Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Theater Review: Oklahoma!

By Carol M. Rice

I am a sucker for Oklahoma! Maybe it’s the music. Maybe it’s the dorky plot. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the state. Maybe it’s even because my high school did the show and I was in the chorus. I don’t know. What I DO know is that it’s a fun show, and Greater Lewisville Community Theatre has a fun production going on right now.

On the night I attended, Saturday July 26, there was a completely full house that included everyone from a Girl Scout troupe to a group of Red Hats, and they all seemed to have as good a time as I did. This is a quality community theatre production with some nice voices and decent acting.

David Ploof as Curly provides exactly the right mixture of cowboy and young man in love, and while his voice may not be as strong as other Curlys I’ve seen, he makes up for it in good looks, charm, and charisma. It took awhile for Kaitlin Lory as Laurey to warm up, but once she started smiling at Curly instead of giving him sour looks, she was fine. When she scowls, she looks like a spoiled 10-year-old instead of a beautiful young woman. Her smile is lovely – she just needs to use it more onstage.

The funniest and most talented pair in the show was by far Leslie Snyder as Ali Hakim and Rachel Robertson as Ado Annie. Ms. Robertson’s powerhouse voice filled the room when she sang, and she was a joy to watch. She had so much energy you almost got tired watching her, and she had so much fun with her role, you couldn’t help but have fun with her! She did a wonderful job, especially in her scenes with Mr. Snyder, who in my opinion stole the show. I wasn’t sure about his Irish accent paired with his Persian looks (and am still on the fence about it), but it was an interesting choice that he obviously had a good time with, and he sold it well. Most importantly, he and Ms. Robertson had wonderful chemistry! It did, unfortunately, make the chemistry between Ms. Robertson and Charles Carroll (as Will Parker) pale in comparison.

Eric Rodgers as Jud Fry made some interesting choices with his character – some good, some that didn’t work as well, but overall he did a good job. I do wish he’d had more singing time. Neil Ferguson as Andrew Carnes, Ado Annie’s pa, also had some very nice moments.

Usually the women in a show like this are much stronger than the men, but sadly that wasn’t the case here. The chorus of women looked petrified every time they sang and even more so when they had to dance. The choreography was ill-suited to their talents and types and was more of a distraction than anything. If they’d had more confidence while singing and less moving around to do, I think they’d have been fine because they sounded okay but were too quiet.

Nancy Friedman as Aunt Eller must have been trying to make up for them, though, because she tried to steal focus any time the attention wasn’t on her, and her yelling out “Woo-hoo!” any time there was a quiet moment got old FAST. She really needed to be reined in.

GLCT does some amazing things on their postage stamp sized stage. The set was simple yet very creative and it worked very well for their production. I especially liked Jud’s “lonely room” set. I do wish directors there wouldn’t use the center aisle as an entrance, though. Thankfully director Connie Salsman limited her use of the center aisle to just a few entrances. I’ve seen shows where entire dance numbers happen on that aisle, and the poor audience members heads nearly fall off as they turn in their seats to try to see what’s going on.

Costumes were uneven (for example, adding a white ruffle to the bottom of a red skirt doesn’t make it look like it started out life as a long skirt), and the men’s chaps all looked brand-spanking new, which isn’t believable if they’re supposed to be working cowboys.

The band, while very good, made some annoying musical choices on the synthesizer at times, but overall the music was enjoyable.

Much of the audience was on its feet during curtain call, so GLCT definitely set out what it intended to do – entertain their patrons! You just can’t beat a full house of smiling people leaving the theatre!

GLCT has just one more weekend left for you to see Oklahoma! Their theatre has been recently remodeled, and downtown Lewisville is a pretty place to see a show, so check it out! Call 972-221-SHOW for reservations.

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• Arts > Fine Arts > Theater > Musicals