Look out! It's another of the "musical revivals with a twist." Fortunately, it's not another heartless extravaganza or exasperating star vehichle. Arizona Theatre Company has joined forces with The Phoenix Symphony to present the cherished Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, Oklahoma!. Besides the inclusion of a famed symphony to take up the enviable task of playing Oscar Hammerstein's lush score, what other twist is offered? According to Ms. Vivian Matalon, the Broadway veteran and Tony award-winner who directs this production, the show concentrates on the revisionistically darker and more realistic side of Oklahoma!.

Despite this threat, the show manages to become an enjoyable evening's entertainment. To do so, though, it needs to rise above two miscast leads, uninspired sets and listless Act I choreography to finally work by the evening's conclusion.

Oklahoma! is the tale of two star-crossed lovers, Curly and Laurey, who seem to keep missing each other, all set against the backdrop of the slowly-civilizing, soon-to-be-state of Oklahoma. The musical, when first produced in 1943, was historically important since it was one of the first musicals that created songs and dances that propel the plot, set a specific mood, reflect a situation, and depict a moment in a character's development. It is best remembered today for the extraordinary score where every song is a recognizable and hummable melody.

With the abundant resources available to Arizona Theatre Company, it's expected that they would put together a wonderful ensemble with great voices (though with some questionable dancing skills) and terrific actors for the secondary roles and comic reliefs. What is inexplicable is their decision to cast Jeff Stafford as Curly, since his acting range seemed limited, and Becky Watson as Laurey, who had the inauspicious luck to have the women's ensemble singing behind her actually sound better than her in several songs. The two leads never really seemed connected, either to each other or to the rest of the ensemble, and were it not for the spectacular work of the other actors, would have dragged the show into the abyss. Ms. Watson's solos were often slurred and incomprehensible, and Mr. Stafford's were basically lackluster.

Coming to the rescue, though, were stellar performances from a few of their fellow leads, especially from Kelli Maguire in the hilarious and scene-stealing role of Ado Annie, and Michael Gruber's portrayal of Curly's nemesis, Jud Fry. Several of the ensemble also offer solid performances, such as ATC's own trustee, Marsha Bagwell, as the matriarchical Aunt Eller, and Michael Cone as Ado's dad, whose solos in "The Farmer and The Cowman" shook the stage.

The first act of the show dragged and seemed destined to fall on it's face. Whether it was problems with having to perform three shows in 24 hours, or just the director's threatened realism, until the dream ballet that ends the first act, the show seemed listless and uninspired, with occasional flashes of brilliance, such as Ado Annie's portrayal of "I Cain't Say No," or Jud's spectacular solo, "Lonely Room". Everything seemed to fall into place, though, with the famed ballet, where, though there were several noticable gaffes by the dancers, the show began to pick up speed. The second act of the show finally produced some great theatrical moments, and saved the evening from disaster.

R. Michael Miller's basic scenic design looked more like a pretty good community theatre set than that of a professional company. Stage hands were seen, as were wheels on the awkwardly mobile sets. Richard Nelson's lighting design covered some of the problems, though, with imaginative sunrises and sunsets that washed the actors and set the mood.

Ms. Matalon's direction was just okay, though the presentation of some of the songs seemed stiff, perhaps to set the tone of realism that she was looking for. The Tony award-nominated choreographer, Joey McKneely, offered nothing interesting in the big dance numbers of the first act, save for the ballet, and somewhat compensated for this with enjoyable choreography in the second act. The biggest plus of the evening, after the terrific ensemble work, was The Phoenix Symphony itself, which managed to perform these musical gems flawlessly, and still never drowned out the cast, a feat rarely seen these days.

While the presentation of the musical had it's problems, the best thing I can say for this production is that the ensemble were playing their hearts out for the piece. Despite it's many flaws, this Oklahoma! is still a minor gem, and a reasonably enjoyable retelling of a prized musical theatre piece.

Arizona Theatre Company and The Phoenix Symphony
Symphony Hall, Phoenix
678-2222
$10 to $40
June 30-July 9 Goldfish Publishers, LLC