By Jackie Demaline
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The revival of Oklahoma! which is the final entry in the Broadway in Cincinnati touring season at the Aronoff is about as good as a non-Equity show gets.

Plenty of attention has gone into casting this classic about the romance of a cowboy and a farm girl in the Oklahoma Territory, but what makes the show work are the concepts of original director Trevor Nunn and original choreographer Susan Stroman, two of the best artists working in musicals today.

This is a smart, fresh look at an old favorite and the ensemble is good enough (to put it in context, they are within range of UC's College-Conservatory of Music) to grab your attention and keep it.

Nunn knows what this show is about, and it's more than a songfest - although there are some mighty fine vocals, starting with the moment Curly (Brandon Andrus) comes on stage singing "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'."

Andrus is one of the best things about this Oklahoma! - plenty of cowboy swagger, but brains, too, and charm to spare, along with a nice way with a song.

Curly is in love with Laury (Amanda Rose) who is stubborn and immature (which is fine, she's not even old enough to vote) and scared of creepy and sexually threatening farm hand Jud Fry (Tom Lucca). Lucca also has the charisma and a voice, and does a nice job with Jud's scary statement of intent, "Lonely Room."

Rose has an impeccable understanding of her wayward character, and it's a terrific costuming choice to put Laury in overalls for the first act (so that when she comes out in her white party dress it's a startling transformation.) Andrus and Rose deliver a memorable rendition of "People Will Say We're in Love" aided greatly by the number's staging.

There's also the comedy romantic triangle of Ado Annie (Sarah Shahinian), the girl who can't say no; her adoring dancing cowboy Will Parker (Daniel Robinson); and love 'em and leave 'em (except when daddy has a shotgun) peddler Ali Hakim (Colin Trahan).

Fred Hanson, who directs the touring show, doesn't shy from the strong, dark undercurrent in Oklahoma!, and that's perfectly complemented by superb dance sequences by Stroman, never better than when she brilliantly infuses the show's dream ballet sequence with a contemporary viewpoint while still honoring the original.

Beyond Andrus and Lucca there aren't compelling performances, although everyone can act and sing. What they're singing with is something else again. Too many tour producers would like us to believe that a minimum orchestra with synthesizers sounds just like the real thing. It doesn't.

The show's musical accompaniment, starting with its grand overture, sounds hollow, like listening to the score through bad speakers.

Oklahoma!, through April 25, Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati, Aronoff Center for the Arts, 241-7469.