Set in the early twentieth century, the musical Oklahoma! tells a simple tale about two frustrated young people; a cowboy Curly (Guy Brigg) and a farm girl Laurey (Sarah Leatherbarrow), who are adamant they are not in love. Curly's rival is the vaguely sinister ranch hand Jud Fry (Robert Williams) who manages to darken the otherwise light-hearted story. As well as the main story, there is a comic subplot that involves the cowboy Will Parker (Dave Crewe) and his quest to marry Ado Annie (Nicola Ball).

'The Oxford Operatic Society' presents a very entertaining show with engaging drawling accents and great gingham and classic cowboy costumes that create a sense of the Mid-West.

The Playhouse stage is successfully transformed into an American farm and Curly begins the production with a joyful rendition of 'Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'. The first half of the story is fairly slow paced but this is necessary to introduce the characters and set the scene. The pace quickly speeds up after the interval with lively musical numbers and a variety of comedy moments.

Nicola Ball's portrayal of the flirtatious Ado Annie was particularly impressive and I especially liked her rendition of 'I Cain't Say No!' Her character's involvement with the travelling peddler, Ali Hakim (superbly played by Charlie Ross), provided numerous comic highlights. Another enjoyable performance was that of Mary Ross as the matriarchal Aunt Eller. These appealing characters were played so well, with the chemistry between them appearing so real, that occasionally this highlighted the slight lack of chemistry amongst the romantic leads. It is difficult to choose whom to draw attention to when the overall cast gave such strong performances.

Ann Robson should be commended for her choreography. The dance routines, such as the one used in 'It's a Scandal! It's an Outrage!', made great use of space, combined dance with some comical manoeuvres and would not have looked out of place in the West End. Michael Evans skilfully directed the orchestra that provided the wonderful accompaniment to all of those songs that seem to get stuck in one's head - a known symptom of good musicals!

If you decide to see this then you will recognise many of the songs and will no doubt find yourself tapping your feet along to 'The Surrey with the Fringe on Top' or even singing 'Oklahoma!' on the way home. This show is definitely worthwhile seeing as it is uplifting, funny and most importantly entertaining. So if you are unsure about what to do one evening then I would recommend taking a trip to see The Oxford Operatic Society perform Oklahoma! It will put a smile on your face.

C.Robinson, 12.05.03