Oklahoma! is one of the most popular and influential musicals in the American theater. The show opened on Broadway on March 31, 1943, and ran for 2,212 performances. Oklahoma! was the first collaboration between the team of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.
Oklahoma! is set in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) in the early 1900’s, just before statehood. The story was based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs (1931) by the American dramatist Lynn Riggs. The plot is basically a romantic triangle involving a young cowboy named Curly McLain, a villainous handyman named Jud Fry, and a pretty farm girl named Laurey Williams. There is also a comic romantic subplot dealing with Laurey’s friend Ado Annie Carnes, cowboy Will Parker, and traveling peddler Ali Hakim.
Rodgers and Hammerstein blended the musical’s songs, story, and dances into a unified whole that made Oklahoma! a landmark in the history of musical comedy. The show gained much of its impact from the dances created by Agnes de Mille. One of the dances was an extended dream ballet that revealed the inner feelings of the main characters. Such long ballet numbers became a popular feature of later musicals.
Rodgers and Hammerstein created one of their greatest scores for the musical. The hit songs include “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” “People Will Say We’re in Love,” and the title song. Alfred Drake played Curly, and Joan Roberts was Laurey in the original Broadway production. The other featured performers were Celeste Holm (Ado Annie), Lee Dixon (Will Parker), Joseph Buloff (Ali Hakim), and Howard Da Silva (Jud Fry). Rouben Mamoulian directed.
A motion-picture version of Oklahoma! was released in 1955. Gordon MacRae played Curly, with Shirley Jones as Laurey and Rod Steiger as Jud Fry. Fred Zinnemann was the director.
See also De Mille, Agnes; Hammerstein, Oscar, II; Rodgers, Richard.
