A bright golden haze of timeless musical theater invention suffuses “Oklahoma!” at the Carpenter Center. It carries Musical Theatre West’s affable, fleet-footed 70th anniversary revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s indestructible 1943 classic past some minor oddities in casting and tone.
Debuting director Davis Gaines assembles a color-blind, triple-threat troupe and a fine design team that deftly blends Andrew Ward’s stylized sets from Trevor Nunn’s 1999 London rethink with Jessica Olson’s costumes, Julie Ferrin’s sound and Jean-Yves Tessier’s lighting.
Musical director Dennis Castellano elicits Broadway-worthy sounds all around, while choreographer Lee Martino ups her own ante, with a spine-tingling dream ballet, spearheaded by airborne dancers Katya Preiser and Steve Ewing, rivaling Agnes de Mille’s iconic original.
What ultimately sells this trip to 1907 Indian Territory is the core romantic triangle, which plays like gangbusters. Bryant Martin’s cocksure Curly, Madison Claire Parks’ headstrong Laurey and Christopher Newell’s smoldering Jud are ideal in person, voice and chemistry.
