A purdy fine show

Chickens cluck happily, Aunt Eller (Josie Lawrence) buffs her rifle and cowpoke Curly (Hyoie O’Grady) pulls open the barn doors onto Robert Jones’s set, a picture of Deep South farm folk. Windmills spin languidly, an abundance of corn stand proudly and the whole scene is washed in a sun soaked yellow-orangey glow. No wonder Curly is roused to song. Cue Oh What a Beautiful Morning. Enter farm girl Laurey (Amara Okereke) – it is her yard – and the flirting begins, much to the amusement of Aunt Eller. Welcome to Oklahoma! (Chichester Festival Theatre), the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical gem that is a summertime stalwart in so many theatres. Jeremy Sams’ production is a thumbs up for diversity giving two of the lead roles to Black actors though it is a sign of how little progress we have really made that in 2019 we are still having to point this out.

There is a verve and vivacity to the show that makes it a crowd pleaser with Matt Cole’s choreography, especially during the box social event, wonderfully exuberant as the “purdy” (pretty) boys and gals put on a mighty fine display to impress their potential suitors. Love is in the air but outsider and loner Jud (Emmanuel Kojo) is determined to spoil the party. Laurey is perturbed by his demeanour and ‘talking wild’. During the disturbing ‘dream ballet’ he gets his wicked way with her while condemning the smitten Curly to burn in hell. It is a difficult scene to weave into what is a feel-good production but coming as it does at the end of act one it is a tantalising spectre of what might be after the interval.

Act II suffers a little in comparison. Nevertheless, the rendition of The Farmer and the Cowman is a winner and of course we have yet to hear the title song Oklahoma, a wonderful song but a strangely triumphant ending to a disturbing story. Other notable numbers include the gorgeous People Will Say We’re in Love and the playful The Surrey with the Fringe on Top. Winning performances from Okereke as a sweet singing yet feisty Laurey, Lawrence as the ebullient Eller and O’Grady’s winning smile is matched by a crisp singing voice while drama school graduate Isaac Gryn has quite a future ahead of him if this portrayal of Will is anything to go by.

Despite one or two misgivings this production seems to have one foot already in the West End. Purdy fine decision that would be.

Meanwhile Erinoglu Skandelou loves an open-air romp…

The Iris Theatre production of The Hunchback of Norte Dame (St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden) takes Victor Hugo’s seriously sad novel and turns it into a modern-day romp. There is lots of interaction with the audience and amid all the crazy slapstick and silliness you soon forget the underlying horribleness of the original story. Katie Tranter is a total show stealer as Pierre, a poet for whom love is one long trauma and she milks it for every line of verse. Izzy Jones’s is not that far behind as the sympathy seducing Esmeralda. The venue provides ample opportunity for innovation and experiment and director Bertie Watkins makes full use of the space with the denouement inside the church itself being a wonderful spectacle. Yes, the Almighty himself would approve of this al fresco entertainment.

And Lisandro Finaglou continues our Proms series…

Prom 23 (Albert Hall) featured Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky played consummately by the BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Ben Gernon. This despite pianist Juan Pérez Floristan being a last-minute replacement for Alexander Govrylyuk. He played with incredible energy and was technically brilliant creating a hushed atmosphere in the auditorium during Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake has been performed ad Infinitum and these excerpts were carefully chosen to please. Superb musicianship and deft conducting by Gernon. A superb return to the Proms family for this excellent orchestra.

Finally Rubina Kangaris thinks she may be getting old…

The lights were very bright in Tree (Young Vic). Co-created by Iris Elba and Young Vic artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah it is a brave attempt to get to the root of South Africa’s confused racial politics. This is very much a case of action speaking louder than words. Gregory Maqoma’s choreography saying so much more than a script that is far too simplistic. Jon Bausor’s set, comprising a huge cyclorama, under which we are invited to stand, is a nice inviting metaphor for the piece and the encircling projections are impressive. The beating heart soundtrack provides a soulful musical element and the performances are solid enough with Joan Iyiola and Sinéad Cusack especially good. Ninety minutes only but still far too long for me to stand…so grab a seat if you can.

Oklahoma! – 01243 781312

The Hunchback of Notre Dame – www.iristheatre.com

Proms 2019 – www.bbc.co.uk/proms

Tree – 020 7922 2922