Oklahoma! - Young Vic / Wyndham’s

Firstly the deconstruction of Curly - not seen any film or production of Oklahoma before but presumes he’s normally depicted as the traditional hero. Here, he comes across as an arrogant bully who feels entitled to claim Laurey as his own, with the blackout forcing the audience to listen to his tormenting of Judd.

Equally Judd comes across as a disturbing incel - and the second blackout perhaps alluding to Judd raping Laurey. Then, Curly uses this to take advantage of Laurey and propose to her when she’s most vulnerable.

These are Laurey’s two choices - a pigheaded bully or creepy weirdo. The only time when she can escape either of them is at the end when it’s possible for Curly to be imprisoned for Jude’s murder.

However - for me - Aunt Eller comes across as the ultimate villain of the piece when the trial results as a sham at her insistence. She condemns her niece to a life in a loveless marriage… why? Perhaps because it’s the life she never had as a spinster, or she uses her position as a woman to reinforce the gender structures that always result in a woman ending worse off. Either way, Laurey begins her married life literally covered in the bloodshed of male violence.

Lots of things didn’t work but so what? Two years ago we thought we’d never be back when we were locked indoors, so very happy to spend 15 mins watching interpretative dance - simply because it’s batsh*t crazy performance!

This production shows theatre is still alive!