Ian Goodwin’s simple method reveals a lot about his character Jud. In the roughly one and a half songs he is a part of, he shows how much of a talented singer he is.
Continuing laughter, standing ovations, and a sold out show on Friday.
Reid plays Persian peddler Ali Hakim and has all the laughs on his side. His desperate attempts to get rid of the promiscuous Ado Annie are hilarious and, although being as far from Persian as possible, there could not have been a better choice for this role than Reid.
The premiere weekend went well for the University’s current production “Oklahoma!†The positive reactions were well deserved. An incredibly skilled cast and their entertaining take on the cheerful story made the evening truly worthwhile.
The University’s Department of Theatre and Dance chose “Oklahoma!†to be their first show this year. Among the many reasons, must be because of its meaning to the history of the genre. The original play, written by Oscar Hammerstein II, opened on Broadway in 1943 and started what is called the Golden Age of Musicals.
The story about cowboy Curly (Tyler Vernon), who has to fight for his farm girl Laurey (Erica Peninger) and protect her against her evil suitor Jud (Ian Goodwin), has won many awards and continues to delight Americans. Although there isn’t much to it, the baffling ways of love and lust are always rewarding terrain for comical stories like “Oklahoma!â€
Erica Peninger, plays Laurey, a farm girl and leading love interest in “Oklahoma!” Peninger witty portrayal of the character really defines the meaning of a voice being as clear as a bell.
Vernon plays the leading role of Curly as charming as can be, but with slightly too much vibrato in his singing. His witty counterpart Peninger on the other hand really defines the meaning of a voice being “as clear as a bell.â€
Both Vernon and Peninger act very professional and convincing, but their leading roles almost appear a little pale compared to the great supporting characters that “Oklahoma!†has to offer. Precisely the love triangle between Ado Annie (Allison Huber), her fiancée Will Parker (David Couter) and her affair Ali Hakim (Hunter Reid) is what makes the musical worth watching.
Reid as the Persian peddler has all the laughs on his side. His desperate attempts to get rid of the promiscuous Ado Annie are hilarious, and, although being as far from Persian as possible, there could not have been a better choice for this role than Reid.
The same applies to Huber, whose performance is so full of joy that it automatically passes on to the audience.
But the actor who leaves the biggest impression is Ian Goodwin as villain Jud Fry. Although he has the least amount of stage time of all main characters, his outstanding performance makes the most of it.
He achieves evoking deep sympathy for the simpleminded and crude Jud, who is after all just looking for real love like everyone else.
As the only character in the play who chooses not to speak with a thick accent and act excessively, he instead mumbles his short answers in a wary way. This simple method reveals a lot about the character as Goodwin intended it to be. In the roughly one-and-a-half songs he is a part of, he shows how much of a talented singer he is.
Director Jacob Allen has done a great job with his version of “Oklahoma!†Apart from the funny plot, the music written by Richard Rodgers definitely contributes to the success of the musical. The orchestra’s performance under conductor Spencer Blank is flawless and makes the catchy songs stick to one’s ear long after.
Why this play is called “Oklahoma!†though, remains unclear. Only the very last song with the same title tells the audience something about the show’s setting around 1906, shortly before Oklahoma becomes a state. The story itself has nothing to do with the historic circumstances and deals in fact with only the trials and tribulations of love. It is to the musical’s advantage that this topic is universal, will never change and enables “Oklahoma!†to be shown for the next hundred years as well.
“Oklahoma!†will be shown again from Feb. 25 to 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Mainstage Theatre. University of Memphis students can get one free ticket for the show.
