7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 1/18

Oklahoma! From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

Jump to: navigation, search 

For other uses, see Oklahoma (disambiguation). Oklahoma!   

Original Broadway Cast AlbumMusic Richard Rodgers Lyrics Oscar Hammerstein II Book Oscar Hammerstein II

Basis Lynn Riggs' playGreen Grow the Lilacs Productions 1943 Broadway

1947 West End1951 Broadway revival 1955 Film 1979 Broadway revival1980 West End revival1998 West End revival2002 Broadway revival2010 UK Tour 

Awards 1993 Special Tony Award (50th Anniversary)

Oklahoma!   is the first musical written by the team of composer RichardRodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based onLynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy CurlyMcLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams. A secondaryromance concerns cowboy Will Parker and his flirtatious fiancée, AdoAnnie.

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 2/18

The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943. It was abox-office smash and ran for an unprecedented 2,212 performances, laterenjoying award-winning revivals, national tours, foreign productions and anAcademy Award-winning 1955 film adaptation. It has long been a popularchoice for school and community productions.[1] 

This musical, building on the innovations of the earlier Show Boat , epitomized the development of the "book musical", a musical play wherethe songs and dances are fully integrated into a well-made story withserious dramatic goals that are able to evoke genuine emotions other thanlaughter.[2] In addition, Oklahoma! features musical themes, or motifs, thatrecur throughout the work to connect the music and story. [3][ page needed ][4] A fifteen-minute "dream ballet" reflects Laurey's struggle with her feelingsabout two men, Curley and Jud. A special Pulitzer Prize was awarded toRichard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for Oklahoma! in the categoryof "Special Awards And Citations – Music" in 1944.[5] 

Contents  [hide]

1 Background 2 Plot 

2.1 Act I 

2.2 Act II 3 Principal roles and notable performers 4 Musical numbers 

5 Production history 5.1 Original Broadway 5.2 Early U.S. tours 

5.3 Original West End 5.4 1951 and 1979 Broadway revivals 5.5 1980 and 1998 West End revivals 5.6 2002 Broadway revival 5.7 Other productions 5.8 1955 film adaptation 

6 Recordings 7 Reception 8 Antecedents and influence 9 Awards and nominations 

10 Cultural references 11 Notes 12 References 

13 Further reading 14 External links 

Background[edit source | editbeta] 

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 3/18

By the early 1940s, Rodgers and Hammerstein were each well known forcreating Broadway hits with other collaborators. Rodgers, with Lorenz Hart,had produced over two dozen musicals since the 1920s, including suchpopular successes as Babes in Arms (1937), The Boys from Syracuse (1938) and Pal Joey  (1940).[6] Among other successes, Hammerstein had

written the words for Rose-Marie (1924), The Desert Song (1926), TheNew Moon (1927) and Show Boat  (1927). Though less productive in the1930s, he wrote musicals, songs and films, sharing an Academy Award forhis song with Jerome Kern, "The Last Time I Saw Paris", which wasincluded in the 1941 film Lady Be Good .[7] By the early 1940s, Hart hadsunk into alcoholism and emotional turmoil, and he became unreliable,prompting Rodgers to approach Hammerstein to ask if he would considerworking with him.[8] 

In 1931, the Theatre Guild produced Lynn Riggs's Green Grow the Lilacs, a play about settlers in Oklahoma's Indian Territory. Though the play was

not successful, ten years later in 1941, Theresa Helburn, one of the Guild'sproducers, saw a summer-stock production supplemented with traditionalfolk songs and square dances and decided the play could be the basis of amusical that might revive the struggling Guild. She contacted RichardRodgers and Lorenz Hart, whose first successful collaboration, TheGarrick Gaieties, had been produced by the Theatre Guild in 1925.Rodgers wanted to work on the project and obtained the rights for himselfand Hart. Rodgers had asked Oscar Hammerstein II to collaborate withhim and Hart. During the tryouts of Rodgers and Hart's Best Foot Forward  in 1941, Hammerstein had assured Rodgers that if Hart was ever unable to

work, he would be willing to take his place.[9] Coincidentally in 1942,Hammerstein had thought of musicalizing Green Grow the Lilacs, but whenhe had approached Jerome Kern about it, the latter declined. Hammersteinfound out that Rodgers was seeking someone to write the book, and heeagerly took the opportunity. Hart lost interest in the musical; he preferredcontemporary, urbane shows that would showcase his witty lyric-writing,and he found the farmers and cowhands in Green Grow the Lilacs cornyand uninspiring. Moreover, spiraling downward, consumed by hislongstanding alcoholism, Hart no longer felt like writing. He embarked on avacation to Mexico, advising Rodgers that Hammerstein would be a good

choice of a new collaborator.[10][11] This partnership allowed both Rodgers and Hammerstein to follow theirpreferred writing methods: Hammerstein preferred to write a complete lyricbefore it was set to music, and Rodgers preferred to set completed lyrics tomusic. In Rodgers's previous collaborations with Hart, Rodgers had alwayswritten the music first, since the unfocused Hart needed something onwhich to base his lyrics. Hammerstein's previous collaborators included

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 4/18

composers Rudolf Friml, Herbert Stothart, Vincent Youmans, and Kern,who all wrote music first, for which Hammerstein then wrote lyrics. The rolereversal in the Rodgers and Hammerstein partnership permittedHammerstein to craft the lyrics into a fundamental part of the story so thatthe songs could amplify and intensify the story instead of diverting it.[9] As

Rodgers and Hammerstein began developing the new musical, theyagreed that their musical and dramatic choices would be dictated by thesource material, Green Grow the Lilacs, not by musical comedyconventions.[10] Musicals of that era featured big production numbers,novelty acts, and show-stopping specialty dances; the libretti typicallyfocused on humor, with little dramatic development, punctuated with songsthat effectively halted the story for their duration.[12] 

Between the world wars, roles in musicals were usually filled by actors whocould sing, but Rodgers and Hammerstein chose the reverse, castingsingers who could act. Though Theresa Helburn, codirector of the Theatre

Guild, suggested Shirley Temple as Laurey and Groucho Marx as AliHakim, Rodgers and Hammerstein, with director Rouben Mammoulian'ssupport, insisted that performers more dramatically appropriate for theroles be cast. As a result of this decision, there were no stars in theproduction, another unusual step.[9] The production was choreographed byAgnes de Mille (her first time choreographing a musical on Broadway),who provided one of the show's most notable and enduring features: a 15-minute first-act ballet finale (often referred to as the dream ballet) depictingLaurey's struggle to evaluate her suitors, Jud and Curly.[12] 

The first title given to the work was Away We Go! which opened for out-of-town-tryouts in New Haven's Shubert Theatre on March 11, 1943.[13] Expectations for the show were low; Hammerstein had written six flops in arow, and the show had no star power. Producer Mike Todd walked outafter the first act during the tryout and wisecracked “No legs, no jokes, nochance.”[11] But Rodgers and Hammerstein were confident. The NewHaven audiences and then Boston critics were enthusiastic. Only a fewchanges were made before it opened on Broadway, but two would provesignificant: the addition of the show-stopping musical number, Oklahoma! and the decision to retitle the musical after that number.

Todd had been wrong, the show opened to raves from the critics, sold outand won a special Pulitzer Prize. Brooks Atkinson wrote in The New York Times that the show's opening number, "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning"changed the history of musical theater: “After a verse like that, sung to abuoyant melody, the banalities of the old musical stage becameintolerable."[11] The New York Post  was the only major paper to giveOklahoma! a mixed review. Its critic felt that while the songs were pleasantenough, they sounded much alike.[14] The show's creativity stimulated

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 5/18

Rodgers and Hammerstein's contemporaries and ushered in the "GoldenAge" of American musical theatre.[11] 

Plot[edit source | editbeta] 

Act I[edit source | editbeta] In Oklahoma territory in 1906, cowboy Curly McLain looks forward to thebeautiful day ahead as he wanders into farm girl Laurey Williams's yard("Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'"). He and Laurey tease each other, whileLaurey's Aunt Eller looks on. There will be a box social dance that night,which includes an auction of lunch baskets prepared by the local girls toraise funds for a schoolhouse. The man who wins each lunch basket willeat the lunch with the girl who prepared it. Curly asks Laurey to go withhim, but she refuses, feeling that Curly had waited too long. He attempts topersuade her by telling her that he will take her in the finest carriage

money can buy ("The Surrey with the Fringe on Top"), but she teases himabout it until he says he made it up to get back at her, and Laurey flouncesoff, not realizing that Curly really has rented such a rig.

The lonely, disturbed farm hand Jud Fry has become obsessed withLaurey and asks her to the dance. She accepts to spite Curly, althoughshe is afraid of Jud. Meanwhile, cowboy Will Parker returns bedazzled andsouvenir-laden from a trip to modern Kansas City ("Kansas City"). He won$50 at the fair, which, according to his girlfriend Ado Annie's father,Andrew Carnes, is the money he needs to marry Ado Annie. Unfortunately,he spent all the money on gifts for her. Will also purchased a "LittleWonder" (a metal tube used for looking at pictures, but with a hidden bladeinside) for Ado Annie's father, unaware of its deadly secret. Later, AdoAnnie confesses to Laurey that while Will has been away, she has beenspending a lot of time with Ali Hakim, a Persian peddler. Laurey tells hershe'll have to choose between them, but Ado Annie insists she loves themboth ("I Cain't Say No"). Laurey and her friends prepare for the social,while Gertie Cummings flirts with Curly (her obnoxious laugh floating in totaunt Laurey). Laurey tells her friends that she doesn't really care aboutCurly ("Many a New Day").

Andrew Carnes discovers Annie with Ali Hakim. After questioning AdoAnnie about their relationship, he forces Hakim at gunpoint to agree tomarry her. Hakim and the other men lament the unfairness of the situation("It's a Scandal! It's a Outrage!"). Curly discovers that Laurey is going tothe box social with Jud and tries to convince her to go with him instead.Afraid to tell Jud she won't go with him, Laurey tries to convince Curly (andherself) that she does not love him ("People Will Say We're in Love"). Hurtby her refusal, Curly goes to the smokehouse where Jud lives to talk with

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 6/18

him. Curly suggests that since Jud does not feel appreciated, he couldhang himself, and everyone would realize how much they care about him("Pore Jud Is Daid"). Their talk turns into an ominous confrontation aboutLaurey. After Curly leaves, Jud's resolve to win Laurey becomes evenstronger, and he vows to make her his bride ("Lonely Room").

Confused by her feelings for Curly and her fear of Jud, Laurey purchases a"magic potion" (really a bottle of smelling salts) from Ali Hakim, which theunscrupulous peddler guarantees will reveal her true love. She muses onleaving her dreams of love behind and joining the man she loves ("Out ofMy Dreams"), then falls asleep under the influence of the laudanum ("Dream Sequence"). In an extended dream ballet sequence, Laurey firstdreams of what marriage to Curly would be like. Her dream takes anightmarish turn when Jud appears and kills Curly. She cannot escapehim, confused by her desires. The dream makes her realize that Curly isthe right man for her, but it is too late to change her mind about going to

the dance with Jud; he has come for her, and they leave for the box social.

Act II[edit source | editbeta] 

At the social, during an upbeat square dance ("The Farmer and theCowman"), the rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys over fencesand water rights has led to fighting, which Aunt Eller ends by firing a gun tosilence everyone.[15] Laurey is upset when she sees Curly at the dancewith Gertie. In an effort to rid himself of Ado Annie, Ali Hakim buys Will'ssouvenirs from Kansas City for $50. Jud also contributes to this bypurchasing Will's Little Wonder, knowing of the blade concealed within it.

The auction starts and Will bids $50 on Ado Annie's basket, not realizingthat without the $50, he would no longer have the money her fatherinsisted he needs to "purchase" marriage with her. Desperate to be rid ofAdo Annie, the peddler bids $51 to get the basket so that Will canapproach Andrew Carnes with the $50 and claim Ado Annie as his bride.The auction becomes much more serious when Laurey's basket comes upfor auction. Jud has saved all his money so he can win Laurey's basket.Various men bid, trying to protect Laurey, but Jud outbids them all. Curlyand Jud engage in a ferocious bidding war, and Curly sells all his prizedpossessions to raise money: his saddle, his horse, and even his gun. Curly

outbids Jud and wins the basket. Jud discreetly tries to kill Curly with theLittle Wonder, but his plan is foiled when Aunt Eller (knowing what ishappening) loudly asks Curly for a dance. Later that night, Will and Anniework out their differences, as she reluctantly agrees not to flirt with othermen ("All Er Nuthin'").

Jud confronts Laurey about his feelings for her. When she admits that shedoes not return them, he threatens her. She then fires him as her farm

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 7/18

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 8/18

•  Overture – Orchestra•  "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'"  – Curly•  Laurey's Entrance – Laurey & Curly•  "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top"  – Curly, Laurey, & Aunt Eller•  "Kansas City"  – Will Parker, Aunt Eller, Male Ensemble•  "I Cain't Say No"  – Ado Annie•  Entrance of Ensemble ("I Cain't Say No" and "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'")  – 

Will, Ado Annie, Curly, Aunt Eller & Ensemble•  "Many a New Day"  – Laurey and Female Ensemble•  "It's a Scandal! It's a Outrage!" – Ali Hakim & Ensemble•  "People Will Say We're in Love"  – Curly & Laurey•  "Pore Jud Is Daid" – Curly & Jud•  "Lonely Room"  – Jud•  "Out of My Dreams"/"Dream Ballet" – Laurey & Dream Figures

•

•

•

•

•

•

Production history[edit source | editbeta] Original Broadway[edit source | editbeta] 

The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943 at the St.James Theatre in New York City. It was directed by Rouben Mamoulian and choreographed by Agnes de Mille. It starred Alfred Drake (Curly), JoanRoberts (Laurey), Celeste Holm (Ado Annie), Howard Da Silva (Jud Fry),Betty Garde (Aunt Eller), Lee Dixon (Will Parker), Joseph Bulloff (AliHakim), Jane Lawrence (Gertie) and Barry Kelley (Ike). Marc Platt dancedthe role of "Dream Curly", Katharine Sergava danced the part of "DreamLaurey" and the small dancing part of Aggie was played by Bambi Linn. George Church danced the part of "Dream Jud" but was replaced byVladimir Kostenko only two months after the premiere.

The production ran for 2,212 performances, finally closing on May 29,1948.[18] "The demand for tickets was unprecedented as the show becamemore popular in the months that followed" the opening.[19] Oklahoma! ranfor over five years, a Broadway record that "would not be bested until My Fair Lady (1956)."[19] The Tony Awards and other awards now given forachievement in musical theatre were not in existence in 1943, and

therefore the original production of Oklahoma! received no theatricalawards.

Early U.S. tours[edit source | editbeta] 

The "first of several" national tours began in New Haven, Connecticut, in1944. A 1953 article in The New York Times reported that the show "isbelieved to be the only musical to have enjoyed a consecutive run of tenyears. It ran on Broadway for five years and two months, grossing

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 9/18

$7,000,000. The tour of the national company, which started late in 1943,has grossed $15,000,000."[20] The United Service Organizations sponsored a tour to U.S. military bases in 1945 that lasted for severalyears.[21][22] The New York Times reported:

The tenth anniversary of the Broadway opening of Oklahoma! will becelebrated in Washington, where the Theatre Guild's touring company ofthe phenomenal musical will be playing at that time. ... According to aGuild estimate, "upwards of 20,000,000 people thus far have seen theshow in the United States, England, Sweden, Denmark, South Africa,Australia and through [the U.S.O. shows] during the war". [23] 

Original West End[edit source | editbeta] 

Oklahoma! was the first of a post-war wave of Broadway musicals to reachLondon's West End. It starred Howard Keel (then known as Harold Keel)and Betty Jane Watson, opening at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on April

30, 1947 to rave press reviews and sellout houses, running for 1,543performances.[24] A pre-London run opened a day late at the ManchesterOpera House on April 18, 1947, after the ship carrying the cast, scenery,and costumes ran aground on a sandbank off Southampton.[25] 

1951 and 1979 Broadway revivals[edit source | editbeta] 

A 1951 revival produced by the Theatre Guild opened at The BroadwayTheatre on May 9, 1951, and ran for 100 performances. Ridge Bondplayed Curly, Patricia Northrop played Laurey, Henry Clarke was Jud, andJacqueline Sundt played Ado Annie. Mamoulian and de Mille returned to

direct and choreograph, and the production was restaged by JeromeWhyte.[26] In 1953, a 10th anniversary revival opened on August 31 at theNew York City Center Theatre. It ran for a limited engagement of 40performances before going on tour. The cast included Florence Henderson as Laurey, Ridge Bond as Curly and Barbara Cook as Annie. Mamoulianand De Mille directed and choreographed.[27][28] 

A 1979 revival opened at the Palace Theatre on Broadway on December13, 1979 and closed on August 24, 1980, running for 293 performancesand nine previews. William Hammerstein (Oscar's son) directed, andGemze de Lappe recreated Agnes De Mille's choreography. The show

starred Christine Andreas as Laurey, Laurence Guittard as Curly, MaryWickes as Aunt Eller, Christine Ebersole as Ado Annie, Martin Vidnovic asJud Fry, Harry Groener as Will Parker and Bruce Adler as Ali Hakim.[29] Andreas and Groener both received Tony Award nominations for theirperformances, and Vidnovic won a Drama Desk Award. This productionstarted as a cross-country national tour, beginning at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles on May 1, 1979.[30] 

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 10/18

1980 and 1998 West End revivals[edit source | editbeta] 

The following year, James Hammerstein directed a production at theHaymarket Theatre, Leicester, in January 1980, produced by CameronMackintosh. The De Mille choreography was again adapted by de Lappe.

A UK tour followed, and it eventually settled in the West End, opening atthe Palace Theatre, London, on September 17, 1980, and running untilSeptember 19, 1981.[31] This production starred John Diedrich as Curlyand Alfred Molina as Jud Fry, both of whom were nominated for OlivierAwards.[32] Rosamund Shelley played Laurey, and Madge Ryan was AuntEller. The production was Maria Friedman's debut in the West End, initiallyin the chorus role of Doris, but she was eventually promoted to the leadingrole.[33] John Owen Edwards was the musical director. He would laterreprise his work for Mackintosh's 1998 London revival. A cast recording ofthis production was issued by JAY Records and on the Showtime! label.[34] 

Hugh Jackman on the cover of the DVD of the London revival

A new production of the musical was presented by the National Theatre inLondon at the Olivier Theatre, opening on July 15, 1998. The productionteam included Trevor Nunn (director), Susan Stroman (choreographer),John Owen Edwards (musical director) and William David Brohn (orchestrator). This production received numerous Olivier Award nominations, with Hensley winning the award for Best Supporting Actor in

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 11/18

a Musical.[35] According to the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, thelimited engagement was a sell-out and broke all previous box officerecords,[36] and so the show was transferred to the Lyceum Theatre in theWest End for a six-month run.[37] Plans to transfer to Broadway with theLondon cast were thwarted by Actors' Equity, which insisted that American

actors must be cast.[38][39] Eventually a U.S. cast was selected.[40] 

Music supervisor John Owen Edwards, orchestrator William David Brohn and dance arranger David Krane adapted Robert Russell Bennett's originalorchestrations and extended some of the dance sequences. A brand newDream Ballet was composed for Susan Stroman's new choreography andthe dances to "Kansas City", "Many a New Day" and "The Farmer and theCowman" were all radically redesigned. The overture to the show was alsoaltered, at the request of director Trevor Nunn. The international castincluded Hugh Jackman as Curly, Maureen Lipman as Aunt Eller, JosefinaGabrielle as Laurey, Shuler Hensley as Jud Fry, Vicki Simon as Ado

Annie, Peter Polycarpou as Ali Hakim and Jimmy Johnston as WillParker.[37] This production was filmed and issued on DVD, as well asbeing broadcast on U.S. Public Television in November 2003.[41] 

2002 Broadway revival[edit source | editbeta] 

The London production was repeated on Broadway at the GeorgeGershwin Theatre on March 21, 2002, with direction by Nunn. Theproduction closed on February 23, 2003 after 388 performances. Only twoof the London cast, Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey and Shuler Hensley asJud, were in the production, which also featured Patrick Wilson as Curly

and Andrea Martin as Aunt Eller. It was nominated for seven Tony Awards,including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musicaland Best Featured Actor in a Musical (which was awarded to Hensley).The musical was also nominated for nine Drama Desk Awards, withHensley winning as Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical and SusanStroman winning for choreography.

Ben Brantley wrote in The New York Times: "At its best, which is usuallywhen it's dancing, this resurrection of Rodgers and Hammerstein's epochalshow is dewy with an adolescent lustiness, both carnal and naive,exuberant and confused." The review stated that "Anthony Ward's

harmoniously curved set, in which the sky seems to stretch into eternity,again pulses with the promise of a land on the verge of transformation."[42] The New York Daily News review commented that "Visually, this one isstunning – at times, Anthony Ward's sets have a pastoral, idyllic quality,like Thomas Hart Benton's paintings. At other times, especially in lightingdesigner David Hersey's lustrous palette, they convey the bleakness of thefrontier." The review also stated that the Royal National Theatre "brought it

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 12/18

back to us in a way that makes it seem fresh and vital."[43] However, USAToday gave the production a tepid assessment, its reviewer writing that "Acold breeze blows through this beautiful mornin', and that golden haze isnever quite bright enough."[44] The production went on to tour nationallyfrom 2003 –2006.[45] 

Other productions[edit source | editbeta] 

DiscoverylandOklahoma! is presented nightly except Sundays each summer at theDiscoveryland amphitheater, an outdoor theatre near Tulsa, Oklahoma. In1993, Mary Rodgers (daughter of Richard Rodgers) and WilliamHammerstein (son of Oscar Hammerstein II) designated Discoveryland the"National Home of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!" Theproduction debuted in 1977.[46] 

2006 Japan

In 2006, Oklahoma! was performed in Japan by the all-female TakarazukaRevue. This revival starred Yuu Todoroki, Ai Shirosaki, and HiromuKiriya.[47] 

2009 Chichester Theatre FestivalIn the summer of 2009, British director John Doyle directed the musical atthe Chichester Festival Theatre. The production was dark in concept andfeatured new orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick. On a spare stage,decorated only with blue sheets, "Confetti of rose petals stains the floor likedrops of blood, and a nightmarish dream-dance sequence has Freudianovertones as Laurey's bridal gown becomes her shroud."[48][49] It receivedmixed reviews. The Times reviewer wrote: "This is a very stylised,overdrilled production, no friend of intimate moments or quiet depth ofemotion."[50] The Guardian liked it the most, stating that "it's a delight, withone brilliant tippy-tappy-toed song after another and a nugget of darknesslodged in its sweet heart."[48] Whats On Stage, like most of the papers,gave the show three out of five stars and wrote that this is a "downbeatvision" and that "all told it's a somewhat disappointing show", but their"average reader rating" was four stars.[51] A review in The Telegraph commented, "Doyle uses shadow and silhouette to bring out the musical'snightmarish aspects but doesn't over-labour them. There are enough

sunny spots – no more so than in Act 2's rousing title song – to keep thetone evenly textured."[49] 

2010 UK tourThe show toured England for nine months in 2010 in a new staging byJulian Woolford, with Marti Webb as Aunt Eller and Mark Evans asCurly.[52] 

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 13/18

2010 Washington, DC Arena StageOklahoma! opened on October 23, 2010 at the Arena Stage to criticalacclaim,[53][54] inaugurating the redesigned Fichandler "theater in theround" stage, in the newly renovated Arena Stage complex.[53] ArtisticDirector Molly Smith cast African-American actresses as Laurey and Aunt

Eller to mirror both modern Washington, D.C. demographics and thediverse population of the musical's 1906 Oklahoma territory setting.[55] Theproduction received ten 2011 Helen Hayes Award nominations in theresident division, winning as Outstanding Resident Musical (tying withShakespeare Theatre's Candide) and for choreography (Parker Esse),lead actor (Nicholas Rodriguez as Curly) and musical direction (GeorgeFulginiti-Shakar).[56] The production returned to the Arena Stage for asecond run on July 8, 2011.[57] 

2012, Seattle, Washington, 5th Avenue TheaterThe 5th Avenue Theatre's early 2012 production, directed by Peter

Rothstein and choreographed by Donald Byrd, included African-Americandancers, and cast an African-American actor as Jud.[58] This choice wasintended, as in the Arena Stage production, to reflect the historicalpresence of African Americans in the Oklahoma territory, but it "has someaudience members squirming in their seats ... they're seeing on stage oneof the ugliest stereotypes in our history: an imposing black man ravaging apetite white woman [and] the white hero ... all but urges Jud to hanghimself – and even pantomimes the act. Some see a clear reference tolynching."[59] The "Dream Ballet" in this production has a sinister andsexual tone and ends with Jud dragging Laurey away to be raped. One

critic noted that the casting choice, despite its purported rationale ingreater historical accuracy, likely indicates "some [historical] license takenwhen an African-American farmhand is allowed to escort a white woman tothe box dance. ... Maybe some people weren't ready for [the castingchoice], and left with not so much a song in their head, but a question intheir heart. And isn't that part of what theater is supposed to do?" [59] Another critic concluded that the casting choice is "simply distracting" and"forces an uncomfortable racial subtext onto underlying material thatdoesn't support the weight."[60] Another wrote: "Rothstein's Oklahoma! isnow the story of a crazy, sex obsessed black man living in a shack out

back, lusting violently after his white mistress who ends up murdered at thehands of a white man, who gets off scot free after a mock trial."[58] 

1955 film adaptation[edit source | editbeta] 

Main article: Oklahoma! (1955 film) The 1955 film adaptation starred Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones (in herfilm debut),[61] Rod Steiger, Charlotte Greenwood, Gloria Grahame, Gene

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 14/18

Nelson, James Whitmore and Eddie Albert. It was the only musical filmdirected by Fred Zinnemann,[62] and Agnes de Mille choreographed. It wasthe first feature film photographed in the Todd-AO 70 mm widescreen process.[63][64] 

Rodgers and Hammerstein personally oversaw the film to prevent thestudio from making the changes that were then typical of stage-to-filmmusical adaptations, such as interpolating new songs by others. The filmfollowed the stage version more closely than any other Rodgers andHammerstein stage-to-film adaptation, although it divided the long firstscene into several shorter scenes, changing the locations of several of thesongs. For example, Kansas City is performed at the train station, whereAunt Eller and other cowboys meet Will Parker just after he returns fromKansas City. Lyrics in the song about a burlesque stripteaser were slightlychanged to pass film censorship.[62] In a nod to Green Grow the Lilacs, which was the basis of the musical, Jud attempts revenge on Curly and

Laurey by burning a haystack they stand on, before Curly jumps down,landing on Jud and causing him to fall on his own knife. The film omits only"It's a Scandal, It's an Outrage" and "Lonely Room". [63] The film wonAcademy Awards for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture and BestSound, Recording.[65] 

Recordings[edit source | editbeta] 

Most of the songs from Oklahoma! were released on a record album byDecca Records in 1943 containing six 10-inch double-sided discs in 78

RPM format. It was the first U.S. cast album featuring the originalBroadway cast of a musical. It sold over a million copies, prompting thelabel to call the cast back into the studio to record three additionalselections that had been left out of the first set. These were issued asOklahoma! Volume Two. In 1949, Decca re-released the first set on LP butnot the second set, which soon became a very rare collectors' item. Allsubsequent LP releases were similarly incomplete. Finally in 2000, DeccaBroadway went back to the original glass masters to generate a new highfidelity transfer of the complete song program and released it on CD,utilizing the original 78 album artwork.[66] 

The success of the original Oklahoma! cast album set a precedent for theproduction of original cast recordings of Broadway musicals, whichbecame an essential part of a musical's dissemination and endurance inpopular culture.[67] Later cast recordings of Oklahoma! include the 1979Broadway revival cast recording, the 1980 London revival cast recording,the 1998 Royal National Theatre revival cast recording, and a soundtrackalbum of the 1955 film. There have also been more than 20 studio cast

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 15/18

recordings of the show, featuring stars such as Nelson Eddy, John Raitt and Florence Henderson in the leading roles.[68] 

Reception[edit source | editbeta] 

The original production of Oklahoma! was an unprecedented critical andpopular success. John Anderson of the New York Journal American pronounced the musical "a beautiful and delightful show, fresh andimaginative, as enchanting to the eye as Richard Rodgers's music is to theear. It has, at a rough estimate, practically everything".[26] In the New York Herald Tribune, Howard Barnes wrote, "Songs, dances, and a story havebeen triumphantly blended.... The Richard Rodgers score is one of hisbest, and that is saying plenty. Oscar Hammerstein 2nd has written adramatically imaginative libretto and a string of catchy lyrics; Agnes deMille has worked small miracles in devising original dances to fit the storyand the tunes, while Rouben Mamoulian has directed an excellentcompany with great taste and craftsmanship."[26] Louis Kronenberger ofPM opined that "Mr. Hammerstein's lyrics have less crispness and wit thanLorenz Hart's at their best, but the songs in Oklahoma! call for lesssophisticated words, and Mr. Hammerstein has found very likeableones."[26] 

In the New York Daily News, Burns Mantle declared that "Oklahoma! reallyis different – beautifully different. With the songs that Richard Rodgers hasfitted to a collection of unusually atmospheric and intelligible lyrics byOscar Hammerstein 2nd, Oklahoma! seems to me to be the most

thoroughly and attractively American musical comedy since Edna Ferber's Show Boat ".[26] New York World-Telegram critic Burton Rascoe particularly emphasized the groundbreaking choreography, stating that"Richard Rodgers has written for the show one of the finest musical scoresany musical play ever had. Next to Mr. Rodgers, however, must stand theamazing Agnes de Mille, whose choreography, carried out to perfection byher ballet [corps], is actually the biggest hit of the show. The "Out of MyDreams" and "All Er Nuthin'" dances are such supreme aestheticdelights.... They are spinetingling, out of this world."[26] In The New York Sun, Ward Morehouse commented that "Oklahoma! is charming andleisurely. And tunely. And certainly not topical," as other shows had beenin the early years of World War II. "It reveals Mr. Rodgers, shorn only forthe moment of Larry Hart, in good form indeed. And nobody in last night'saudience seemed to have a better time than Mr. Hart himself, whoapplauded the proceedings from a seat in Row B."[26] Lorenz Hart himself"pushed his way through the crowd at the after-show party in Sardi's restaurant and threw his arms around his ex-partner, grinning from ear toear. He told Rodgers he had never had a better evening at the theater in

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 16/18

his life."[9] 

The only negative review of the musical appeared in the New York Post : The critic wrote that "it all seemed just a trifle too cute", stating that thescore consisted of "a flock of Mr. Rodgers's songs that are pleasantenough, but still manage to sound quite a bit alike ... without much varietyin the presentation." She concluded that the show was "very picturesque ina studied fashion, reminding us that life on a farm is apt to become a littletiresome."[26] 

Antecedents and influence[edit source | editbeta] 

According to playwright and theatre writer Thomas Hischak, "Not only is'Oklahoma!' the most important of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals,it is also the single most influential work in the American musical theatre. ...It is the first fully integrated musical play and its blending of song,

character, plot and even dance would serve as the model for Broadwayshows for decades."[69] William Zinsser observed that Oklahoma! brokethe old "musical comedy conventions", with the songs "delving intocharacter" and advancing the plot.[70] The show "became a milestone, sothat later historians writing about important moments in twentieth-centurytheatre would begin to identify eras according to their relationship toOklahoma!"[71] Oklahoma! made Rodgers and Hammerstein "the mostimportant contributors to the musical-play form. ... The examples they setin creating vital plays, often rich with social thought, provided thenecessary encouragement for other gifted writers to create musical plays

of their own".[72] Theater historian Ethan Mordden points out that, although Oklahoma! hasbeen called "the first integrated musical, the first American folk musical",Show Boat  "got there first on both counts."[73] Even earlier, the PrincessTheatre musicals, following Gilbert and Sullivan and French opéra bouffe, began the reintegration of song and story after decades of thinly plottedBritish and American musicals, paving the way for Show Boat andOklahoma! by showing that a musical could combine popularentertainment with continuity between its story and songs.[74] ThesePrincess Theatre shows, which featured modern American settings, "built

and polished the mold from which almost all later major musical comediesevolved. ... The characters and situations were, within the limitations ofmusical comedy license, believable and the humor came from thesituations or the nature of the characters. Kern's exquisitely flowingmelodies were employed to further the action or developcharacterization."[75][76] Mordden also notes that Oklahoma! was calledthe first great dance musical, but other musicals had earlier focused on

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 17/18

dance, among them Gay Divorce and On Your Toes. He concludes: "ButOklahoma! was the first American musical with an ethnic sound, words andmusic entirely in the folk idiom."[73] 

Awards and nominations[edit source | editbeta] 

1947 Theatre World Award •  Dorothea MacFarland[77] 1980 Tony Awards •  Best Leading Actress in a Musical – Christine Andreas (Nomination)•  Best Featured Actor in a Musical – Harry Groener (Nomination)1980 Drama Desk Awards •  Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical – Martin Vidnovic (Nomination)•  Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical – Harry Groener (Nomination)1980 Theatre World Award

•  Theatre World Award – Harry Groener WINNER1993 Tony Awards•  Special Award in honor of the show's 50th anniversary year1998 Critics' Circle Theatre Awards •  Best Musical1998 Evening Standard Award •  Best Musical1999 Olivier Awards •  Outstanding Musical Production WINNER•  Best Actor in a Musical – Hugh Jackman (Nomination)

•  Best Actress in a Musical – Josefina Gabrielle (Nomination)•  Best Supporting Actor in a Musical – Jimmy Johnston (Nomination)•  Best Supporting Actor in a Musical – Shuler Hensley (WINNER)•  Best Director – Trevor Nunn (Nomination)•  Best Set Designer – Anthony Ward (WINNER)•  Best Lighting Designer – David Hersey (Nomination)•  Best Theatre Choreographer – Susan Stroman (WINNER)2002 Tony Awards•  Best Revival of a Musical (Nomination)•  Best Leading Actor in a Musical – Patrick Wilson (Nomination)•  Best Featured Actor in a Musical – Shuler Hensley (WINNER)•  Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Andrea Martin (Nomination)•  Best Lighting Design – David Hersey (Nomination)•  Best Choreography – Susan Stroman (Nomination)•  Best Direction of a Musical – Trevor Nunn (Nomination)2002 Drama Desk Awards•  Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Nomination)

7/27/2019 Oklahoma Musical.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oklahoma-musicaldocx 18/18

•  Outstanding Actor in a Musical – Patrick Wilson (Nomination)•  Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical – Justin Bohon (Nomination)•  Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical – Shuler Hensley (WINNER)•  Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical – Andrea Martin (Nomination)•  Outstanding Choreography – Susan Stroman (WINNER)•  Outstanding Director of a Musical – Trevor Nunn (Nomination)•  Outstanding Set Design of a Musical – Anthony Ward (Nomination)•  Outstanding Lighting Design – David Hersey (Nomination)2002 Theatre World AwardsTheatre World Award – Justin Bohon WINNER<ref name="World AwardsRecipients"/