State Fair

Synopsis

Set against the colourful backdrop of an American heartland tradition, State Fair travels with the Frake family as they leave behind the routine of the farm for three days of adventure at the 1946 annual Iowa State Fair. Mom and Pop have their hearts set on winning blue ribbons for best boar and best homemade mincemeat, whilst their daughter and son find both love and heartbreak in the romance of the busy fairground. The Academy Award winning score including such Rodgers and Hammerstein classics as It Might as Well Be Spring and It's a Grand Night for Singing. Based on the 1945 and 1962 films with additional songs that were either featured in, or cut from, other Rodgers and Hammerstein shows including Oklahoma!, Pipe Dream, Allegro and Me and Juliet, the stage version opened on Broadway in 1996 where it received four Tony nominations (including Best Original Score).

Our Review:

Theo Bosanquet - 7 August 2009

State Fair, the only musical Rodgers & Hammerstein wrote specifically for the screen and now receiving its European debut on stage, presents a world in which women cry over pickle-making contests while their menfolk get dewy-eyed over pigs.

It's the camper cousin of Oklahoma!, with about as much grit as an infant's eyeball. But, even though Thom Southerland's production at times leans towards the am-dram in terms of quality, there's a plentiful supply of memorable tunes that just about makes the trip to the Finborough worth it.

The story centres on the competitive and romantic aspirations of the Frake family as they make their annual pilgrimage to the Iowa State Fair ("the best State Fair in our State"). 'Mom' Melissa prepares her finest mincemeat mixture in the hope of finally securing first prize, while husband Abel (who rather disturbingly refers to his wife as 'Mother') is seeking similar glory with his boar Blue Boy. Meanwhile, their children Wayne and ...

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Latest User Review

Gareth James - 15 August 2009:

The prolific Thom Sutherland is at it again. Extraordinary to think this is the European premiere of a Rogers & Hammerstein show - and in a room above a pub in Earls Court too! It's not a great show, but it's well worth staging. Yes, it's cramped in this tiny space, but the performances are great with some lovely singing and a pianist who heroically plays the whole score (almost) single-handed. Well worth suffering the stuffiness of the venue....

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