Oklahoma!

No one who saw this brilliant 1999 Royal National Theatre production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's seminal masterpiece about turn-of-the-century life on the American frontier--their first and arguably greatest collaboration, with a string of wonderful songs--will be surprised by the rapturous reception Hugh Jackman is now getting on Broadway as the star of The Boy From Oz. Jackman is absolutely spectacular as Curly, demonstrating a great singing voice, superb dancing ability, and a thoroughly winning personality. But Jackman is only one element of a magnificent company: Josefina Gabrielle matches him as the winsome Laurey, while Vicki Simon is a spunky Ado Annie, Jimmy Johnston an athletic Will, Peter Polycarpou a sharklike Ali, and Maureen Lipman a delightful Aunt Eller. Best of all is Shuler Hensley, who makes Jud a simultaneously threatening and pathetic figure, an essential element of the powerfully imaginative realization of the piece by director Trevor Nunn, who's gone back to the original text and unearthed its dark shadings and larger meanings. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound here, with great choreography by Susan Stroman, the result may be, as Mary Rodgers suggests in the “making of” documentary included on the second disc of this double-disc set, superior to the original 1943 production. Artfully restaged for the camera (with audience responses interjected to give the feel of a live show), this DVD offers the best of both worlds, stage and screen. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—June 27, 2016—Shout! Factory, 177 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $22.95—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 1999's Oklahoma! features a great transfer and a DTS-HD stereo soundtrack. Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette (24 min.). Bottom line: an excellent high-def edition of this stellar mounting of the classic musical.]