There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow…” Even if you don’t know Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals very well, when you think of Oklahoma! the first image that probably pops into your mind is of a smiling cowboy swaggering onto a stage and singing about what a beautiful morning it is. Or cheeky cowgirls in gingham frocks, dancing around cheerfully.
Daniel Fish’s bold production of this 1943 classic seeks to drive such images out of your mind. It arrives at the Young Vic, where it will star Arthur Darvill of Doctor Who fame as the cowboy Curly, sleek, stripped back and ready to change your view for ever. Even though it is still funny and lively, it’s also the darkest and most challenging incarnation of the show that you will ever see. Yet it barely changes a word of the script and keeps every one of the familiar songs, including “I Cain’t Say No” and “Surrey with the Fringe on Top”, presented in a new orchestration for a small bluegrass band.
