Overture - Original London Cast, Hammerstein, Oscar
Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'
The Surrey with the Fringe on Top
Kansas City
I Cain't Say No
Many a New Day
It's a Scandel! It's a Outrage!
People Will Say We're in Love
Pore Jud is Daid
Lonely Room
Out of My Dreams
Ballet
The Farmer and the Cowman
All Er Nothin'
People Will Say We're in Love (reprise)
Oklahoma
Finale Ultimo
Following up their landmark 1993 revival of Carousel, London's Royal National Theatre delivers another pillar of the Rodgers and Hammerstein canon with their 1998 production of Oklahoma! As on the earlier CD, Oklahoma! pr... more »ovides a generous amount of music (74 minutes) by including integral dance music (including Laurey's dream ballet and passages of "Kansas City") and connecting dialogue, resulting in a more complete theatrical experience than most recordings provide. It also includes two songs that were cut from the film, the grammatically incorrect but vigorous chorus number "It's a Scandal, It's a Outrage" and Jud's powerful lament, "Lonely Room." Hugh Jackman excels as Curly, while Josefina Gabrielle is an effective Laurey. Filling out the strong cast are Maureen Lipman as Aunt Eller, Jimmy Johnston as Will, Vicki Simon as Ado Annie, and Shuler Hensley as Jud; and thankfully, British accents are not prevalent on this plain. The booklet includes production notes and a synopsis with photos, but no lyrics. Of course, the question in most minds might be whether you need to make room on your shelf for another recording of Oklahoma! When it's this well done, the answer is yes. --David Horiuchi« less
Following up their landmark 1993 revival of Carousel, London's Royal National Theatre delivers another pillar of the Rodgers and Hammerstein canon with their 1998 production of Oklahoma! As on the earlier CD, Oklahoma! provides a generous amount of music (74 minutes) by including integral dance music (including Laurey's dream ballet and passages of "Kansas City") and connecting dialogue, resulting in a more complete theatrical experience than most recordings provide. It also includes two songs that were cut from the film, the grammatically incorrect but vigorous chorus number "It's a Scandal, It's a Outrage" and Jud's powerful lament, "Lonely Room." Hugh Jackman excels as Curly, while Josefina Gabrielle is an effective Laurey. Filling out the strong cast are Maureen Lipman as Aunt Eller, Jimmy Johnston as Will, Vicki Simon as Ado Annie, and Shuler Hensley as Jud; and thankfully, British accents are not prevalent on this plain. The booklet includes production notes and a synopsis with photos, but no lyrics. Of course, the question in most minds might be whether you need to make room on your shelf for another recording of Oklahoma! When it's this well done, the answer is yes. --David Horiuchi
Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 03/02/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This fantastic OKLAHOMA! cast album features the acclaimed 1998 National Theatre revival cast headed by Hugh Jackman and Josefina Gabrielle. Mary Rodgers (the daughter of Richard Rodgers) has called this production the finest OKLAHOMA! she has ever attended. A full taped performance of the revival is available on DVD and highly-recommended from this corner. Hugh Jackman has a luscious voice as Curly, singing powerfully in all his numbers, and he performs "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'" like the song was only written yesterday. Josefina Gabrielle has a winsome quality as Laurey, and her "Out of My Dreams" is fantastic. "Many a New Day" is performed as her stridant anthem that she can do very well without the attentions of the opposite sex. This recording is further-enhanced by the all-new "Dream Ballet" orchestrated by William David Brohn, which takes as its starting point the original version but adds some fresh new touches. Be warned though: as it appears on the recording, the "Dream Ballet" has been slightly-abriged due to length purposes (for the full piece, refer to the DVD). Maureen Lipman is a sardonic delight as Aunt Eller, Vicki Simon belts Ado Annie's "I Cain't Say No" to perfection and Jimmy Johnston is fantastic as Will Parker. Shuler Hensley perfectly captures the intense and brooding nature of Jud Frye with the haunting "Lonely Room". One of the best OKLAHOMA! cast album efforts."
Give a full-throated O.K.! to this Oklahoma!
Yi-Peng | Singapore | 02/23/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This recording of the groundbreaking first R&H musical should arguably considered as one of the finest of its many recordings. It's true that the film soundtrack gives a definitive performance of the score, but this energetic, peppy version gives the musical its maximum oomph. The cast gives a stellar rendition of the score, and act out their parts charismatically and convincingly, even though the accents are not always authentic Southern accents. Hugh Jackman heads the cast with a rich, sumptuous portrayal of Curly, shining vocally from the first phrase of Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'. He is well-partnered by the pert, ambivalent yet tender Laurey of Josefina Gabrielle. Gabrielle also shines vocally on Many a New Day and exudes a wonderful chemistry during People Will Say We're in Love. The supporting cast is equally characterful, with Maureen Lipman a caustic Aunt Eller, contrasting against the dark hues of Shuler Hensley's Jud. Hensley's vivid portrayal of Jud adds an extra dimension to the character during the rarely-heard Lonely Room. Vicki Simon and Jimmy Johnstone make a perfectly delicious and comic pairing of Ado Annie and Will, and their moments individually and together are always a delight to hear, especially I Cain't Say No and All er Nothin'. The orchestra under John Owen Edwards is top-notch and plays this score superbly, especially the new dance arrangements that sound newly-minted, yet respectful of the originals. The presentation is splended, with a lavish booklet packed with photos, and a crisp, clean modern recording. All told, this version of Oklahoma! should certainly be highly recommended, and should elicit a spontaneous "YEOW!" from anyone who is willing to be charmed by it. I'm sure that more people will come to appreciate it and give this version its long-overdue O.K."
A Great Album
M. Wilcox | United States | 02/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have been involved with theatre in different capacities over the last 30 years. Trevor Nunn's production is by far the best I've seen or heard. The cast outstanding. Mr. Jackman and Mr. Hensley have a great presence. Their duet of "Pore Jud is Daid" is both funny and touching."
Darker than the original maybe, but definately worth owning!
Paula Cunningham | Centerville, GA United States | 03/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I loved this!! I'm sure that some people will not like the fact that this Curly has a darker side to him and that Jud is not all evil. To have the three leads also doing the ballet/dream sequence just made this movie that much better. I can definately recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the original Oklahoma. This will not take anything away from the original but can only add to your enjoyment."
Americans do this better.
Tom George | Wash. DC | 07/22/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Not on a par with the RSC earlier masterpiece revival of Carousel. With the exception of Hugh Jackman,who can't seem to take one wrong step on a stage, this version doesn't compare to the 1979 revival. This cast isn't in the same league as the American cast of Christine Andreas, Martin Vidnovic and particularly Christine Ebersole as Ado Annie."
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1
