Daniel Fish’s restaging of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic is no Kansas City cornbread caper. The director explains why he ratcheted up the racial tension and gun violence
In the Oklahoma! rehearsal room, they’re practising Ado Annie’s signature number, I Cain’t Say No. You can tell that it’s going to be a barnstormer. Even with her voice in practice mode, Marisha Wallace’s vamping makes the hairs on your forearms bristle. But before she can belt her heart out, the rest of the cast have to get their stomps and claps right.
“You’re not cheering her on, you’re not starting a singalong,” says director Daniel Fish in his quiet manner. “It should feel like you’re playing a very difficult Mahler symphony and at any moment it’s going to spin out of control. You’re digging in.”
