Washington Post - Highly Recommended
"...“Oklahoma!,” the surprise autumn smash at Arena Stage, is back on the Fichandler stage for a summertime fling, looking as smart and sending out as many joyfully youthful vibes as it did for the run that inaugurated the company’s return to its near-magically transformed campus in Southwest Washington."
Washington Examiner - Highly Recommended
"...
the real delight for anyone who knows the show only by reputation as a high school perennial, is how dark and dirty it is. Though it’s plot-heavy compared to the musicals that preceded it, “Oklahoma!” interrupts those glorious tunes with what is, by modern standards, only a wisp of a story. In this love triangle, one of the two rivals, Jud (the commanding, barrel-voiced Aaron Ramey) is violent and inarticulate, which doesn’t leave a lot of mystery as to which feller will woo Laurey (last-minute replacement Eleasha Gamble, who shines in the role)."
Baltimore Sun - Highly Recommended
"...If you'll pardon the heresy, I have never thought that "Oklahoma!" boasts the greatest of plots. The bits involving the insufficiently defined Jud have an especially awkward feel. But this is a musical mostly about old-fashioned optimism and neighborliness, not to mention the positive spark of love, and all of that shines through brightly in this confident, ebullient staging."
DCist - Highly Recommended
"...Some might prejudge Oklahoma!, Arena Stage's season opener, as a throwback, a safe choice, a corny, hoedown-punctuated museum piece. But director Molly Smith has injected Oklahoma! with an optimistic sense of immediacy, and seeing this fresh production as the debut performance in the company's stunning new home helps underscore how significant the work has been in the innovation of American musical theater."
MetroWeekly - Recommended
"...For their new production of Oklahoma! Smith and Arena are trying to make us all go a little weak in the knees with a good deal of pretty and charm. Smith's directorial matchmaking has coupled Nicholas Rodriguez and Eleasha Gamble as an almost impossibly handsome Curly and Laurey, their respective good looks equally matched by their outstanding talents."
The Wall Street Journal - Recommended
"...It doesn't help that so much of the acting in this "Oklahoma!" is broad to the point of cheerful caricature and that Aaron Ramey's performance as Jud, the angry farmhand, lacks the threatening edge of rage without which his climactic violence makes no sense. In addition, the 14-piece pit orchestra, which sports only one violin and one cello, sounds distinctly undernourished. On the other hand, no apologies of any kind need be made for Eugene Lee's wide-open, rough-hewn set, which consists mostly of unfinished lumber and simple, believable-looking props. It lends the production an air of authenticity that makes up for the pseudo-prairie accents of most of the cast members."
WeLoveDC - Highly Recommended
"...If given the chance, go see Oklahoma!, it’s sure to put a smile on your face even in the dog days of a D.C. summer. Just keep in mind that you’re likely to find yourself singing “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” for the rest of the night and well into the next day. You’ve been warned."
Talkin Broadway - Highly Recommended
"...The large cast doesn't have a single weak link. June Schreiner, a blonde cutie still in high school, is a find as Ado Annie: effervescent and almost scarily intense as she juggles the affections of Will Parker (Cody Williams), a powerfully athletic dancer who earns ovations for his solo turn in "Kansas City," and the amusingly slick peddler Ali Hakim (Nehal Joshi). Hugh Nees makes a lot out of a small role as Ado Annie's father."
Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended
"...Aaron Ramey’s splendidly full-voiced villain, Jud, barely has to open his pipes in song to make you wish someone would build a production of Sweeney Todd around him. Squeakily adorable June Schreiner, as Will’s gal who “cain’t say no,” and Nehal Joshi’s amusingly put-upon Persian peddler, who makes the tactical mistake of talkin’ purty to her, also have their musical moments. And Gamble, who joined the production just 10 days before its opening, finds such a gentle, ethereal way to send Laurey’s wistful ballad “Out of My Dreams” floating toward the rafters that you’d never guess she’s mostly been heard locally as a belter."
Washington Times - Recommended
"...Arena’s cast, as we’ve already hinted was superb and superbly prepared. They bring their characters to life and keep the energy moving relentlessly forward in this bright, celebratory production. Nicholas Rodriguez and his cheery, clear vocals project the perfect blend of stubbornness and old-style American optimism that gives Curley’s character its bright and pleasant edge."
Washingtonian - Highly Recommended
"...Choreographer Parker Esse provides some of the best moments of the evening. He makes big things happen on a small stage. The newly appointed Fichandler Theatre at Arena is a theater-in-the-round, which makes a group-dance performance a challenge. But Cody Williams and company manage to make the space feel as wide as the prairie as they leap and tumble about."
Washington Diplomat - Highly Recommended
"...Not a likely choice to break in its sleek new digs, a nostalgic musical like “Oklahoma!” could easily come off as trite, its songs overworked. But even in a city that’s battling economic woes and a recent tumultuous election, this production’s magic melts away any possible suspicious distractions. Instead, it brings to life the sincere optimism of turn-of-the-20th-century cow country — a time and place when this nation believed in nothing but a bright future for itself."
BrightestYoungThings - Highly Recommended
"...Who says we have nothing in common with century-old folk trying to make it on the open range, all the while singing Rogers and Hammerstein songs? Not this girl. I love Oklahoma!, because it explores the timeless themes of perseverance, tenacity, loyalty, community, and defensively shin-kicking and game-playing the crap out of the person you actually love from afar in the name of personal pride."
Washington Blade - Highly Recommended
"...As it turns out, director Molly Smith’s rock-solid, rollicking production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s groundbreaking classic couldn’t be better suited for the occasion. Current, diverse and alive, Smith’s “Oklahoma!” is as fresh as the company’s newly redesigned digs."
DramaUrge - Highly Recommended
"...Parker Esse's choreography is masterful and combines fluidly with the musical direction and conducting of George Fulginiti-Shakar. Whether in pursuit of the aesthetic or emotional, his scenes unfold with clarity, precision, and flair. "Kansas City," "Many a New Day," "Dream Ballet," "Entr'acte," and "Finale" routines are rich in artistry, surpassed only by the show stopping "Oklahoma!" The dancing ensemble worked well in toto, and when paired (particularly Holly E. Wright as the Dream Laurey) or featured (Mr. Williams as the somersaulting Will) were whirling standouts."
Alexandria Times - Highly Recommended
"...The strength of this production’s success comes from the supporting cast. Nicholas Rodriguez, as Curly, was vocally outshone by secondary cast members, Aaron Ramey as Jud Fry and Cody Williams as Will Parker. Williams, slim as a minute, ripped up the stage with back flips, leaps, high kicks and soft shoe along with the cast’s other crack dancers. This reviewer thought he and local high school junior June Schreiner, who plays Ado Annie like a fierce and adorable little minx, were captivating together."
Curtain Up - Highly Recommended
"...Just when you think you might be tired of a corny old classic such as Oklahoma! along comes a production that is fresh, charming and bursting with energy. Such is the case with the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical currently playing at the recently re-opened Arena Stage. It is filled with joy and optimism. So much so that it makes the old look new again. Just like Arena's new Mead Center for American Theater."
Washington Informer - Highly Recommended
"...And this ensemble cast, starring the amazing E. Faye Butler as matriarch Aunt Eller, Eleasha Gamble as leading lady Laurey and Nicholas Rodriguez as protagonist Curley, really works together. From the opening song, the iconic "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'" sung by Rodriguez in a spine-tingling tenor, Oklahoma! sizzles with heat. The cast not only flawlessly executes the songs that made this play in its own day; "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top," "People Will Say We're in Love," and "The Farmer and the Cowman" just to name a few; the dance numbers (originally choreographed by the legendary Agnes de Mille) are so highly charged and energetic, they leave the audience breathless."
MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended
"...You might think I’m as high as an elephant’s eye – or maybe I am in my own Dream Ballet – but I just came back from the revival of Arena Stage’s recently mounted and critically acclaimed and totally sold-out production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Oklahoma! – and you know what? I like this revival better!"
The Beacon - Recommended
"...The Rodgers/Hammerstein chestnut was given something of a facelift when it first played the acoustically sweetened and technically improved Fichandler Stage, Arena’s original in-the-round theater. Director Molly Smith assembled a culturally diverse cast, promising but not quite delivering sharp new angles on this tale of the late American frontier."
DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended
When choreographer Parker Esse joined the creative team of Arena Stage’s Oklahoma!, he was entering sacred territory: previous choreographers of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical include Agnes de Mille (1943 production and 1955 film) and Susan Stroman (1998 London revival and 1999 film).
BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended
"...And now, to baptize the brand new Mead Center for the Performing Arts, Arena Stage is presenting a not-to-be-missed production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic Oklahoma which already has broken many box-office records."
