightly deemed the lynchpin of the musical by Nunn, is a joy to watch as Aunt Eller. Laurey (Josefina Gabrielle) and Ado Annie (Vicki Simon) are good but not special. Aside from an abrupt start to Act Two and the occasional voice off microphone, the production sounds good with a larger orchestra present than in the theatre. An Oklahoma! on an epic scale. --Adrian Edwards
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| Customer Reviews: Read 73 more reviews...
 Sexual tension in a Rogers and Hammerstein show? Get out of town! August 25, 2008
Grant Hugh Alexander (The Deep South, USA)
For those who are familiar mainly with the innocent, lavish film version of Rogers and Hammerstein's musical OKLAHOMA!, this 1998 West End revival starring Hugh Jackman, Josefina Gabrielle and Shuler Hensley may come as a bit of a shock. There is not a hint of syrupy sweetness or camp to be found in Trevor Nunn and Susan Stroman's masterful reinterpretation of the material. Here, the characters are earthy, dirty, sweaty, and delighfully natural, and the actor's portraying them are all suberb (with one exception which I will address below).
Hugh Jackman's Curly is cocky and handsome as the role calls for, yes, but he also gives the character a sense of romantic awkwardness and a heart that makes his romance with Laurey heart-wrenchingly believable. He also has a good but playful singing voice that suits him well. If there is any doubt that Mr. Jackman is a masterful actor who can do just about anythig in terms of acting, his performance here will crush them.
Josefinna Gabrielle, however, is usually dismissed as being good, but not special, but this is simply not true. For the first time in all my viewings of this musical, I have never felt completely sympathetic to Laurey. As a matter of fact, I am usaully slightly annoyed by her vanity and incessant sulking, but not with Ms. Gabrielle - her Laurey is an earthy tomboy, staying in overalls for much of the first act until her Cinderella-esque transformation for the box social. You feel her calamity when it comes to her choice between Curly and Jud, and Ms. Gabrielle's dancing during the "Dream Ballet" and her reactions to the proceedings therein are simply beautiful. Her acting is very natural, very relatable, very real. Although Shirley Jones will always be the best-sung Laurey, Ms. Gabrielle holds the trophy for original interpretation in my book. I honestly believe part of the reason she may not stand out to some is because of her very dark brown hair. This may sound silly, but with a generation used to seeing the blonde Shirley Jones in the role, a brunette seems less conspicuous and exotic and slightley common. Had she been given a good blonde wig, she would have physically stood out more, but, that's an asthetic concern, not at all a problem or hindrance to Ms. Gabrielle's outstanding performance.
As Jud, Shuler Hensley achieves the daunting task of making a rather unlikeable character both relatable and in the end, somewhat tragic. Although, as an audience, we never want Laurey to end up with him, in this version we at least acknowledge him as a possible suitor for her. Mr. Hensley also has a very rich baritone that he uses to good effect, especially in the usually cut "Lonely Room" in which we feel the pain and lonliness of Jud's isolation.
Ms. Maureen Lipman as Aunt Eller is a revelation and force of nature. She possesses not only the most convincing accent in the piece, but also the best comic timing. Her humor is so rich not because she plays it for laughs but because she brings out the natural humor within her character without slapping the audience over the head with it. She will have you in stitches especially during "The Farmer and the Cowman Should Be Friends," in which she shoots and twirls a gun like a seasoned cowboy.
The supporting cast is also excellent, especially Jimmy Johnston and Vicki Simon as the secondary romantic couple, Will Parker and Ado Annie. The only weak link in the cast is Peter Polycarpou as the Persian peddler. Eddie Albert in the film version may have been as white as all get out but at least you believed him as a sex-crazed con man. Mr. Polycarpou looks the part but rarely effectively nails a joke and is about as seductive as a Care Bear. His accent is also horrendous and reminds one of a seedy New Yorker more than it does of a Persian citizen. Still, he's quirky at least and greasy in his selling of his wares, and Vicki Simon balances him out enough to keep him from being a distraction.
All in all, the best production of the musical to date (even Mary Rogers, Richard Rogers's daugheter, says so!) with beautiful staging (thank you, Mr. Nunn)and choreography (bountiful thanks to Ms. Stroman), and sets and costumes that are naturalistic while still evoking the fantastical elements of this beautifully-scored and written musical fable.
 Oklahoma! OK and then some.. March 12, 2008
Henry Spitz
Saw the original. As good and even better. Wish this could be done for all the great Broadway shows of the past (and present).
Absolutely Excellent! January 19, 2008
Wanderer (Bend, OR & Greenville, SC)
How dumb am I? I thought this was actually done on a stage with a live audience until I got to the extra material and saw how it was put together. Seamless!
I also thought it was true to the original movie script until I was told differently. Brilliant!
My wife and I loved it! It is much better than the original movie (a matter of changing times, tastes, and techniques) and it makes the musical bright and shining as a new penny. Excellent!
Buy this DVD!
 Dissapointing, Forgettable Production August 15, 2007
Lauren Maddock
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
I'm not really sure why this revival of Oklahoma received rave reviews. While this production does return the setting of Oklahoma to the rough territory setting rather than the glossed-over setting of previous productions and the film, I find it an unfavorable change. To me, Laurie does not belong in denim overalls and does not live in a dirty log cabin. In addition to the production design, the translation of this to film is also peculiar. The transitions between scenes and musical numbers on the video is nothing short of awkward. While the audience's laughter or response cannot be heard during scenes of the show, they can be heard applauding after musical numbers. Now this, of course, only adds to the viewing experience, however, the effect is lost as the camera cuts away from the on stage transition to view the applauding audience. Even worse, you see the actors exiting the stage in the foreground of the audience shots. It's as if the audience is being filmed from a point upstage. Not to pick on another aspect of the filming, but the camera often films angles from all over the stage. Instead of viewing the scene as an audience member (as originally staged and intended), the camera will be set by Aunt Eller's rocking chair, or on the porch of the house, or beside the fence. It's completely distracting and unnessecary. Also, the film suffers from lack of laughter. As a result of the scenes being filmed without an audience, the comedic moments in Oklahoma are lost and come across as awkward. I'm a huge fan of Oklahoma, and the removal of laughter made parts of the show drag.
Moving on to the cast. Hugh Jackman and the actor portraying Jud seems to be the only performances worth watching in this production. Laurie looks too old and Aunt Eller isn't very likeable. Aside from this, my biggest complaint is that of Ado Annie and Will Parker. What should be the two most memorable performances of the show are quite easily the worst and most forgetable performances in this production. Ado Annie is just plain boring. She is not a 'character' at all. I'm very curious how the audience responded to her because I know, had I seen the show live, I would have been entirely dissapointed with her performance. The actor playing Will Parker didn't fit the part at all. Not only didn't he look the part, but he didn't act the part either. The usual dynamic duo of this show lacked just about everything in this production. The third member of the Annie, Will relationship, Ali Hakim, is also thoroughly dissapointing. Without audience response, this character is awkward and also not likeable.
I know all I did was complain about this production, but I recently say a production of Oklahoma! in Pittsburgh, and this London version pales in comparison. I don't care how acclaimed this filmed production is, it's definitely my least favorite performance of Oklahoma I've ever seen. I don't mean that I won't ever watch it again. I probably will watch it occasionally, but I do regret purchasing this dvd when I could have borrowed it from the local library for free. While I do love Amazon and want to support the company as much as possible, this is one dvd that you're better off renting than buying.
Better than the movie version! July 13, 2007
M. Hartman (Fort Wayne, IN USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic has made my two daughters (age 17 and 8) huge fans of musical theater. The singing and dancing are superb, the story line is easier to follow than the movie, and the ballet scene, which often seems a thorn in the side of this production, flows with the story better than any other version I've ever watched. Hugh Jackman is totally believable as the cowboy Curly, American accent and all. The motivation of the character of Judd is more understandable, and one is almost sympathetic to this man who wants something he can't have, who tries to cover his feelings of inferiority with bluster, anger and eventually violence.
Don't miss the bonus interview on the making of the London Stage Revival and DVD.
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