Review: Daniel Fish’s “Oklahoma!” is Terrifying and Terrific

Officially branded as “not your grandmother’s Oklahoma!” (and unofficially as “sexy Oklahoma!”), experimental director Daniel Fish’s revival lives up to its branding. This reimagining of the 1943 sensation is a complete departure from everything you might have expected. There is no quintessential Rodgers and Hammerstein nostalgia, no soaring American patriotism, no petite blonde soprano falling for a burly man. Instead, there is a complex masterpiece that far surpasses the already-beloved original. Here the musical has a newfound relevance that speaks to our moment more than could ever seem possible.

Fish here shows “Oklahoma!” in an entirely new light, forcing us to reconcile with all the problems of the piece. No longer a simple love story in the soon-to-be state of Oklahoma, in this revival the musical is a tale about sensuality, consent, gun violence, sexism, community policing, sexual assault, ethical quandaries, and the terrors of state formation.

Right from the start you are introduced to this entirely new revival: the Circle in the Square theater has been transformed by set designer Laura Jellinek into a barn-like square dance hall of plywood, streamers, and tables with crock pots of chili. Onstage is the band, made up of folky strings, playing new orchestrations by Daniel Kluger that have radically changed…