PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Tony Award-winning revival of “Oklahoma!” is not the old-school show that you’re probably thinking of.
Daniel Fish’s reimagination gained critical acclaim in New York, and now it’s touring nationally, including in Philadelphia at the Forrest Theatre.
This production takes a stripped-down approach — acoustic folk music with a simple set, even without lights at times to put emphasis on the text. The revival expands what the audience may think of this classic story, one which many already love dearly.
We talked more about it on KYW Newsradio’s daily news podcast The Jawncast below:
This production features a diverse cast. Among the actors of color is Sis, a Black trans woman, who plays Ado Annie — a role traditionally cast as a naive white girl. But Sis had no problem connecting to the character and making it her own.
“She says, ‘How can I be what I ain’t?’ And she’s different than these people,” Sis said on The Jawncast. “There’s always people in society that we have to grow accustomed to and understand.”
While she’s glad the show has opened the door for many actors, Sis said seeing people of color on stage shouldn’t be revolutionary — it simply represents reality.
“It’s interesting, almost as if we are being done a favor for being included in these narratives,” she added, “when really we were erased from these narratives.”
Related
Warren Hoffman takes a more analytical look at race on Broadway in his book “The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical,” which includes a chapter on “Oklahoma!” On a recent episode of KYW Newsradio In Depth, he said the revival’s casting “really makes this very American musical truly American.”
But at the same time, he said, “it is important for us to realize that there are things like segregation that existed. … What that casting does is sort of gloss over that.”
Listen to Hoffman's discussion below:
In his book, Hoffman points out that “Oklahoma!” is set in “Indian territory, now Oklahoma,” according to the script. It takes place in the early 1900s, just as Oklahoma is about to become a state. And yet, there are no Native Americans in the story.
So, can we produce old shows in a way that acknowledges their problems but makes them suitable for the present day? Hoffman said it’s a case-by-case basis.
“I think some things are clearly not suitable for today for a bunch of reasons,” he noted. “They don’t work in their representations of gender and race and sexuality. A show like ‘Oklahoma!,’ I think, does a better job at that.”
“Oklahoma!” closes at the Forrest Theatre on Sunday. Tickets are available online.
Related
