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 By the time I was aware of it, Oklahoma & all of the Rodgers & Hammerstein canon seemed dated, superseded by the darker, more modern Sondheim musicals.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!

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

I ended up enjoying the musical stage adaptation more than I did with the movie.

Set in a small prairie town. Curly (Hugh Jackman) sings 'Oh What A Beautiful Morning' as he flirts and teases with the young slightly tomboyish Laurey Williams (Josefina Gabrielle.) They seem to be made for each other.

However hired hand Jud Fry (Shuler Hensley) also desires Laurey but she rebuffs his advances. Jud is driven to insane rage with the rejection.

Meanwhile Ado Annie (Vikki Simon) likes to flirt with the young men but her father is trying to marry her off to a Persian peddler Hakim (Peter Polycarpou.) He meanwhile hopes cowboy Will Parker (Jimmy Johnston) will have her.

This is a filmed staged version in front of a live audience. It is longer than the 1955 film version. Jackman shows he really can sing, Jud is more layered here, frustrated with his loneliness.

I did like the comedy subplot between Hakim, Ado Annie and Will Parker. The Hakim here looks less like a caricature.