Oklahoma! **** (1999, Hugh Jackman, Josefina Gabrielle, Maureen Lipman, Shuler Hensley) – Classic Movie Review 2191

Sit back in your chair for musical heaven with original stage director Trevor Nunn’s splendid 1999 screen version of the Royal National Theatre’s award-winning 1998 London stage production of the 1943 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II classic hit stage musical show.

With his lovely singing voice, young Aussie star Hugh Jackman (Wolverine in X-Men) is a charming cowboy Curly in love with the feisty Laurey (sweet Josefina Gabrielle), and Maureen Lipman as Aunt Eller is wonderfully engaging in character support.

Running a full three hours, the whole show is wonderfully zesty and just right. It is a total musical treat.

Shuler Hensley as the villainous evil ranch hand Jud Fry, Vicki Simon as Ado Annie, Jimmy Johnston as Annie’s cowboy sweetheart Will Parker and Peter Polycarpou as the travelling peddler Ali Hakim also shine, and Stuart Milligan, Helen Anker and David Shelmerdine are also in the cast.

The original Broadway production opened at the St. James Theatre in New York City on May 31 1943 and ran for 2,212 performances, then a record for a musical.

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© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2191

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