Blu-ray of OKLAHOMA!

[mamaleh]

I finally got around to playing the Blu-ray of OK! that my daughter got me for Chanukah. I've had the DVD for the better part of a decade but expected new thrills from the Blu-ray. Here's what transpired.

The good: To my ears, the sound is crystal-clear and decidedly superior to that on the OK! DVD on my shelf. The songs are so gorgeously sung and the music so soaring--just the sound alone is worth acquiring the Blu-ray. I hadn't played the DVD all the way through in a while. How magnificent is his Curly--both in look and sound. His voice is so manly and beautiful that it sends shivers.

The so-so: I was expected an even brighter, crystal-clear picture to match the quality of the sound. Nope. Looks exactly the same to me as the DVD. So be it.

The bad: This really annoyed me. It's doubtful that it's only on my copy (daughter purchased it from Amazon.com), but the the picture is a micro-beat off from the sound. In other words, they're not exactly in sync. If you're not looking closely, it might be hard to detect, but it was visible to me. The audio track begins a fraction of a second before the visual that should accompany it. I doubt whether asking for a replacement copy--I have a feeling it would likely be from the same pressing--would result in any difference, so I'm not going to bother, but I'm really curious: Did anyone else notice this on her copy? In a word, aarrgghh. I hope I get used to it.

Ellen

[njr]

I would exchange it and tell them why!!

Nancy

[mamaleh]

I'm looking into a few suggested remedies. Thanks, Nancy.

Ellen

[ocjackie]

I just bvought on Ebay the program (book) from the play and it just came all brand new and wrapped beautifully. I don't really want to open it, but can't wait to get into it. :o

[mamaleh]

Goodies like that were made to be enjoyed, I say! Let 'er rip!

Ellen

[birchie]

Jan 9, 2013 19:32:19 GMT -5 ocjackie said:

I just bvought on Ebay the program (book) from the play and it just came all brand new and wrapped beautifully. I don't really want to open it, but can't wait to get into it. :o

Sounds like a great find...even though I'm not quite sure what it is Is it an original program from 1998? Is it signed? You also said book so?

So given my confusion I say if it's a signed collector's item and you collect such things, leave it wrapped. If it's a book open it! There, I've answered a question even though I haven't a clue what it was. 8-)
Sue

[jo]

I thought you were referring at first to the original play by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jackie -- which I was lucky to get ( SIX PLAYS - Rodgers and Hammerstein) when I first arrived in America to study ( I bought it at the school bookstore then -- it is now very worn with loving attention!) . I was a great musicals fan as early as then ( although at that time my favorite was South Pacific, followed by King and I, of the R&H movie musicals, not to forget Sound of Music).

When I saw Oklahoma! in London in 1989, I did not get a copy of the program -- it was more like a souvenir program, as they do not have Playbills like on Broadway.

So, I got a copy from eBay eventually. That is where I learned that Hugh graduated at WAAPA as its most outstanding student! No wonder he got that CORRELLI job

And when I saw Hugh at the Sydney stagedoor ( TBFO- 2006) -- I asked him to sign my copy, which he graciously did. Also, in 2004, I took a copy of the cover of the USA-version of the DVD and when I asked him to sign it and told him that I was lucky to have seen the show in London -- he exclaimed " But that was five years ago!"

As if that mattered ;D

A friend also gave me some postcards from the show which she got at the Royal National Theatre where it was first staged ( it was part of the country's subsidized theatre program initially). But the book "Lip Reading" by co-star Maureen Lipman is great reading, as she had one chapter on the show ( and why it did not transfer as an entire company) plus tidbits on Hugh ( as when Hugh stayed with them one evening to catch a flight at dawn at a nearby airport and Maureen and her Mum and daughter were all up at 4:00 am to send him off, with mascara and all!...also some discussions on why Hugh sometimes is not taken seriously because of his looks).

I have been so busy I have not had a chance to see my Oklahoma! Blu-Ray which arrived only at Christmastime.

It is probably my most played disc, followed by The Fountain...but I do not know which will become # 1 when the Blu-ray disc of LES MISERABLES is released!

I continue to applaud Trevor Nunn for getting the show filmed ( at a sound stage and not really at the RNT) -- it took several months to work it out and they spent $ 4 million just to have it filmed ( and that was in terms of 1999 costs!). So many people would have missed the young Jackman's oustanding performance!!

Jo

[ocjackie]

OK guys, it is "Orignal Souvenir Program - West End RSC - OKLAHOMA - star... (281038392986) ". I assumed it was from Hugh's run there, as it was under Hugh Jackman Memoribillia. I'm waiting for someone to tell me to open in or not. However, if Houdini comes, there is no decision, It Will Be Opened, and on the rail to be signed. So I need some guidance here as it is "Brand New In The Wrapper". Ladies, I really want to get inside, but now I'm awaiting advice. Thanks, help :-/

[klenotka]

Are there some more extras at the Blu-Ray which are not on DVD (if I should buy it or not - I bought a Blu-Ray player last month)

[mamaleh]

No, there is nothing new--except you can now see subtitles, which I never saw on my DVD. (Come to think of it, I wonder if I ever tried, LOL.) But there are no new featurettes, unfortunately.

Ellen

[klenotka]

I´ll stick with the DVD, then Thanks

[ocjackie]

Me too. My DVD is wonderful

[alma]

I continue to applaud Trevor Nunn for getting the show filmed ( at a sound stage and not really at the RNT) -- it took several months to work it out and they spent $ 4 million just to have it filmed ( and that was in terms of 1999 costs!). So many people would have missed the young Jackman's oustanding performance!!

Jo[/quote]

Jo, I totally agree with you. I have no idea when I would have "discovered" Hugh, if not for Oklahoma! being taped. I just realized that Sue (birchie) also discovered Hugh thanks to this. I'd like to share the story of my "discovery":

It was a Saturday afternoon probably in 2001 and I sat down to relax in my recliner to watch some TV. I started switching through channels, when suddenly (not sure if on PBS or Film & Arts) I came upon some guy singing "Surrey With the Fringe on Top". I was immediately struck, and glued to the set until the musical was over. I had never seen Oklahoma! before. And just who was this actor? :o

My son and daughter walked by several times while I was watching it, and at one point one said to the other, "Oh, that's the guy from X-Men, right?" "Yeah, that's Wolverine."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" was of course my response. I knew they liked those X-Men comic books but had absolutely no idea they had been turned into a movie...

I just HAD to find out who he was, so I paid close attention to the credits at the end. Curly was Hugh what? I wrote it down. And I also checked to see when the channel would repeat the program so I could watch it (AND VIDEOTAPE IT ON MY VCR) from the beginning.

I borrowed my kids' computer for a bit and had to have them show me how I could look up info on this actor.

And so the magnificent obsession began.

Yes, I did record it complete on my VCR when the channel showed it again. And played it many, many times. The DVD was not readily available back then. It took me a couple of years to get it, and it had to be through Amazon UK. The world in general (outside Australia and the UK, I guess) was just waking up to this huge talent. And my Soundtrack CD is one of my most played.

I love, love LOVE it still! I love Hugh's Curly: sexy, manly yet vulnerable. I absolutely love the music and Susan Stroman's superb choreography, specially in "The Farmer and the Cowman" and of course, the "Dream" sequence.

It was my favorite musical of all time... until now! I'm not ready to move it aside, so can I have a tie?

Alma

[jo]

It was my admiration for the works of Rodgers and Hammerstein ( probably my favorite composers of all time - not just because of the music but how they can fit in the musical score to the storyline) which led me to Oklahoma! and other works in their repertoire.

My early recollections were the movie musicals based on their works which were shown in my youth. King and I, Oklahoma!, Carousel, Sound of Music, South Pacific. My absolute favorite then was SOUTH PACIFIC -- not just because of John Kerr -- but because I do remember reading James Michener's Tales of the South Pacific way back. Hmm...technically speaking, we are on the edge of the vast Pacific, as the eastern shores of our islands ( we are an archipelago, of 7000 islands) border the Pacific ( in the much the same way that the eastern coast of Australia share the same stretch of ocean). But the movie was engaging ( drama, comedy, spectacle) and the music was really compelling and riveting!

I think I liked King and I, too -- again, set in the East and no one can touch the sex appeal of Yul Brynner and the English-rose appeal of Deborah Kerr. My favorite song - Shall We Dance ;D...Much, much later on, I will see a live production in London with Elaine Paige -- but somehow, it was not as enchanting as the movie version.

Carousel was a bit too dark, but the songs were beautiful ( my favorite was not a song, but the Carousel Waltz). The leads were okay, musically-speaking, but too typical of musical actors then... Oklahoma! was a bit boring ( Yes!) mainly because I didn't think much of the persona ( especially the acting) of Gordon McRae ( although he does have a great voice, having seen him also in other musicals). I also did not think much of the storyline, compared to South Pacific or King and I or even Carousel. Hey, someone singing to a row of growing corn and to the azure sky, wearing cowboy chaps that looked like out of a Hollywood costume department - er....Pass, except for the music!

Sound of Music -- Wow! Over the years, I must have seen this movie over 20 times ( once or twice on screen and all the rest on all those repeats on TV...plus with the advent of DVD/VHS then). I even took a Sound of Music tour in Salzburg because I fell in love again with this most successful musical from R&H. I saw the castle from across the lake, the Mirabel gardens, the fountain where they danced around, the allee of trees where they hang as their father drove by...and even the monastery from afar... And Julie Andrews -- absolutely adorable!

Those were the memorable ones. I recently saw an international production staged here of Cinderella ( based on the Julie Andrews TV version), with Lea Salonga as Cinderella, but despite the outstanding production values, it still is a children's fairy tale after all.

I also had a chance to get a copy of SIX PLAYS OF RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN when I went to America for grad school -- but that was soooooo long ago! It continues to be thumbed through occasionally

OKLAHOMA! --- the slightly boring musical with McRae and Jones -- can you believe became my most watched DVD of all time, eventually ?? LOL! One name and one performance -- a guy whose first acquaintance with me was only with his legit stage sounding voice and the commanding presence on the London stage. > Yeah, I could not see him very clearly ( which in a sense is good, because I can honestly say that it was his musical theatre chops, not his looks, which drew me to his Curly!) as I was seated way back - front row of dress circle - equivalent of front mezz -- which was still not great viewing for me, vision-wise. I had gone to see it because of Rodgers and Hammerstein -- not because of the cast! I left the show not really remembering who they were. It was only when someone pointed me to the released DVD that I realized that I should have gotten front row seats -- if I could have done it then. LOLOL!

Five years later - I had asked Hugh to sign the cover sleeve of the DVD of Oklahoma! at the TBFO Imperial stagedoor ( Eventually, I was also able to get my program of the show signed, too, but in Sydney in 2006 ) - and told him I had seen him on it in London ( by coincidence!). His reply -- "But that was five years ago!"

Who cares -- up to now, 14 years later since I saw it, I am still watching and rewatching the DVD...now, Blu-Ray!



Jo

[carouselkathy]

I'm sure that I'm repeating myself from previous posts, but I can't resist. I checked SIX PLAYS BY RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN out of my local library at age 12. I had already worn out the LP soundtracks of OKLAHOMA! and SOUTH PACIFIC, and after reading the librettos of CAROUSEL and THE KING AND I, rushed to find recordings of those R&H classics. CAROUSEL had to be ordered, and became my favorite of all the R&H shows. While my classmates were listening to the Beatles, I was lucky to see John Raitt in Theater-in-the-Round productions of OKLAHOMA! and CAROUSEL. I'm guessing he was in his 40's by then, but the voice was there, and what a stage presence!
I was also a huge fan of Gordon MacRae, and saw him in BELLS ARE RINGING and KISMET.

Those years were difficult for me. From age 9 to 16, I went through a series of orthopedic surgeries to correct some of the challenges premature birth and Cerebral Palsy had presented to my mobility.
Singing and musical theater became a most welcome therapy that extended into my college years and teaching profession. I wrote a fan letter to Richard Rodgers in 1965, which he answered. It's framed and hangs in a place of honor in my home.

Naturally, anytime a revival of a R&H show surfaced, I was more than interested.
So, I purchased the Royal National Theater OKLAHOMA! CD and listened. First impression? Well, "Curly" didn't have the Gordon MacRae/John Raitt type voice i was used to in the role. However, and this is a huge HOWEVER, there was such a joy and spark in the performance of this Hugh Jackman guy, that I wanted more. Like many of you, I was told to rent the X-Men and KATE & LEOPOLD VHS tapes. Now a face matched that "Curly" on the CD. All was good. Then came the first Actor's Studio....TBFO, etc., etc., and so forth.

I don't have a Blue Ray player, but the regular DVD of the RNT OKLAHOMA! is doin' fine.
Jo, you are lucky to have seen the production. I only wish they had filmed it live as they did the Lincoln Center SOUTH PACIFIC. I believe Hugh has even commented that he wished it had been filmed live later in the run, when he felt that he had a better grasp of the role.

i'm glad that everyone can enjoy the Blue Ray of OKLAHOMA! I'll watch the DVD with my dog Oscar (Hammerstein) on my lap.

[jo]

I believe Hugh has even commented that he wished it had been filmed live later in the run, when he felt that he had a better grasp of the role.

Lucky me -- I saw it in April 1999, when it was about to wrap ( June 1999) its run!

Did you ever read the book LIP READING by Maureen Lipman ( Aunt Eller) - she devoted a whole chapter on the Oklahoma! run ... and a few more sentences outside that on the appeal of Hugh Jackman!

Jo

[birchie]

Just wanted an update on the quality of the BluRay from anyone who cares to jump in. Did anyone else think the picture quality was the same as the DVD? Did anyone else have audio out of sync issues? I'm still thinking I'll stay with my DVD since there are no additional features but if the audio and video are exceptional I may reconsider. I guess I'm wondering if Ellen got a lemon or are they all like that?
Thanks, Sue

[carouselkathy]

I read Maureen's book, Jo. I found it very enjoyable.

[alma]

Mar 10, 2013 22:04:59 GMT -5 carouselkathy said:

I'm sure that I'm repeating myself from previous posts, but I can't resist. I checked SIX PLAYS BY RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN out of my local library at age 12. I had already worn out the LP soundtracks of OKLAHOMA! and SOUTH PACIFIC, and after reading the librettos of CAROUSEL and THE KING AND I, rushed to find recordings of those R&H classics. CAROUSEL had to be ordered, and became my favorite of all the R&H shows. While my classmates were listening to the Beatles, I was lucky to see John Raitt in Theater-in-the-Round productions of OKLAHOMA! and CAROUSEL. I'm guessing he was in his 40's by then, but the voice was there, and what a stage presence!
I was also a huge fan of Gordon MacRae, and saw him in BELLS ARE RINGING and KISMET.

Those years were difficult for me. From age 9 to 16, I went through a series of orthopedic surgeries to correct some of the challenges premature birth and Cerebral Palsy had presented to my mobility.
Singing and musical theater became a most welcome therapy that extended into my college years and teaching profession. I wrote a fan letter to Richard Rodgers in 1965, which he answered. It's framed and hangs in a place of honor in my home.

Naturally, anytime a revival of a R&H show surfaced, I was more than interested.
So, I purchased the Royal National Theater OKLAHOMA! CD and listened. First impression? Well, "Curly" didn't have the Gordon MacRae/John Raitt type voice i was used to in the role. However, and this is a huge HOWEVER, there was such a joy and spark in the performance of this Hugh Jackman guy, that I wanted more. Like many of you, I was told to rent the X-Men and KATE & LEOPOLD VHS tapes. Now a face matched that "Curly" on the CD. All was good. Then came the first Actor's Studio....TBFO, etc., etc., and so forth.

I don't have a Blue Ray player, but the regular DVD of the RNT OKLAHOMA! is doin' fine.
Jo, you are lucky to have seen the production. I only wish they had filmed it live as they did the Lincoln Center SOUTH PACIFIC. I believe Hugh has even commented that he wished it had been filmed live later in the run, when he felt that he had a better grasp of the role.

i'm glad that everyone can enjoy the Blue Ray of OKLAHOMA! I'll watch the DVD with my dog Oscar (Hammerstein) on my lap.

--------

Kathy, I am so sorry to hear of your travails, but so glad to hear music--and musicals--helped so much. I completely agree with you: music is therapeutic.

Here's a thought:

"IS THERE ANYTHING MADE BY MAN THAT CAN EQUAL THE BEAUTY FOUND IN NATURE?
YES. MUSIC."

Don't you think that's true?

A few months ago I was lucky to catch another wonderful show on PBS: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II: OUT OF MY DREAMS. I enjoyed it enormously, although some critics found it lacking...? No matter. Have you ever watched it?

If I were you I would ABSOLUTELY keep the response from Richard Rodgers on my wall. Wow.

When we were kids, my dad would play his LP of Madame Butterfly often, and also his numerous LPs of Agustin Lara. He was the fellow who wrote GRANADA--very popular with Tenors, especially Placido Domingo. Here's Pavarotti:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cly20_TGVEI

Another world-famous song of his is SOLAMENTE UNA VEZ. Andrea Bocelli does a great job of it:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P03olRSRJaI

And in English it was sung as "You Belong to My Heart". I just LOVE this old, old version in "The Three Caballeros":
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R15nUxETehM

Agustin Lara wrote probably a thousand other songs, all incredibly romantic. He was quite the ladies' man, though he was not good-looking at all. He received several popular nicknames: "EL MUSICO POETA" (the poet musician) or "EL FLACO DE ORO" (the skinny guy made of pure gold). His music is truly beautiful, and his lyrics were impressively poetic.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agust%C3%ADn_Lara (in English)
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agust%C3%ADn_Lara (in Spanish, which includes a list of some of his most famous songs)

Later on, my older brother would play all his Ventures albums, and my sister would play all her Beach Boys ones. But that's another story...hehehe!

My only childhood recollection of any songs from honest-to-goodness MUSICALS come from a classmate who liked to belt out "I'm as corny as Kansas in August..."

I'm impressed by your knowledge of musicals. What a very good education I'm getting hanging around here!

Alma

[jo]

Here's Pavarotti:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cly20_TGVEI


Thanks for that! Luciano Pavarotti was my favorite opera tenor and I was sooo lucky to have seen him in a formal live concert here in Manila. I was able to beg for our corporate ticket ( so expensive that our bank donated only the equivalent of one ticket) -- and I went all by myself ( we were required to be in formal gowns). He got sick and had to cancel! We were asked to return a few days later ( I was frantic getting my only gown dry-cleaned - LOL!) and he apologized so profusely that we forgave him on the spot! He also had such kind words for the Filipino doctor who treated him... Wow - what a lovely evening...and the guy was so charming that we all fell in love with him. ( In contrast, I was also able to see a similar concert with Jose Carreras, also via a corporate ticket, but he hardly smiled let alone talk to the audience -- he just sang, period!).

Hey, did you know that Luciano shared a birthday with our Hugh. Both were born on October 12??? Such charming people!

I have quite a few of his albums (including of course the famous concert in Rome at Caracala, with Carreras and Domingo) -- but my sentimental favorites are his lighthearted Neapolitan songs. My favorite song sung by him is Mattinata and of course Nessum Dorma is always awesome!

Jo

[jo]

"Another world-famous song of his is SOLAMENTE UNA VEZ"

It used to be that we would have a lot of Spanish songs in our culture. We were once a colony of Spain and our culture reflects the passion for this kind of music. Not only in our musical or cuisine preferences, but a lot of our vocabulary and names are Spanish-based. But the real ties were actually with Mexico, because of the galleon trade centuries ago! So, we did imbibe a lot of Spanish influences via Mexico. I am not sure, but one of the food we associate with Mexico here is "tamales".

Btw, my full name is Josefina

[alma]

Mar 12, 2013 6:14:44 GMT -5 jo said:

"Another world-famous song of his is SOLAMENTE UNA VEZ"

It used to be that we would have a lot of Spanish songs in our culture. We were once a colony of Spain and our culture reflects the passion for this kind of music. Not only in our musical or cuisine preferences, but a lot of our vocabulary and names are Spanish-based. But the real ties were actually with Mexico, because of the galleon trade centuries ago! So, we did imbibe a lot of Spanish influences via Mexico. I am not sure, but one of the food we associate with Mexico here is "tamales".

Btw, my full name is Josefina

Jo, I just knew that had to be your beautiful first name!! But when I started reading your posts in the old forum I immediately thought of "Jo" from Little Women (my absolutely favorite book when I was ten), in part because your posts always seemed so beautifully worded... have I mentioned "poetic"?

Oh, what a treat to have gotten to see Pavarotti live... That's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. I absolutely love Mattinata and Nessun Dorma, and how about the drinking song from La Traviata? Soooo hard to choose a favorite with him!

I had no idea he shared a birthday with "our" Hugh! What's in the stars for that date as to charm and talent? Wow.

And YES! You and I share roots... including YUMMY FOOD! On my parents' anniversary my Mom used to make dozens and dozens and dozens of TAMALES just the way my Dad liked them, and she always saved a good number of them in the freezer so we could just reheat... weeks later! Me? I just buy them ready-made, hehe.

I think one of the most beautiful "gifts" Mexico has given the world is MUSIC. The best-known may be MARIACHI music and I love it! But Mexico has some amazing symphonic music. Jose Pablo Moncayo composed his "Huapango" before he was 30. Google had a "GoogleDoodle" for the centennial of his birth on June 29, 2012.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sznD8rrHCbk

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Pablo_Moncayo

It's funny how some kids in the US hear the following waltz, and think "George Washington Bridge"! It's actually by our very own Juventino Rosas, and its real name is "Over the Waves" (Sobre las Olas). Sadly, the composer died at the age of 26 in 1894:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwZsorNDvLY

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juventino_Rosas

Enjoy!!!

Alma