Oklahoma! (1999) watch online HD

In 1943, "Oklahoma!" debuted on Broadway, and in doing so reinvented music theater. Roughly fifty-five years later, Trevor Nunn reinvented "Oklahoma!". The result is something very rare indeed: a production that not only captures the original appeal of its source, but also brings new facets and dimentions to a familiar work.

The story itself remains simple, almost quaint: young pioneers Laurie (Josefina Gabrielle) and Curly (Hugh Jackman), like a prairie-school Beatrice and Benedick, tease, flirt, goad each other, and otherwise go out of their way to avoid admitting their obvious mutual attraction. But hired hand Jud Fry (Shuler Hensley) nurses a much less wholesome desire for Laurie, and his obsession starts to boil over into a serious threat. Meanwhile in the comic subplot, cowboy Will Parker (Jimmy Johnston) tries to prove himself worthy of his sweetheart Ado Annie (Vikki Simon) before her father can marry her off via shotgun to an unwilling Persian peddler.

But presentation is everything, and it is here that Nunn's genius shines through. Gone are the clean gingham gowns and pristine landscapes of so many productions past. The sets have a weathered, hard-used look to them, with a cast to match. One can almost feel the sweat and dust clinging to them. This is a harsh frontier we're entering, where there is certainly joy and laughter but also lots of hardship, poverty, and desperation. It's no wonder so many characters cling to their pride, risking everything on a single grand gesture--their pride is one of the few things they can truly call their own.

The three lead actors are excellent, easily some of the best I've seen in the material. From the moment he strides onstage singing "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'," Jackman is a captivating and fully-developed hero. He brings much of the same cocky bravado that has defined Curly over the years, but balances it with healthy doses of anxiety, bitterness, and sensitivity. Not to be outdone, Hensley's Jud (a creation which quite justly earned him a Tony Award) starts out as a somewhat sad and pitiful creature, but gradually reveals the explosive rage buried inside him. As the woman who comes between them, Gabrielle balances nicely between naivitee and cleverness, and sings in a clear, beautiful soprano.

Of the supporting cast, Maureen Lipman is the standout as that quintessential pioneer matriarch, Aunt Eller. Wise as her years, hard as her life and tender as a sunset, she is the story's moral compass. Simon and Johnston are good, albiet rather conventional in their interpretations. As the peddler Ali Hakim, Peter Pollycarpou is the one false note in the cast, with a huckster attitude and an accent that sounds nearer to Manhattan than the Middle East.

Is this "Oklahoma!" better than the 1955 film with Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones? Arguments will abound for both sides, but at some point the comparison becomes superfluous. The two were created several decades apart, with different approaches and ideas about the story. Suffice it to say, this is and excellent performance, with solid direction, good choreography, and a strong cast. That is recommendation enough.

Re: my one line summary - I was wrong, so very wrong! Minor warning: it still hasn't lost the feel of a filmed stage musical, but the good news is that this fact won't probably impair your enjoyment of this wonderful revival of 'Oklahoma!' I find the cast much to blame. Maureen Lipman is sublime, the best Aunt Eller ever! Hugh Jackman is cheeky enough and masculine enough as Curly, and in astounding revelation to my humble self proves he can sing, truly and powerfully sing. Josefina Gabrielle is a sweet yet wilful Laurey and I just love what Shuler Hensley does with Jud and Peter Polycarpou as Ali Hakim is simply wonderful. Considering that this belongs to the stage and all I still think it deserves a 10 out of 10. Certainly much better than the so-called classic film adaptation. Those films put me off Rodgers & Hammerstein with all their big budget distractions and sometimes poor acting(with singers dubbing the actors or not)to tarnish the beauty of much of their work. This? This is beautiful and does the words&lyrics justice.

I have never seen the old version of "Oklahoma" but I know a pretty good bit about it. I saw "Oklahoma" put on by a church in my town when I was about six, but I don't remember much about it.

I really enjoyed this version, the British know how to do musicals! I loved how they made Laurey a tomboy in the beginning to show us how strong and willful she is. Josefina Gabrielle is like a younger, brunette Shirley Jones. She has a beautiful singing voice, she is a beautiful dancer, and a great actress. Did I mention that she's beautiful? I really liked how the actors did their own dancing in the Dream sequence.

I thought Hugh Jackman was amazing. To think that this is the guy who plays Wolverine!!!! This man is is an amazing actor. He's good-looking (very), he can sing, he can dance, and he can really act. He does a very good southern accent. He's also a very believable romantic hero.

Jud was great. That voice...oh my gosh! Such a rich voice, it's like "Lonely Room" was written for him. And Aunt Eller....oh I looove Aunt Eller. She steals the show. She's perfect.

I have nothing bad to say about this show. It's well-done. I just wish Hollywood and Broadway could do more things like this. I got the DVD for Christmas, by the way.

This is a wonderful stage production of Oklahoma! As a teaching guide for my drama students, Oklahoma! has everything that I need in it to teach about a musical. Vocally, the actors are wonderful. Josefina Gabrielle has a beautiful voice and range and is lovely as Laurey. Hugh Jackman, from the first note of 'Oh What A Beautiful Morning' grabs your attention and keeps it. Wow… what a voice, what a stage presence enough said. Shuler Hensley plays Jud Fry with a passion that allows the audience to embrace Jud and yet despise him – tough job to do, but Hensley does it well. Visually, this play uses simple designs and staging, which allows the actors to carry the story and they do an excellent job of carrying the story. Perhaps the lack 'Hollywood' style sets or backdrops may take some aback, but it's the music and the actors that you should notice in a musical. For any one who loves a good musical, it is a wonderful presentation.

I originally tuned into PBS' broadcast because I was curious about Hugh Jackman's singing. - He was absolutely charismatic. It was too bad that Curly didn't have more stage time! I hope I can see him live in a musical or in a play sometime soon. Film work just does not do justice to his talents.

While I tuned in out of curiosity, the updated production, exuberant musical numbers, staging, and dancing kept my attention. This production of "Oklahoma!" re-affirms my love of live theatre.

I loved this film. I grew up on the movie and after watching this version, the movie is flat! I loved Aunt Eller and Hugh Jackman was terrific as Curly. I loved the emotion that was put into the music. Watching this reminded me of what is so good about theater.

Oklahoma was never my favorite musical. By the time I was aware of it, Oklahoma & all of the Rodgers & Hammerstein canon seemed dated, superseded by the darker, more modern Sondheim musicals.

But Trevor Nunn's re-imagining of this American classic makes it so fresh & vibrant, it could've opened yesterday. What seemed sappy in the 50s film version now seems innocent, charming, believable-thanks to Nunn's keener dramatic vision & an exceptional cast.

Hugh Jackman reinvents the swaggering male musical lead with an irresistible magnetism and ability to infuse a song with emotional realness. When he sings O What a Beautiful Morning, it seems totally spontaneous-a young man singing from the depth of his soul his love of life & everything in it-and we feel this song we've heard for decades is being sung for the first time.

The decision to play Laurey (Josefina Gabrielle) as a shy tomboy in overalls, in contrast to the assertive, gingham-clad lasses we've seen in the past, is a wonderfully right one. The attraction between the lovely, thoughtful young girl and the radiantly confident Curly is palpable, and their different temperaments make the parries & shifts of their courtship utterly believable.

Gabrielle is an impressive triple threat-a trained ballerina who is also a good actress and a fine singer. Nunn no doubt wanted an accomplished all-round performer to play Laurey so that the Act I ballet could be danced by the same performers who act and sing the parts-not, as is usually done, by dancing alter egos. That alone makes this famously integrated show that much more integrated, and dramatically satisfying.

As Aunt Eller, Maureen Lipman is tough, wry, funny, touching, wise -hers is the most captivating performance of Eller one can imagine. She is perfect.

Like Laurey, the portrayal of Jud has been rethought. He is still brutal, but you feel the wretchedness, the yearning for acceptance, behind the brutality. Shuler Hensley realizes this brilliantly.

He is one of only 2 Americans contributing to this quintessentially American musical (though all American accents are impeccable, and it's refreshing that the script's phony country pronunciations have been pared down to an unnoticeable level). The other is the choreographer Susan Strohman, whose work here is joyous, spectacularly inventive, and (as in the case of the Act II opener The Farmer & The Cowman) electrifying. The dancing, & there's lots of it, conveys the galvanic energy of these very physical frontier folk. It's thrilling to watch the cast's highly skilled dancers doing numbers that build and build to an explosive rapture that makes you wish you could only be up there with them.

Strohman, with Nunn and their talented, almost exclusively English team, offer us what must be the finest production of Oklahoma ever staged. How fortunate our cousins across the Atlantic have cast a different light on this national treasure, and revealed new splendors it contains!

Not that I would ever proclaim heresy against the "original" Gordon McRae movie, but those folks looked too clean - meaning, the main characters are too well dressed, too refined, too ... clean. The London stage production of the play is well set, and the characters look like roustabout cattle drivers, rough-hewn farm hands, floozy girls, and hard-worn ranchers from turn of the century Oklahoma. Shuler Hensley is wonderful as Jud Fry, and Maureen Lipman makes an Aunt Eller you just want to take home with you! The use of a rotating set for scene changes allows for a wonderful continuity of the story Everyone I know who has been involved in a production of OKLAHOMA! on a local theater level (you know, folks like you and me!) say that this is the best OKLAHOMA! ever!

I have only just found this website and this thread so I would like to post my comments about the National Theatre's production of Oklahoma.

I was lucky enough to go to the show at the NT and was absolutely entranced by it all. As most people have said Hugh Jackman was a revelation. I saw the show before he became famous as Wolverine so had no preconceptions about him. I am so glad that he has done so well.

Maureen Lipman was terrific as Aunt Eller. When the video was shot I understand she was suffering from an abcess on her tooth but you would have never known.

Must watch the video again.

Despite this being a British production of an "Amurrican" show I think it is far better than the original movie. It doesn't have the hokey accents, the singers do their own dancing (and very well too!), and the character interpretations are more real. I especially liked Laurie as a tomboy: it makes her reluctant and confused response to courtship more natural than the spoiled petulance shown in the Hollywood version. Aunt Eller is a person instead of a stereotype - you can tell this woman has had a life. Jud is more rounded, the pain and social confusion underlying his brutality shown clearly. And Hugh Jackman gives Curly a sunniness that is much more charming than the knowing and somewhat manipulative characterization produced by Hollywood. A must-see! What I wouldn't give to see this team make Carousel!

However, my one setback is that everyone is too busy praising Hugh Jackman to the sky (Not that he doesn't deserve it) but no one really says a word about Shuler Hensley, who I thought was the best thing about the entire show! He took someone who I thought I would never feel sorry for and did just that. He reminded me a lot of Lennie from 'Of Mice and Men.' Basically, not the sharpest tool in the shed (which is pretty ironic considering that's where he lives :P) I enjoyed most of the cast, with the exception of Vicki Smith who just annoyed the crap out of me as Ado Annie. I really liked Maureen as Aunt Eller too! She was so cool! Little old lady with a ton of spunk :D

I'm excited that it's released on DVD here in the states and can't wait to go and buy it!

10/10

I once acted in a production of OKlahoma. I loved seeing Hugh Jackman in the main role of curly. God bless Australia. This is a must for all lovers of the musical. I would buy this if I could find it on video. It is amazingly coreographed. The fight scene is especially glorious.

OKLAHOMA! I was never, ever keen on musicals (unless they contain real grit like The Blues Brothers, Blues Brothers 2000, or Grease), but Hugh Jackman is brilliant, along with the rest of the cast! Great Viewing for Rodgers and Hammerstein' fans, and very enjoyable!

Despite this being a made for TV film of Trevor Nunn's Royal National Theatre staged play, I love the film and I'm a hard to please huge fan of the original cinemascope Oklahoma! over which Rodgers and Hammerstein personally oversaw every detail. This Oklahoma! shines regardless of the limitations of being filmed on a stage. Trevor Nunn's Oklahoma! was such a huge hit and deserved to be memorialized by this film. As the intact original cast of this play is not going to Broadway with the show starting February 23, 2002 at the Gershwin Theater, I am happy that I have the movie with the original cast from the London show. The dvd is a special treat as there are many interviews with Nunn, Rodgers' daughter, and various actors. I enjoyed watching the interview with Nunn in which he explains his understanding of Oklahoma!. I also enjoyed watching Hugh Jackman explain how Nunn told him to speak the lyrics to Curly's songs during rehearsals for several weeks before singing them so that the songs could develop the inflection of dialogue. I think that all the actors in this movie gave new interpretations to the Oklahoma! characters. Certainly Maureen Lipman's Aunt Eller shines as does Hugh Jackman's incomparable Curly.

As exuberant and wonderful as Kenneth Branagh's 1993 "Much Ado About Nothing", this amazing production deserves a "15"; alas, I can only give it a "10". Hugh Jackman is a revelation, leaping into the film with cheerful high energy from his first appearance on the set. A must-see for lovers of musicals and for all others too. A sure cure for depression!

I saw it only for Hugh Jackman, and I had no further knowledge about the production but it was one of the best plays I had ever seen even if it was on TV. Of course, Hugh Jackman was fabulous, absolutely fabulous! But also, his supporting cast was great. I loved Aunt Eller, and especially the chemistry and acting between Ado-Annie and Will Parker. Jud Fry was amazing and Ali Hakium was hilarious. I loved the movie but I wasn't quite sure about the audience. The songs were stuck in my head for weeks afterward.

Anyways, I loved the movie. Hats off to all the cast,

10/10

This is a made-for-TV/video film adaptation of the deservedly highly praised UK National Theatre production. The stage show was outstanding not only for the talent of the entire cast - the stars were Hugh Jackman (Curly), Josefina Gabrielle(Laurie), and Maureen Lipman(Aunt Eller)- but for the inventive scenery and staging which conjured up the wide open spaces of the American West in a theatre setting. While this filmed version allows those of us who saw the show from the circle/gallery seats to get a closer view of the actors faces and see nuances of expression etc. that we missed before, it is a pity that the film makers have tried to give the impression that this is still an actual "stage" show by inserting overlong, jarring and frankly amateurish shots of an audience applauding. They could have kept some of the original magical production values by shooting more of the stage and clever scenery - given that this is how the show was designed to be seen - and fewer big close-ups of the actors and smart camera angles. Filming a musical is an art form in itself (see the MGM/Arthur Freed productions), and few directors now have studied that expertise. But still, with all that said- nothing can take away from the wonderful performances of Hugh Jackman (he must be the best Curly since Howard Keel) Maureen Lipman, Shuler Hensley (as a really scary and psychotic Judd Fry) and Jimmy Johnson as Will. Wonderful music and singing, slick dance numbers, and at least indoors with a video you can sing along.

I have always been a fan of the American musical, but never got hooked on Oklahoma! until I saw the 1999 version with Hugh Jackman. Performed as a stage-to-screen version of the West End production, almost every aspect of the performances are enhanced with simplicity, innocence, and pure talent. The standout performances are by Hugh Jackman (as Curly) and Shuler Hensley (as Jud). Jackman's voice is as pure and strong as his character is (produced before he became an international star, this is no bit of stunt-casting to bring in audiences), and Jackman brings more to the character of Curly than Gordan McRae did, in my opinion. His Curly is strong, handsome, and confident, but more fun-loving than McRae's, and he has a certain charm and vulnerability that has been lacking in most previous productions. He obviously loves Laurey from the beginning, and seems as aggravated with himself as she is at him for the fact that he can't seem to help teasing her. Words are hardly enough to express the brilliance of Hensley's take on the dark, brooding farmhand, Jud. In most productions I've seen, Jud may seem a little creepy at worst, until he snaps. Hensley, however, plays Jud as near-psychotic from the beginning, so that the threat seems very real when Curly confronts him ("Poor Jud is Dead") and when Laurey is alone with him. I am also thrilled that the song "Lonely Room" was included, as it not only shows off Hensley's hauntingly beautiful singing voice, but brings depth to Jud's character and story. I absolutely love the changes made to the traditionally prim and proper character of Laurey. It's always annoyed me that a young woman on the frontier has always been costumed in fresh, clean, floor-length gowns. The decision to play Laurey a little younger, in overalls and a ponytail, is more realistic, and I believe it makes Curly's attraction to her and their constant ribbing more realistic. This Laurey is spunkier, but with a vulnerable side, and it's refreshing. Like her male counterparts, Gabrielle delivers some beautiful singing, dancing, and acting. One of the things that impressed me most about the leading performers was that, unlike almost every other professional production, they perform the dream ballet sequence at the end of Act I themselves, instead of using stunt doubles, and they dance it well. The decision to use the actors we're familiar with instead of so-called lookalikes vastly improves the flow of the show. The supporting cast is wonderful as well, particularly Maureen Lipman and Vicki Simon as Aunt Eller and Ado Annie, respectively. I was particularly glad to see an expanded, more believable portrayal of Ali Hakim (Peter Polycarpou). The only dim light in the supporting cast is Sidney Livingstone as Andrew Carnes. For some reason, he apparently could not be bothered to develop the necessary regional accent, and delivers every one of his lines with a strong British accent that seems jarring. Overall, I think this is one of the best stage-to-screen versions of a musical I've ever seen. The close camera shots and simplicity of the sets and staging gives the sense that you're simultaneously watching a stage play and a movie. Very entertaining and a refreshing twist on the standard musical.

Forget Wolverine and Van Helsing when you go into the magical world of Hugh Jackman's participation in musical theater. He rocked Broadway as Peter Allen (Liza Minnelli's first gay husband) in "The Boy From Oz" and was standing room only in a musical revue. Nobody could replace him as Peter Allen, so the show only ran a year to sold out crowds (and he never missed a performance!) and got him a well deserved Tony Award. For those who missed that show that never made it onto the small screens or made into a movie, there's the PBS version of "Oklahoma!" which he did in London prior to taking on his more iconic roles. While Patrick Wilson would take over the role in the Broadway transfer, much of that cast who was on stage at the Gershwin Theater in 2002 is here, a nice visit to a show I had the privilege of seeing and got to re-visit thanks to the availability of this version.

Certainly, it's going to be a bit jarring to hear the Australian born Jackman singing as American cowboy Curly, but he makes it work simply on his charm and his ability to sing and dance as gracefully as Astaire and Kelly, be funny, yet never make you doubt that he's as masculine (not macho) as they come. His confidence as a performer is unmatchable, although I didn't feel his chemistry with Josefina Gabrielle (Laurey) was as strong as it could have been. She's a great singer, and certainly pretty, but I think is the one weak link in an otherwise strong production. Maureen Lipman's Aunt Eller is strong, funny, loving, commanding and everybody's first stop when they need advice. While I saw Andrea Martin take on this role (and absolute perfection), it's Lipman's who will remain in viewer's minds because of her presence on the video and in TV productions.

A Tony Award went to Shuler Hensley in the usually thankless role of the "villain" Jud Fry who gets to show more dimensions than usual in this production. He's only a villain really at the end, mostly a misunderstood loner who doesn't have social graces and is perhaps too shy to deal with women in a gentle manner. He also knows that he's ugly and unlovable, and that adds a sense of heartbreak into his character, making you think about your own feelings towards people in life who don't fill the mold of what a desirable man or woman should be. Vicki Simon is perfectly fine as Ado Annie, the "girl who cain't say no", with Jimmy Johnston just as memorable as her long suffering fiancée Will, determined to raise the money he needs to give Ado Annie's father in order to get his permission to marry her.

The set is perfect, with the corn really as high as an elephant's eye, and cute model trains representing the visits to Kansas City and back. The choreography is outstanding, the orchestrations truly beautiful, and the ensemble filled with really talented, attractive dancers who do a great justice to Rodgers and Hammerstein's fabulous score. Fortunately, the success of this show got PBS to air the Lincoln Center production of "South Pacific" and a concert version of "Carousel" (my own favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein show), but this being the first Rodgers and Hammerstein show to which I knew the entire score (through an early viewing of this when I was just a kid), "Oklahoma!" holds a special place in my heart: for the movie, for the 2002 Broadway revival, and for the TV Broadcast of this production which shows that this has stood the test of time and has everything great that represents the best of what America is all about.

I wasn't sure I'd like this, I love seeing live shows, love musicals and I love movies, but I was unsure about watching a movie of the stage show. I only watched it based on the fact that Hugh Jackman was in it.

Plot In A Paragraph: Laurie (Josefina Gabrielle) and Curly (Hugh Jackman), like each other, they tease, flirt, goad each other, and go out of their way to avoid admitting their obvious mutual attraction. But hired hand Jud Fry (Shuler Hensley) has a much less wholesome desire for Laurie, and his obsession starts to boil over into a serious threat. Meanwhile Will Parker (Jimmy Johnston) tries to prove himself worthy of his sweetheart Ado Annie (Vikki Simon) before her father can marry her off.

The cast was great especially Maureen Lipman, she was the best Aunt Eller I have ever seen, Josefina Gabrielle, Shuler Hensley, Jimmy Johnston and Vikki Simon all do it great job. However it was Hugh Jackman as Curly that really carried this for me.

If you love musicals and Rodgers and Hammerstein, you will love Trevor Nunn's production of Oklahoma! There will be inevitable comparisons between this and the 1955 film. Personally, I prefer to judge something on their own terms and it'll stay like that talking about Oklahoma! If I were to choose though, while I do like the 1955 film I do have quite a large preference to this version, with my only complaint being that the unfunny and quite dull characterisation of Ali Hakim, the humour is played too subtly to the point of boredom, the accent is inconsistent and unauthentic and there seemed to be an eagerness to get of the stage as quickly as possible. He also seemed like an out-of-place caricature for my liking.

Coming from somebody who is very fond of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Oklahoma! is always a pleasure to watch and hear. The story is engaging and remains as fresh and imaginative as it was seen on first reception. And the music is marvellous throughout, People Will Say We're in Love for me is one of the best songs Rodgers and Hammerstein ever wrote. Is there anything I prefer in the 1955 film to here? Perhaps the staging of Oh What a Beautiful Morning, done with a lot of spontaneity and charm here but the colour and quality of the sets in the 1955 film have Rodgers and Hammerstein written all over it.

The costumes and sets here are grittier and more evocative than the film, however still with colour and it's still appealing on the eye. The production is well photographed as well, it's never too stage-bound but at the same time it's not too cinematic. For a filmed performance of an opera or musical that is the right approach. Its style and how Trevor Nunn directed did remind me somewhat of Nunn's production of Porgy and Bess, considering how great that is this is very high praise.

Nunn does a superb job directing. The freshness and imagination of the story is not just maintained in his direction and in the production, but it also has great energy and charm. One might say that it lacks the spontaneity of a live performance, perhaps so but numbers especially Oh What a Beautiful Morning does have a spontaneous feel to it. Characterisations are also delved in deeper and given more insight. To make Laurey more tomboyish suited the character well, and Aunt Eller has command and dignity. But the revelation in this regard was with Judd, there is still a menace to him but, unlike the film, there is much more to them to the extent that you feel sympathy for him also. The fact that Lonely Room was left in might have a part in this. The choreography is slick and filled with energy, the dancers are talented also and seem to be having the time of their lives.

Musically, I am racking my brains to find fault. The music is beautifully played by the orchestra, there is a lot of sparkle and power as well as the ability to accompany sensitively to the singers as they voice/sing the thoughts of their characters. The chorus are rousing in their singing and acting of their rendition of the title number Oklahoma! Jimmy Johnston is immediately appealing as Will and is a very athletic dancer, and Vicki Simon- with a voice that I personally prefer to that of Gloria Graheme's- likewise as Ado Annie.

Hugh Jackman's Curly is outstanding. Maybe I prefer the richer voice of Gordon McCrae(who I still liked), but Jackman sings with more emotion and still has a virile voice well suited to the part. The boyish charm, subtle humour and cockiness for me is also brought out more in Jackman's interpretation. Josefina Gabrielle's voice is clear, bright and beautiful in how it rings out without effort, that of Shirley Jones also had that quality. She is utterly beguiling in her youth and innocence, she is both naïve and clever yet never comes across as spoiled. For me also the chemistry between Curly and Laurey is more convincing here. Maureen Lipman makes for a Aunt Eller that is tough but also dignified, wise but also tender, in short the "moral compass" character of the musical given a very strong and memorable presence. Shular Hensley is leagues above Rod Steiger(good and menacing if perhaps too morose) as Judd, you are wary of him but feel for him too. Hensley has a very full and warm voice, singing Lonely Room as if Rodgers and Hammerstein had him in mind when they wrote it, sure that wasn't the case really but I got that vibe.

All in all, simply brilliant and very easy to fall in love with. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox

To be honest, Hugh Jackman is what caught my initial attention. My daughter was sitting in the living room and had left the TV on while she was playing with her toys. PBS was playing Oklahoma which I recognized right away from the music. Then I saw Curly and was amazed to see it was Hugh Jackman. I had seen him in Someone Like You and X-Men. It is always amazing to see an actor step out of the box and show you a whole new side to the talent they have to offer. His singing and acting both were exceptional. He alone certainly did not carry the movie however. The whole movie was excellently cast. Will Parker and Ado Annie couldn't have had a been better cast by any famous actor. They made you laugh at their antics and pulled you into their somewhat strange relationship. Judd was perfectly cast as well, certainly making you feel wary of being caught alone with a man like him. That first time I saw it, I only caught the last half, but have since purchased the DVD. It is certainly worth watching and in my opinion owning.

From the first time as a kid I saw a summer stock production of Oklahoma I've been captivated by the inaugural Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. From the 1955 movie to high school productions to professional road shows I can't get enough of this musical.

I was born after the Theatre Guild Broadway production but I suspect this version of the Oklahoma territory is a little rougher than what was depicted in 1943 and definitely rougher than the 1955 movie. Josefina Gabrielle in her denim overalls looks tough enough to kick Shirley Jones or Gordon MacRae into the next county if they cross her. And you don't get any of the lush Arizona foliage we remember from the 1955 movie.

Fortunately Trevor Nunn did not try to update the production and make it his own. I keep thinking of the 2005 Brian Large production of La traviata with the giant clock on a sterile stage and the actors doing their best to imitate robots. When two great singers like Netrebko and Villazon can't distract you from the staging I think the director has failed.

Being a Royal National Theatre production the British tinge is felt in the performers. Jackman is good but Gabrielle and especially Shuler Hensley as Jud are outstanding. Easily the best improvements from the 1955 movie are Jimmy Johnston and Vicki Simon as Will and Ado Annie respectively.

My only complaint with the DVD is the sound of the barn raising number seemed muffled. Maureen Lipman and Sidney Livingstone sounded like the soundman didn't like them. And I could have done away with the shots of the crowd. The performances were plenty good enough for us to know when to clap.

I doubt anyone sang and danced like this in the Oklahoma Territory but darn it they should have. Thank you Trevor Nunn for respecting this American original and making this a worthy production.

This is easily the best version of Oklahoma! that I've ever seen. The one thing that slightly annoys me, though, is that in a lot of comments I've seen everyone seems to talk so much about Hugh Jackman that they mostly ignore the rest of the amazing cast here. Jackman is wonderful--don't get me wrong--but Josefina Gabrielle (Laurey), Maureen Lipman (Aunt Eller) and Shuler Hensley (Jud) are just as wonderful and it truly is an ensemble work rather than a one-man show. A great Curly doesn't have much to do without an equally great cast around him. Of the principals, I think Gabrielle and Hensley have the hardest jobs--their roles being almost complete re-inventions of their characters--and both handle their roles extremely well.

The role of Laurey in particular is approached here in a completely different way than it has ever been done before. The somewhat pampered, petulant girly-girl of past productions has been turned into a reserved, slightly tomboyish girl who seems somewhat uncomfortable with the emotions she feels for Curly. Gabrielle handles this characterization perfectly, and her singing and dancing are also top-notch. She and Jackman have a palpable chemistry that makes their scenes together a major highlight of this production. I also really like that they dance their own parts in the dream ballet, which makes this scene much easier to relate to than previous versions. Also, Hensley brings a great deal more depth to the Jud character than I've ever seen before. He's still a villain, but his motives are made more clear in this version, and Hensley is a powerful presence.

I love that this version succeeds in making the characters more real and less stereotypical, particularly the female characters. Lipman's Aunt Eller is a strong presence in the show, and even Ado Annie is less of a caricature than she has been in the past. Also, the sets and costumes reflect a more realistic approach than past productions, and it works very well. It is not a museum piece but a living, breathing production and most of the players rise to the occasion excellently. Peter Polycarpou as Ali Hakim is the only weak link--he's not bad but not great either--but the rest of the cast shines and works very well together.

If you go into this production expecting an Oklahoma! like you've seen many times before, you are in for a surprise. To me, it is a delightful surprise, and definitely worth purchasing the DVD.

OKLAHOMA! opened on Broadway in 1943 and became a classic - not only because the Rodgers and Hammerstein score was so strong, but also because Agnes De Mille was brought in to introduce serious choreography to the Broadway stage. For the past 64 years this musical comedy/drama has been on the boards both professionally and in high schools, colleges and community theaters and always meets with audience acclaim. In 1999 Trevor Nunn reshaped the work, added choreography by Susan Stroman, beefed up the orchestrations, and re-staged the old warhorse in London and the result is an entirely fresh look and appreciation for an 'American classic'.

Nunn opens the inner conflicts of the story and emphasizes some of the more minor characters, a move that adds to the dramatic flow of the work. Yet his biggest asset is the presence of Hugh Jackman as Curly, a handsome stage presence who also happens to possess a strong baritone singing voice and is an agile dancer. From the opening bars of 'Oh, what a beautiful morning' he has us in his back pocket. The remainder of the cast is strong, with special kudos to Maureen Lipman as Aunt Eller, a woman of such plainsman power that she holds the story together with ease. Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey is a fine dancer and has a supple if monochromatic voice and brings a different kind of life to her role. And for once the sinister Jud Fry becomes an understandable villain in the fine work by Shuler Hensley.

For those who don't like audible applause from an audience during a show the technique of making the film appear like a live production will disturb. For this viewer seeing the British audience become involved in the response of this musical made it that much more fun. This is a very fine performance and film of an old American treasure. Grady Harp