4 out of 5 Stars

“Oh, what a beautiful day” indeed in this innovatively updated production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, but this is the 2019 rendering, not the 1943 Broadway debut or 1955 film version. Yes, Oklahoma is still on the verge of becoming a US state, however this territory is now settled with folks dealing with gun violence, bullying, white privilege, law bending, stand your ground, and equality of the sexes – sound familiar? Directed by Daniel Fish, not one word of the script or one note of the music has been changed and yet this is a thoroughly modern production and the issues that trouble today’s society are brought into sharp focus through skilled acting, creative staging, and imaginative lighting.