Before I nitpick Trevor Nunn's mounting of Oklahoma! to death, let it be said that his production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein tuner makes a full and lively evening of theater, that the orchestra - placed above the stage rather than under it - sounds lovely, and Susan Stroman's new choreography for the act one dream sequence proves highly effective. The musical as a whole still casts a spell -- its slapdash, should've-been-cut trial scene notwithstanding. Performances, however, are hit and miss. Patrick Wilson makes an appealing and well-sung Curly, though both he and Josefina Gabrielle seem about ten years too old for their roles, with the latter also exhibiting a disagreeable singing voice.
As Aunt Eller, Andrea Martin is ten years too young, leaving her quite energetic but without any emotional heft. Jessica Boevers' Ado Annie is sweet until she starts to belt; Aasif Mandvi is funny until he starts to bellow continuously. Shuler Hensley's Jud Fry feels right, though - a lumbering, vaguely menacing loner who is exactly as far from being a normal, strapping and desirable fellow as he is from being a complete psychopath. Anthony Ward's set design has its moments, good (Jud's shack) and bad (the miniature train), contributing to this capable but far-from-indelible revival.
