Emma Pritchard

There were plenty of tassels and chaps, and lots of double denim mixed with volumes of enthusiasm when the Criterion Theatre welcomed more than 50 guests to the opening night of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical sensation Oklahoma on August 10.

Among the audience were Grafton couple Scott and Cheryl McCauley, who complimented the local establishment for hosting a fun filled evening, and the cast for delivering a solid performance as they brought the well-loved characters of Curly McLain, Laurey Williams, and Aunt Eller, to life on stage.

“You could tell a few of them were nervous,” Mrs McCauley recalled.

“And there were some really strong singers who stood out compared to some of the weaker singers, but they were very entertaining.

“Overall, it was a pretty good performance.”

While they agreed the cast encompassed a good vocal range when delivering popular tunes including Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ and Kansas City, the McCauleys noted it was hard to hear some of the performers from their seats towards the rear of the theatre and said the addition of more microphones and adjusting the acoustics on set would be beneficial for upcoming shows.

“The piano player was very good, and the set and costume designs were also great,” Mr McCauley noted.

“But a few of the performers struggled to get their vocals across to the back.”

“You need big, strong voices to perform Oklahoma, but they (the cast) did pretty well,” Mrs McCauley added.

“I would give the cast three stars out of five for their singing and acting.”

“Some of the singing was better than the acting, so I’d give them four stars for singing, and three for acting,” Mr McCauley said.

“Yes, we would recommend people go and see it, and support the Criterion Theatre.”

For more information, please visit www.criteriontheatre.org.au

Oklahoma will run until August 20.