Gary Gisselman is a legend of Twin Cities theater. Founding artistic director of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, he also has served as associate artistic director of Children's Theatre Company and has directed at the Guthrie and most other major theaters in town.
But his first professional job was as artistic director of Bloomington Civic Theatre in 1964. So his production of "Oklahoma!" represents a long overdue homecoming. From the opening, with a curtain map of the Indian Territory to establish the show's location, he takes a creative approach to the old classic.
In 1943, "Oklahoma!" was a revolutionary musical, establishing many of the conventions that propelled the genre for several decades. But at this point, the thin plot, revolving around little more than who's taking whom to the box social, plays as a corn-fed piece of Americana.
Gisselman takes the work seriously, playing out a story of reconciliation. He captures its essential naiveté without ever becoming corny or cloying.
The show has one of the strongest scores in the repertoire, with one standard after another. Music director Anita Ruth, who has worked with Gisselman for 40 years, keeps the familiar score fresh and never sounding hackneyed.
It might give a choreographer pause to follow in the footsteps of the iconic dances by Agnes de Mille. Michael Matthew Ferrell makes them very much his own, with ways of telling the story through movement.
As Laurey, Jessica Fredrickson brings a crystalline soprano with a strong top, making the most of her solos. Her portrayal of the love/hate relationship with William Lee Bryan's Curly is sweet and endearing. Bryan's large, ingratiating baritone makes a nice partner for Fredrickson.
Tyler Michaels plays a great dimbulb as Will Parker and his dancing is a real asset. Rachel Weber makes a nice foil as Ado Annie, although she makes the sexually voracious girl more over the top than necessary.
