Hubs and I saw the play last Fall for the first time in years. We were both disappointed that they modernized quite a bit of the language and "Bransonized" the production.
I last saw the play in '99, and I was a bit disappointed then, too. I don't know if it was "Bransonized", but it wasn't nearly as good as in the '80s. I think the problem was professional actors trying too hard. The tempo was off, the dialog sounded rushed and stilted, and the accents were poured on so heavy that many of the lines were unintelligible. If I didn't have it memorized, I couldn't have followed it.
I hope to see it again this year, if my trip falls during the season. If it's not better than '99, I'll be really disappointed. It's such a great story when done right, and I never saw a bad performance in the '70s-'80s.