CUMTS’ production of Oklahoma! opened on Tuesday, proffering the saccharine delights of Rogers and Hammerstein’s famous musical to a full house of pensioners and toddlers and the unlucky few aged in-between. The much-loved musical is set in the town of Claremont, in the early twentieth century, where young lovers face all the trials befitting a love story: rivals, unfaithful partners, knife-fights, barn-dances, and the difficult fact that they are constantly covered in dirt and yet apparently do no work whatsoever…

An overture of tired jollity was thankfully interrupted when Curley (Charlie Corn) first swaggered onto a stage decked out to resemble a breakfast cereal packet to produce a rendition of “Oh what a beautiful morning”. Not even the dirt liberally applied to his clothes and torso could conceal the hackneyed sentiments of the lyrics and dialogue.

Not even the dirt liberally applied to Curley's clothes and torso could conceal the hackneyed sentiments of the lyrics and dialogue

A gutsy performance in an essential comic subplot by credulous and idiotic Ado Annie (Alex Finlay) and Will Parker (Mark Stanford), whose consistently aggravating accent and marvellous crotch-less trousers, helped to relieve the Disney-drudgery of the principal love-story. Polygamous Persian Pedlar, Ali Hakim (Henry Elliot) stole the show with superbly squirming stage presence and his ability to translate the generic musical humour into frequent instances of genuine hilarity. Love contender, Jud (Alistair Roberts), incorporated the darker side of the plot with conviction and excellent stage presence and songs such as “Poor Jud is Dead” and “Out of My Dreams” were similarly effective in their dissonant and dramatic deviation from the tedium of stereotype and idealism which oozed from songs such as “Surrey with the Fringe on Top”.

Whilst the romantic plot was incurably badly scripted and mediocre, crowd scenes such as the entrance of Will Parker, a bar-brawl and wedding photograph were effected with gusto by the radiant female chorus, and the unswerving enthusiasm of Buck, Slim and the male chorus. Despite an inexcusably feeble conclusion, involving a sham court-scene and some seriously waning accents (oscillating, by this point, between Irish and Cockney), those on concessionary ticket lapped up every minute of it, and even I allowed myself several frugal laughs.

In the midst of the denouement, precisely during the most riveting moment, the small child (who will remain genderless) sitting behind me narrated helpfully, “he sticked himself”, the devastated character sprawling all over the stage with a knife in his guts, to which the mother replied wearily: “Oh shut up”.

Three Stars

Orlando Reade