Oklahoma!

‘Oh what a Beautiful Morning Oh What a Beautiful Day I have a Wonderful Feeling Everything’s going my Way’ The brief: Director Daniel Fish revival of the classic American musical opened off Broadway in 2019 and was a smash hit, dubbed ‘sexy Oklahoma!’ by the press. Usually positioned as a wholesome love story on the frontier, between Curly the cowboy and Laurey, the farmer’s daughter, Daniel Fish’s version unearthed the violence at the heart of the play, through the story of a community banding together against an outsider. I was struck by the surreal use of the lighting in the production. There’s a scene in particular where Laurey is awaken from a vivid dream by the voice of a man she’s scared of, and for a split second the stage turns yellow before reverting to white. This yellow evokes the scorching Oklahoma sun, but also gives the sense of impending danger, and gave me the idea for the cast portrait image. Photography by Mads Perch Trailer by Savage Mills