OKLAHOMA
Newport
County's Swanhurst Chorus, under the direction of
Jonathan F. Babbitt, presents its 16th Annual Tribute to
Broadway with Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma". The
show is based on the play "Green Grow the Lilacs", by
Lynn Riggs. It takes place in 1907 and is about the
spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys
where two stubborn prairie kids, Curly, a cowboy and
Laurey, a farm girl live. They refuse to show their true
feelings for each other but eventually fall in love. The
first collaboration of Rodgers and Hammerstein, the show
originally opened on March 31, 1943 and ran for 2,212
performances. Director Jonathan Babbitt infuses this
show with high energy from start to finish and also is
the musical director, plays the piano, taught the cast
the beautiful well known music but also cooks the
fabulous dinner, too. This energetic show is rewarded
with a thunderous ovation at curtain call. This show is
presented in a dinner style theater setting with
intimate staging with the audience sitting on the
Oklahoma prairie. The meal choices consist of roast
pork in brown gravy or Chicken Vanderbilt, a boneless
breast of chicken finished with spinach and sun-dried
tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and tomato basil cream sauce
with as much salad and rolls you can eat as well as
fresh green string beans, mashed potatoes and coffee
with a dessert buffet.
The stage is a
black box set with a prairie background where the
numerous scene changes can be accomplished quickly with
the cast moving set pieces on and off. Jon keeps the
show flowing beautifully from start to finish and also
does amazing work, obtaining the harmonic blend from his
cast members especially in "Many a New Day", "Out of My
Dreams" and "Oklahoma".. His lovely wife Lisa
choreographs "Many a New Day", "The Farmer and the
Cowman" and "Oklahoma". The two leads in the show have
wonderful voices and acting talents. Jason
Shealy is fantastic as Curly, the cocky cowboy who is
madly in love with this beautiful farm girl. Jason
studied voice at the University of South Carolina) He
handles the comic and dramatic moments with ease. His
terrific baritone voice sells his songs including "Oh,
What a Beautiful Mornin" as well as "The Surrey with the
Fringe on Top", the lead in "Oklahoma" , his two duets
"People Will Say We're in Love" and "Poor Jud is
Dead". Pretty blonde Lisa not only choreographs the show
but plays Laurey. She has a lovely soprano voice and she
makes Laurey spunky, a girl who has a backbone to stand
up for herself especially in the confrontation with
Jud scene, yet she is also sweet and tender when she
needs to be, too. Her voice soars in "People Will Say
We're in Love'' duet with Curly, and in her two solos
"Many A New Day" and "Out of My Dreams".
The supporting
cast is very talented and is led by Brandon Clark as
Will Parker, the dumb country bumpkin who has trouble
keeping his girlfriend in line. He is a fabulous actor
and singer who shows off his singing talent in "Kansas
City" and in "All or Nothin", his duet with Ado
Annie. Erin Toppa is wonderful as the hot to trot Ado
Annie and she stops the show with her hilarious song "I
Can't Say No" where she explains how she loves every man
she is with. Her comic antics keep you entertained all
night long. Jeremy Hansen plays the womanizing peddler,
Ali Hakim who likes to flirt with every pretty girl he
sees. He is a hoot when he sings "It's a Scandal" where
he complains about having to marry a girl because of her
father's shotgun. His flirting ways catch up to him when
Ali is forced to marry the constantly laughing Gertie
played wonderfully by Ruth Hall.
(I reviewed Lisa, Brandon, Erin and Jeremy last year in "The Pajama Game''.) The feisty Aunt Eller is wonderfully played by Suzanne Bessin who shows off her singing voice in "The Farmer and the Cowman". She shows the strength that was needed back in 1907 when a woman had to be strong to survive in the wilderness. Her character gets to have fun in the song where she points her gun at the fighters, in the auction scene and in her flirting scenes with Curly to make him realize he is in love with Laurey. The villain of the show is the smarmy, evil, murdering stalker, Jud Fry. Andrew Gustafson is so realistic in this role that he scares the audience with his volatile character. His "Lonely Room" song done in speaking style conveys Jud's misguided anger. Ado Annie's father, Andrew is well played by Norm Lofsky who gets many laughs while threatening Ali Hakim with his shotgun, argues with Will over his engagement to his daughter and sings of his dislike for the cowboys in "The Farmer and the Cowman". (This show brings back pleasant memories of when I played Andrew Carnes in "Oklahoma" for Mill River Dinner Theatre in 1998.) Kudos to the whole cast for bringing this classic show to life in Newport. A raffle is held at every performance to keep the Swanhurst chorus in business during these tough economic times.
(I reviewed Lisa, Brandon, Erin and Jeremy last year in "The Pajama Game''.) The feisty Aunt Eller is wonderfully played by Suzanne Bessin who shows off her singing voice in "The Farmer and the Cowman". She shows the strength that was needed back in 1907 when a woman had to be strong to survive in the wilderness. Her character gets to have fun in the song where she points her gun at the fighters, in the auction scene and in her flirting scenes with Curly to make him realize he is in love with Laurey. The villain of the show is the smarmy, evil, murdering stalker, Jud Fry. Andrew Gustafson is so realistic in this role that he scares the audience with his volatile character. His "Lonely Room" song done in speaking style conveys Jud's misguided anger. Ado Annie's father, Andrew is well played by Norm Lofsky who gets many laughs while threatening Ali Hakim with his shotgun, argues with Will over his engagement to his daughter and sings of his dislike for the cowboys in "The Farmer and the Cowman". (This show brings back pleasant memories of when I played Andrew Carnes in "Oklahoma" for Mill River Dinner Theatre in 1998.) Kudos to the whole cast for bringing this classic show to life in Newport. A raffle is held at every performance to keep the Swanhurst chorus in business during these tough economic times.
OKLAHOMA ( 6 to 20 March, 2010)
Swanhurst Chorus, Fenner Hall, 15 Fenner Street, Newport,RI
1(401)682-1630 or swanhurst.org