THE Rodger and Hammerstein’s musical, Oklahoma, returned to the Wales Millennium Centre recreating Midwestern life from 1906.

This classic musical focuses on the romance of Curly McLain and his farm girl Laurey Williams in addition to another secondary romance with cowboy Will Parker and his fiancé.

The opening high spirit song ‘O What a Beatiful Mornin’ sets the scene of the musical where it is clear that Curly, played by Ashley Day, was born to sing this song. He held the correct amount of smugness, humour and warmth to portray his character flawlessly.

Alongside Curly, Laurey, played by Charlotte Wakefield, was of an independent minded, stubborn temperament. When comparing her role to the original film in 1955, she was played less innocent and feminine as the original heroine. Despite this, the chemistry between Curly and Laurey on stage appeared strong and infectious especially after the realisation that Curly is the right man for her.

Lucy May Barker as Ado Annie Carnes, brought the most fun to the show where her flirtatious nature stopped her from saying no to any man and produced many laughs.

Belinda Lang as Aunt Eller also achieved countless laughs where she was definitely one of the most loved characters.

The show was filled with dancing routines where I particularly enjoyed Will Parker, played by Simon Anthony, displaying the different styles of dance learnt from Kansas City in addition to the dancing at the party before the auction.

As a whole, this musical brought together elements of love, compassion and humour which were only emphasised through the singing and dancing.