Composer
Richard Rodgers
once praised
Florence Henderson
as the ideal vehicle for his kind of music -- pretty, extroverted, and gifted with a very natural-sounding voice. In this studio recording of the groundbreaking
musical
Oklahoma!
,
Henderson
sang the role of
Laurey
, a part she'd previously performed in a road company of the show. Joining her as
Curly
was
John Raitt
, who had originated the role of
Billy
in
Rodgers & Hammerstein
's
Carousel
. Also receiving top billing on this recording was
Phyllis Newman
(a Tony award winner for
Subways Are for Sleeping
) as
Ado Annie
, the gal who "cain't say no." Each of these stars was in fine form, singing in a style -- unforced and full of personality -- that would no doubt please
Rodgers
. What mars this recording, however, is an echoey sound that ends up being too studio-bound for its own good. The voices are also saddled with unnecessarily cartoonish "new orchestrations" by
Philip J. Lang
. Unlike the straightforward and effective orchestrations created by
Robert Russell Bennett
for the original stage production,
Lang
overloaded the music with banjos, brass hits, and other '50s-era overkill, creating a sound more at home in a
Lawrence Welk
or
Ferrante & Teicher
arrangement than in a production of
Oklahoma
. Effectively, this recording remains a curious relic too tied to its 1964 recording date, thus negating the underlying timelessness of the material. ~ Neil Shurley