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Musical Critique

Decent Essays

One way I became more involved in university life by going to Oklahoma!. Not the state, but rather the musical put on by the university. My suitemate Anna auditioned to be a part of it, and when she got the part, she invited us all to watch opening night on November 13th.

I had been to a few musicals near my hometown, but they were rather lackluster and not very well produced. This left a sour taste in my mouth when it came to amateur theatre performances, so I hesitated in buying tickets for Oklahoma!. When I talked to my teaching assistant, she persuaded me to give it a try because I might have a very different experience. I am glad that I went, because the performance was a very vibrant show that meshed the excitement of college students with the pioneer lifestyle of the great plains.

The musical was very lively, portraying life in the territory of Oklahoma, and focuses on several young couples attending the local formal. Laurey is invited by Curley to a dance, but she decides to go with the farmhand Jud instead to make Curley jealous. Curley attempts to win her back because he feels that Jud is dangerous and disgusting, and he is in love with Laurey. Simultaneously, Ado Annie cannot make up her mind which man she will marry, Will or the peddler Ali Hakim. Will …show more content…

I found Oklahoma! to be very entertaining and hilarious, but it also included some dark aspects, such as date rape and suicide. The way the writers integrated these darker scenes kept the musical from being too lighthearted, but still relevant and enjoyable to the audiences. Secondly, this musical increased my appreciation for the arts. From my previous experiences in live theatres, I was not expecting the actors to be so well rounded in singing, acting and dancing. Although I am not inclined to act in front of an audience, I really enjoyed the show and plan to attend more musicals on stage next

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