Interview: James Patrick Davis Discusses the New West End Interpretation of OKLAHOMA! at Wyndham's Theatre

There's a new version of the classic musical, OKLAHOMA! that's coming to town. The upcoming production has already taken New York and London by storm and plans to do so once again when it finally opens on the West End.

BroadwayWorld recently had the opportunity to talk with James Patrick Davis, who will be playing Will Parker at Wyndham's Theatre in the West End production of OKLAHOMA!, about getting into musical theatre, how he prepares for the role and how he trusts his instincts.

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How did you first get involved with this production of OKLAHOMA!?

I had worked with Daniel Fish, the director, on a few workshops before being asked to put myself on tape for the role of Ali Hakim. I was in L.A at the time and got cast for the OKLAHOMA! workshop "as cast." Meaning I was hired for just the workshop, and they didn't know how they'd use me yet. By the end of the first day, they started assigning all Will Parker's material to me. It just was the right fit.

What made you want to be involved with the show?

I had never done a musical professionally. I am not traditionally trained in that capacity. When this audition came through and I knew Daniel was at the helm I thought, "I think this may be my only chance at even being seen for a musical much less cast in a musical." I got it and moved back to New York City to start what was unbeknownst to me, an epic life journey.

What has it been like performing such a different adaptation of a classic work?

I wouldn't say this is a different adaptation. It's essentially the same script and the same music. There have been minimal and incidental tweaks and changes as would inevitably be made with any revival of a classic work. It's the interpretation that is exciting to me. My approach to all material is as if it were newly found work. I don't think about what has been done before in previous productions. My favourite thing about being an actor is when I get to put my singular point of view into a character in collaboration with the team of colleagues of that particular project in that particular moment. On this OKLAHOMA! I feel free and encouraged to approach the material in this way that feels natural to me.

Had you listened to/watched other productions of OKLAHOMA! to help prepare you for your role as Will Parker?

No. As a general preference I like to trust my own instincts and impulses when committing myself to a new project. I have had the experience of seeing a show or film of a show before I was in it, and I find it muddies the waters for me. Actually, I love seeing a production of a show I was in with a different company after I was in it. I can appreciate another person's interpretations; be inspired by what they found that was different or similar to what I saw in a script with a particular character.

How does it feel to be transferring OKLAHOMA! to the West End?

Very exciting! Very exciting because this is not just a transfer. It's a brand-new staging. It's a new show. This will be my fifth version of this OKLAHOMA! after the first three in New York and then the one at the Young Vic. The West End will be the most radically different than the others. I have no idea what the final product will look like.

Do you think that audience reactions will be different at Wyndham's Theatre compared to the Young Vic?

Absolutely. To me it's a new show. It is always a new show when it moves locations. It has always been and will always be a divisive piece. But it changes casts. It changes theatres. The show is always remade for the space it inhabits. This version is made for the Wyndham's. Will Parker is always changing because I'm changing as a human. I've stuck around but I'm now playing this with my fourth Ado Annie. The chemistry is always unique.

How do you think that this production of OKLAHOMA! reflects the world that we currently live in?

Well very bluntly and very sadly, we all know of the seemingly never-ending gun violence across America. Guns adorn our set. They are unavoidable to audience members as they watch this very American musical tale set in that very specific period of American history when white settlers were making "states" out of the land stolen from the Native Americans using gun violence. And in a nuanced and sophisticated manner through our modern lens what this production includes to highlight (among its other excavated themes) is that although the victims and motives have changed gun violence is still a predominant character flaw in modern America history as well.

How would you describe OKLAHOMA! (2023) in one word?

Unmissable.

OKLAHOMA! is at the Wyndham's Theatre from 16 February - 2 September

Photo Credit: James Patrick Davis

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