This Revival of Oklahoma! Is the Hottest Ticket in New York City
When Michael Nathanson first started rehearsals for his new play, a manager at a restaurant near the Brooklyn theater where he was working recognized the actor for his work on the graphic novel-inspired TV series The Punisher. These days, however, it’s a lot more likely that Nathanson would be recognized for that very play, a much lauded, nearly-impossible-to-get-into revival of Oklahoma! at St. Ann’s Warehouse in which the New York native stars as the fast-talking peddler Ali Hakim.
The production of what might be Rogers and Hammerstein’s most famous musical is pointedly not delivering what theatergoers might expect. Under the watchful eye of director Daniel Fish, the production-which came from Bard’s SummerScape, where the New York Times called it a “vibrant, essential excavation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1943 classic”-mines the 75-year-old material to find a story that feels as important and exciting today as it might ever have.
Here, Nathanson talks to T&C about the enduring appeal of Okalahoma!, updating Ali Hakim, and just where someone might eat before a show in Brooklyn.
This production got its start in 2015 at Bard, but you’re joining it now. What did you know about it before signing on?
I had heard about the production a few years back-I’ve been doing film and TV for a long time and had taken an extended break from theater, but then this opportunity came along. It sounded from the start like a really interesting production-it was an avant-garde director doing a new take on Oklahoma!-but then I started to hear from people about how it was this really well known production that only a few people had the chance to see previously, and that critics had gone bananas for it. Then I started making the show and realized, oh, this isn’t Oklahoma! the way people might think of it. It’s something grander that speaks to the current truth of our country.
With a musical as well-known as Oklahoma!, do you have to forget everything you know to work on something that changes so many of the rules?
I haven’t seen the show so many times that I knew how everything needed to be done. Still, my character is often played with an accent and very broadly, in an over-the-top, comedic way. For me, my first goal was bringing my personal truth to the rule. Every single role in this musical is well-known, and people have ideas about who these characters are, so I really wanted to do something as different as possible.
He's referred to throughout the show as a Persian peddler. What did changing him involve?
Daniel and I spoke early on about who Ali is and what he’s doing there; when you start with a character thinking about what he needs or wants on a base level, you can build someone who’s more relatable. At my first audition, I hadn’t gotten much direction other than Daniel didn’t want Ali to have an accent. One of the first conversations we had in the audition room was me saying that perhaps this was a guy from New York who wandered out into the territories thinking he could make a buck and when people said to him, “oh, you talk funny,” he decided to make up an exotic story about where he comes from.
Are people coming in expecting a more traditional performance of Oklahoma!, or even something that’s entirely different from what they might already know?
Daniel didn’t change one word of the text. This is the show. So, while people might come in expecting some kind of performance art, the first thing they seem to say is, “wow, this is still Oklahoma!” It really just gets to the heart of who these characters are. We’re saying that this is arguably the greatest musical ever written, and we’re giving it the lens that it needs to be seen through in 2018. Shakespeare has been done over and over for centuries and is still relevant today, and this show can be done the same way.
In our office, the only thing perhaps more heated that discussions about theater are discussions about where to eat before a show. You’re way out of the Theater District there, so what do you recommend?
If you spend enough time in a place, like during a seven-week rehearsal process, you find some great places. Superfine on Front Street has great food and drinks and are big supporters of ours. Gran Electrica is very cool and has fantastic Mexican food and a good DJ every Sunday night. I also like 68 Jay Street Bar, it’s a very old school New York place with a charming vibe.
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