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{{short description|Musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein}} {{for-multi|the 1955 film adaptation|Oklahoma! (film)|other uses|Oklahoma (disambiguation)}} {{Use American English|date=May 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox musical | name = Oklahoma! | image = Musical1943-Oklahoma!-OriginalPoster.jpg | image_size = 210px | caption = Original Broadway poster (1943) | music = [[Richard Rodgers]] | lyrics= [[Oscar Hammerstein II]] | book = Oscar Hammerstein II | basis = {{based on|[[Green Grow the Lilacs (play)|''Green Grow the Lilacs'']]|[[Lynn Riggs]]}} | productions = {{ubl|1943 Broadway|1944 National tour|1947 West End|1951 Broadway [[revival (theatre)|revival]]|1979 Broadway revival|1980 West End revival|1998 West End revival|2002 Broadway revival|2003 US tour|2010 UK tour|2015 UK tour|2019 Broadway revival|2021 US tour|2023 West End revival}}<!-- DO NOT ADD NEW PRODUCTIONS until after they have officially opened, and only if they are open-ended major-market productions. --> <!-- Please do not include production-specific (acting, directing, etc.) awards --> | awards = {{ubl|1944 special [[Pulitzer Prize]]|1993 [[Special Tony Award]]<br />(50th Anniversary)|1999 [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival|Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival]]|2019 [[Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical]]|2023 [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival|Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival]]}} }} '''''Oklahoma!''''' is the first [[musical theater|musical]] written by the duo of [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]]. The musical is based on [[Lynn Riggs]]'s 1931 play, ''[[Green Grow the Lilacs (play)|Green Grow the Lilacs]]''. Set in farm country outside the town of [[Claremore, Oklahoma|Claremore]], [[Indian Territory]], in 1906, it tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain and the sinister and frightening farmhand Jud Fry. A secondary romance concerns cowboy Will Parker and his flirtatious fiancée, Ado Annie. The original [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production opened on March 31, 1943. It was a box office hit and ran for an unprecedented 2,212 performances, later enjoying award-winning revivals, national tours, foreign productions and an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]]-winning 1955 [[Oklahoma! (film)|film adaptation]]. It has long been a popular choice for school and community productions.<ref>''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine reported in its [https://web.archive.org/web/20080519133851/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1807032,00.html May 26, 2008 issue], p. 51, that ''Oklahoma!'' tied (with ''[[Bye Bye Birdie (musical)|Bye Bye Birdie]]'') as the eighth most frequently produced musical by U.S. high schools in 2007.</ref> Rodgers and Hammerstein won a [[Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards|special Pulitzer Prize]] for ''Oklahoma!'' in 1944. This musical, building on the innovations of the earlier ''[[Show Boat]]'', epitomized the development of the "[[book musical]]", a musical play in which the songs and dances are fully integrated into a well-made story, with serious dramatic goals, that is able to evoke genuine emotions other than amusement.<ref>Everett, p. 137, chapter by Riis, Thomas L., with Ann Sears and Everett</ref> In addition, ''Oklahoma!'' features musical themes, or [[Motif (music)|motifs]], that recur throughout the work to connect the music and story.<ref>Wilk, Max. ''OK! The Story of Oklahoma!: A Celebration of America's Most Beloved Musical''. Rev. ed. New York: Applause Books, 2002. {{ISBN|1-55783-555-1}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=February 2012}}<ref name=Swain>Swain, Joseph P. ''The Broadway Musical: A Critical and Musical Survey''. Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2002, pp. 103–06</ref> A fifteen-minute "[[dream ballet]]" reflects Laurey's struggle with her feelings about two men, Curly and Jud. {{TOC limit|3}} ==Background== By the early 1940s, Rodgers and Hammerstein were each well known for creating [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] hits with other collaborators. Rodgers, with [[Lorenz Hart]], had produced over two dozen musicals since the 1920s, including such popular successes as ''[[Babes in Arms]]'' (1937), ''[[The Boys from Syracuse]]'' (1938) and ''[[Pal Joey (musical)|Pal Joey]]'' (1940).<ref>Secrest, pp. 403–04</ref> Among other successes, Hammerstein had written the words for ''[[Rose-Marie]]'' (1924), ''[[The Desert Song]]'' (1926), ''[[The New Moon]]'' (1927) and ''[[Show Boat]]'' (1927). Though less productive in the 1930s, he wrote musicals, songs and films, sharing an [[Academy Award]] for his song with [[Jerome Kern]], "[[The Last Time I Saw Paris (song)|The Last Time I Saw Paris]]", which was included in the 1941 film ''[[Lady Be Good (1941 film)|Lady Be Good]]''.<ref>[http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/C13 “Oscar Hammerstein II”] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217193407/http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/C13 |date=December 17, 2010 }}. Songwriters Hall of Fame, accessed December 22, 2010</ref> By the early 1940s, Hart had sunk into alcoholism and emotional turmoil, and he became unreliable, prompting Rodgers to approach Hammerstein to ask if he would consider working with him.<ref>Layne, Joslyn. [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p84807|pure_url=yes}} Lorenz Hart Biography], Allmusic, accessed December 22, 2010</ref> ===Conception=== In 1931, the [[Theatre Guild]] produced [[Lynn Riggs]]'s ''[[Green Grow the Lilacs (play)|Green Grow the Lilacs]]'', a play about settlers in [[Oklahoma]] [[Indian Territory]]. Though the play was not successful, ten years later in 1941, [[Theresa Helburn]], one of the Guild's producers, saw a [[Summer stock theatre|summer-stock]] production supplemented with traditional [[folk song]]s and [[square dance]]s and decided the play could be the basis of a musical that might revive the struggling Guild. She contacted [[Richard Rodgers]] and [[Lorenz Hart]], whose first successful [[Rodgers and Hart|collaboration]], ''[[The Garrick Gaieties]]'', had been produced by the Theatre Guild in 1925. Rodgers wanted to work on the project and obtained the rights for himself and Hart. Rodgers had asked [[Oscar Hammerstein II]] to collaborate with him and Hart. During the tryouts of Rodgers and Hart's ''[[By Jupiter]]'' in 1941, Hammerstein had assured Rodgers that if Hart was ever unable to work, he would be willing to take his place.<ref name=Nolan>Nolan, pp. 1–25.</ref> Coincidentally in 1942, Hammerstein had thought of musicalizing ''Green Grow the Lilacs'', but when he had approached [[Jerome Kern]] about it, the latter declined. Hammerstein learned that Rodgers was seeking someone to write the book, and he eagerly took the opportunity. Hart lost interest in the musical; he preferred contemporary, urbane shows that would showcase his witty lyric writing, and he found the farmers and cowhands in ''Green Grow the Lilacs'' corny and uninspiring. Moreover, spiraling downward, consumed by his longstanding alcoholism, Hart no longer felt like writing. He embarked on a vacation to Mexico, advising Rodgers that Hammerstein would be a good choice of a new collaborator.<ref name=Kantor>Kantor and Malson, pp. 196–202</ref><ref name=Heritage/> This partnership allowed both Rodgers and Hammerstein to follow their preferred writing methods: Hammerstein preferred to write a complete lyric before it was set to music, and Rodgers preferred to set completed lyrics to music. In Rodgers' previous collaborations with Hart, Rodgers had always written the music first, since the unfocused Hart needed something on which to base his lyrics. Hammerstein's previous collaborators included composers [[Rudolf Friml]], [[Herbert Stothart]], [[Vincent Youmans]], and Kern, who all wrote music first, for which Hammerstein then wrote lyrics. The role reversal in the Rodgers and Hammerstein partnership permitted Hammerstein to craft the lyrics into a fundamental part of the story so that the songs could amplify and intensify the story instead of diverting it.<ref name=Nolan/> As Rodgers and Hammerstein began developing the new musical, they agreed that their musical and dramatic choices would be dictated by the source material, ''Green Grow the Lilacs'', not by musical comedy conventions.<ref name=Kantor/> Musicals of that era featured big production numbers, novelty acts, and show-stopping specialty dances; the libretti typically focused on humor, with little dramatic development, punctuated with songs that effectively halted the story for their duration.<ref name=Kenrick2>Kenrick, John. [http://www.musicals101.com/1940bway2.htm "History of the Musical Stage, 1940s Part II: Oklahoma, OK!"] Musicals101.com, accessed October 11, 2011</ref> ===Casting and development=== Between the world wars, roles in musicals were usually filled by actors who could sing, but Rodgers and Hammerstein chose, conversely, to cast singers who could act. Though [[Theresa Helburn]], codirector of the Theatre Guild, suggested [[Shirley Temple]] as Laurey and [[Groucho Marx]] as Ali Hakim, Rodgers and Hammerstein, with director [[Rouben Mamoulian|Rouben Mamoulian's]] support, insisted that performers more dramatically appropriate for the roles be cast. As a result, there were no stars in the production, another unusual step.<ref name=Nolan/> The production was choreographed by [[Agnes 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]]) depicting Laurey's struggle to evaluate her suitors, Jud and Curly.<ref name=Kenrick2/> The first title given to the work was ''Away We Go!'' which opened for out-of-town-tryouts in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]]'s [[Shubert Theatre (New Haven)|Shubert Theatre]] on March 11, 1943.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.capa.com/newhaven/venues/shubert_history.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511195305/http://www.capa.com/newhaven/venues/shubert_history.php|url-status=dead|title=Try out history|archive-date=11 May 2008}}</ref> Expectations for the show were low; Hammerstein had written six flops in a row, and the show had no star power. Producer [[Mike Todd]] walked out after the first act during the tryout and wisecracked, "No girls, no gags, no chance."<ref>Mordden (1988), [https://books.google.com/books?id=WFyJdLgYlikC&pg=PA139 p. 139]</ref> But Rodgers and Hammerstein were confident. The New Haven and [[Boston]] audiences were enthusiastic, although the reviews were only fair. Of the changes made before the show went to Broadway, two would prove significant: the dramatic restaging of the show-stopping [[Number (music)|musical number]], "[[Oklahoma (Rodgers and Hammerstein song)|Oklahoma]]" and the decision to retitle the musical after that number.<ref>[[Helene Hanff|Hanff, Helene]]. [http://thingsthatmadeanimpression.wordpress.com/2013/06/16/excerpt-from-underfoot-in-show-business-by-helene-hanff-away-we-go/ "Excerpt ... ''Away We Go''"], ''Underfoot in Show Business'', Harper and Row, 1962. {{ISBN|0-316-34319-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Green |first1=Stanley |author-link1=Stanley Green (historian)|editor1-last=Root |editor1-first=Deane L. |title=Oklahoma!: Its Origin and Influence |journal=American Music |date=1984 |volume=2 |issue=4, Winter 1984 |page=92 |doi=10.2307/3051564 |jstor=3051564 |issn=0734-4392}}</ref> Todd had been wrong; the show opened on Broadway to raves from the critics, sold out, and won a [[Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards|special Pulitzer Prize]].<ref>[https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/richard-rodgers-and-oscar-hammerstein-ii "Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for ''Oklahoma!''"], Pulitzer.org, 1944, accessed November 16, 2019</ref> [[Brooks Atkinson]] wrote in ''[[The New York Times]]'' that the show's opening number, "[[Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin']]" changed the history of musical theater: "After a verse like that, sung to a buoyant melody, the banalities of the old musical stage became intolerable."<ref name=Heritage>[[John Steele Gordon|Gordon, John Steele]]. [https://www.americanheritage.com/oklahoma-0 "''Oklahoma!''"] ''American Heritage'', February/March 1993, accessed December 31, 2022</ref> The ''[[New York Post]]'' was the only major paper to give ''Oklahoma!'' a mixed review. Its critic felt that while the songs were pleasant enough, they sounded much alike.<ref>Lewis, David H., ''Broadway musicals: A Hundred Year History'', 2002, McFarland & Company, p. 35</ref> The show's creativity stimulated Rodgers and Hammerstein's contemporaries and ushered in the "Golden Age" of American musical theatre.<ref name=Heritage/> ==Plot== <!--NOTE: This plot description is overlong; the plot should be no more than 1100 words, per the article structure guidelines at [[WP: MUSICALS]].--> === Act I === In Oklahoma Territory, in 1906, cowboy Curly McLain looks forward to a beautiful day as he visits farm girl Laurey Williams's yard ("[[Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin']]"). He and Laurey tease each other, while her Aunt Eller looks on. There will be a [[box social]] dance that night, which includes an auction of lunch baskets prepared by the local women to raise funds for a schoolhouse. Each man who wins a basket will eat lunch with the lady who prepared it. Curly asks Laurey to go with him, but she refuses, feeling that he has waited too long. To persuade her, he says he will take her in the finest carriage money can buy ("[[The Surrey with the Fringe on Top]]"), but she teases him about it until he says he made it up to get back at her. She flounces off, not realizing that he really has rented such a [[Surrey (carriage)|surrey]]. The lonely, disturbed farmhand Jud Fry has become obsessed with Laurey and asks her to the dance. She accepts to spite Curly, although she is afraid of Jud. Meanwhile, cowboy Will Parker returns from a trip to modern [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], and shows off his souvenirs ("Kansas City"). He won $50 (${{Inflation|US|50|1906|r=-2|fmt=c}} today) at the fair, which, according to his girlfriend Ado Annie's father, Andrew Carnes, is the amount he needs to marry Ado Annie. Unfortunately, he spent all the money on gifts for her and one for her father: a Little Wonder (a metal tube used for looking at pictures, but with a hidden blade inside). He is unaware of its deadly secret. Later, Ado Annie confesses to Laurey that while Will was away, she has spent a lot of time with Ali Hakim, a [[Persians|Persian]] peddler. Laurey says she'll have to choose between them, but Ado Annie insists she loves them both ("[[I Cain't Say No]]"). Laurey and her friends prepare for the social, while Gertie Cummings flirts with Curly. Laurey notices and tells her friends that she doesn't really care about Curly ("[[Many a New Day]]"). Andrew Carnes sees Annie with Ali Hakim; he forces Hakim at gunpoint to agree to marry 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 to the 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 protests that she does not love Curly ("[[People Will Say We're in Love]]"). Hurt by her refusal, Curly goes to the smokehouse where Jud lives to talk with him. Curly jokingly suggests that since Jud does not feel appreciated, he could hang himself, and everyone would realize how much they care about him ("Pore Jud Is Daid"). Their talk turns into an ominous confrontation about Laurey. After Curly leaves, Jud's resolve to win Laurey becomes even stronger, 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" ([[laudanum]]) from Ali Hakim, which the unscrupulous peddler guarantees will reveal her true love. She muses on leaving her dreams of love behind and joining the man she loves ("Out of My Dreams"). Soon asleep under the influence of the opiate, in an extended ballet sequence, Laurey first dreams of marriage with Curly. Her dream takes a nightmarish turn when Jud appears and kills Curly; she cannot escape him, confused by her desires ("[[Dream Ballet]]"). Awakening, she realizes that Curly is the right man for her, but it is too late to change her mind about going to the dance with Jud, who arrives, and they leave for the box social. ===Act II=== At the social, during a [[square dance]] ("[[The Farmer and the Cowman]]"), the [[Range war|rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys]] over fences and water rights leads to fighting, which Aunt Eller ends by firing a gun to silence everyone.<ref>Carter (2007), [https://books.google.com/books?id=Wn_RDxA6wxAC&dq=Oklahoma+%22Aunt+Eller%22&pg=PA198 p. 177]</ref> Laurey is upset when she sees Curly at the dance with Gertie. To rid himself of Ado Annie, Ali Hakim buys Will's souvenirs from Kansas City for $50. Jud also contributes to this by purchasing Will's Little Wonder, knowing of the blade concealed within it. The auction starts and Will bids $50 on Ado Annie's basket, not realizing that without the $50, he would not have the money to pay her father. Desperate to be rid of Ado Annie, the peddler bids $51 to get the basket so that Will can approach Andrew Carnes with the $50 and claim Ado Annie as his bride. The auction becomes much more serious when Laurey's basket comes up for 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. Curly and Jud engage in a ferocious bidding war, and Curly sells his saddle, his horse, and even his gun to raise money. Curly outbids Jud and wins the basket. Jud discreetly tries to kill Curly with the Little Wonder, but his plan is foiled when Aunt Eller (knowing what is happening) loudly asks Curly for a dance. Later that night, Will and Annie work out their differences, as she reluctantly agrees not to flirt with other men ("[[All Er Nuthin']]"). Jud confronts Laurey about his feelings for her. When she admits that she does not return them, he threatens her. She then fires him as her farmhand, demanding that he get off her property. Jud furiously threatens Laurey before he departs; she bursts into tears and calls for Curly. She tells him that she has fired Jud and is frightened by what Jud might do now. Curly reassures her and proposes to her, and she accepts ("People Will Say We're In Love" (reprise)). He realizes that he must now become a farmer. Ali Hakim decides to leave the territory and bids Ado Annie goodbye, telling her Will is the man she should marry. Three weeks later, Laurey and Curly are married as everyone celebrates the territory's impending statehood ("[[Oklahoma (Rodgers and Hammerstein song)|Oklahoma]]"). Ali Hakim returns with Gertie, whom he has recently married after being [[Forced marriage#Shotgun wedding|threatened by her father]] with a shotgun. A drunken Jud reappears, kisses Laurey and punches Curly, and they begin a fistfight. Jud attacks Curly with a knife, and Curly dodges, causing Jud to fall on his own knife. Jud soon dies. The wedding guests hold a makeshift trial for Curly, at Aunt Eller's urging. The judge, Andrew Carnes, declares the verdict: "not guilty!" Curly and Laurey depart on their honeymoon in the surrey with the fringe on top ("Finale Ultimo"). ==Principal roles and notable performers== <!--Please include ONLY notable (BLUE-LINKED) performers who have performed for a long run in a major market production (B'way or West End or notable national tours) who are described in the Productions section together with a citation to a [[WP:RS]]. Include stage performers only; please do not add film cast. .--> {|class="wikitable" |- ! style="width:100px;"| ! style="width:300px;"|Description ! style="width:400px;"|Notable stage performers in major market productions |- |Curly McLain ||A cowboy in love with Laurey ||[[Alfred Drake]]°, [[Harry Stockwell]]°, [[John Raitt]], [[Howard Keel]], [[Ridge Bond]], [[Hugh Jackman]], [[Patrick Wilson]], [[Laurence Guittard]], [[Damon Daunno]], [[Sean Grandillo]], [[Arthur Darvill]] |- |Laurey Williams ||Aunt Eller's niece, an independent young woman||[[Joan Roberts]]°, [[Betty Jane Watson]], [[Christine Andreas]], [[Leila Benn Harris]], [[Josefina Gabrielle]], [[Florence Henderson]], [[Lucy Durack]], [[Rebecca Naomi Jones]], [[Sasha Hutchings]] |- |Jud Fry ||A hired hand on Aunt Eller's ranch, a mysterious and dangerous loner ||[[Howard da Silva]]°, [[Shuler Hensley]], [[Alfred Molina]] |- |Aunt Eller ||Laurey's aunt, a respected community leader ||[[Betty Garde]]°, [[Mary Wickes]], [[Andrea Martin]], [[Patty Duke]], [[Margaret Hamilton (actress)|Margaret Hamilton]], [[Maureen Lipman]], [[Louise Plowright]], [[Mary Testa]], Barbara Walsh, [[Liza Sadovy]] |- |Ado Annie Carnes ||A flirtatious, gullible young woman ||[[Celeste Holm]]°, [[Shelley Winters]], [[Barbara Cook]], [[Christine Ebersole]], [[Jessica Boevers]], [[Amanda Harrison]], [[Ali Stroker]], [[Marisha Wallace]] |- |Will Parker ||A simple young man in love with Ado Annie||[[Lee Dixon (actor)|Lee Dixon]]°, [[Harry Groener]] |- |Andrew Carnes ||Ado Annie's father, eager to have her marry ||Ralph Riggs° |- |Ali Hakim ||A Persian peddler, enamored of Ado Annie ||[[Joseph Buloff]]°, [[Eddie Albert]], [[Peter Polycarpou]], [[Bruce Adler]], [[Jamie Farr]], [[Aasif Mandvi]], [[Will Brill]] |- |Gertie Cummings ||A local farm girl, fond of Curly, marries Ali Hakim|| [[Jane Lawrence]]°, [[Pamela Britton]] |- |Dream Curly ||Curly in the dream sequence|| [[Marc Platt (dancer)|Marc Platt]]° |- |Dream Laurey ||Laurey in the dream sequence|| [[Katharine Sergava]]° |} ° denotes original Broadway cast ==Musical numbers== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} ;Act I * 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 {{col-break}} ;Act II * Entr'acte – Orchestra * "[[The Farmer and the Cowman]]" – Andrew Carnes, Aunt Eller, Curly, Gertie Cummings, Will, Ado Annie, Laurey, Ike Skidmore, Cord Elam & Ensemble * "All Er Nuthin'" – Will & Ado Annie * "People Will Say We're in Love" (Reprise) – Curly & Laurey * "[[Oklahoma (Rodgers and Hammerstein song)|Oklahoma]]" – Curly, Laurey, Aunt Eller, Ike Skidmore, Cord Elam, Fred, Andrew Carnes & Ensemble * Finale Ultimo ("Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'" and "People Will Say We're in Love") – Company {{col-end}} ==Production history== ===Original Broadway=== The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943, at the [[St. James Theatre]] in New York City. It was directed by [[Rouben Mamoulian]], choreographed by [[Agnes de Mille]] and starred [[Alfred Drake]] (Curly), [[Joan Roberts]] (Laurey), [[Celeste Holm]] (Ado Annie), [[Howard da Silva]] (Jud Fry), [[Betty Garde]] (Aunt Eller), [[Lee Dixon (actor)|Lee Dixon]] (Will Parker), [[Joseph Buloff]] (Ali Hakim), [[Jane Lawrence]] (Gertie), [[Barry Kelley]] (Ike) and [[George S. Irving]] (Joe). [[Marc Platt (dancer)|Marc Platt]] danced the role of "Dream Curly", [[Katharine Sergava]] danced the part of "Dream Laurey" and the small dancing part of Aggie was played by [[Bambi Linn]]. George Church danced the part of "Dream Jud".<ref name=Hischak/> Church was replaced by [[Vladimir Kostenko]] two months after the premiere.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} The production's scenic designer was [[Lemuel Ayers]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/09/11/archives/lemuel-ayers.html|title= Obituary: Lemuel Ayers|date=September 11, 1955|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Arnold Saint-Subber}}</ref> The production ran for 2,212 performances, finally closing on May 29, 1948.<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/songbook/multimedia/bio_hammerstein2.html Oklahoma!] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050216053436/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/songbook/multimedia/bio_hammerstein2.html |date=February 16, 2005 }} at ''Encyclopedia of Composers and Songwriters'', PBS.org, accessed April 30, 2012</ref> "The demand for tickets was unprecedented as the show became more popular in the months that followed" the opening.<ref name=Hischak>Hischak, p. 202</ref> ''Oklahoma!'' ran for over five years, a Broadway record that "would not be bested until ''My Fair Lady'' (1956)."<ref name=Hischak/> The [[Tony Award]]s and other awards now given for achievement in musical theatre were not in existence in 1943, and therefore the original production of ''Oklahoma!'' received no theatrical awards.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/art/Tony-Awards "Tony Awards: American theatrical awards"], Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed February 24, 2019</ref> ===Early U.S. tours=== The first of several national tours began in [[New Haven]], Connecticut, in 1944. A 1953 article in ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that the show was "believed to be the only musical to have enjoyed a consecutive run of ten years. It ran on Broadway for five years and two months, grossing $7,000,000. The tour of the national company, which started late in 1943, has grossed $15,000,000."<ref>Gelb, Arthur. "Facts and Figures on a Gold Mine", ''The New York Times'', March 29, 1953, p. X1</ref> These tours reached 250 cities.<ref>[https://www.okhistory.org/learn/musical3#:~:text=original%20Broadway%20cast.-,Oklahoma!,a%20break%20from%20the%20story. "75th Anniversary of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Production ''Oklahoma!''"], [[Oklahoma Historical Society]], 2018</ref> [[John Raitt]] played Curly in the original production in Chicago.<ref>[http://www.johnraitt.com/career/broadway "Career: Broadway"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821010935/http://www.johnraitt.com/career/broadway |date=August 21, 2012 }}, John Raitt – Broadway's Legendary Star, Definite Maybe Productions, accessed May 19, 2016</ref> The [[United Service Organizations]] sponsored a tour to U.S. military bases in 1945 that lasted for several years.<ref>Hischak, p. 203</ref><ref>Mordden, Ethan. ''Beautiful Mornin: The Broadway Musical in the 1940s'', Oxford University Press U.S., 1999, {{ISBN|0-19-512851-6}}, p. 78</ref> ''The New York Times'' reported in 1953: {{blockquote|The tenth anniversary of the Broadway opening of ''Oklahoma!'' will be celebrated in Washington, where the Theatre Guild's touring company of the phenomenal musical will be playing at that time. ... According to a Guild estimate, "upwards of 20,000,000 people thus far have seen the show in the United States, England, Sweden, Denmark, South Africa, Australia and through [the U.S.O. shows] during the war".<ref>"''Oklahoma!'' to Celebrate 10th Birthday March 31", ''The New York Times'', February 15, 1953, p. 79</ref>|}} ===Original West End=== ''Oklahoma!'' was the first of a post-war wave of Broadway musicals to reach London's [[West End theatre|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 1,543 performances.<ref>''Who's Who in the Theatre'', 11th edition, 1952. See also ''[[The Times]]'' review, May 1, 1947.</ref> A pre-London run opened a day late at the [[Manchester Opera House]] on April 18, 1947, after the ship carrying the cast, scenery, and costumes ran aground on a sandbank off [[Southampton]].<ref>''Chronicle of the 20th century'', entry for April 14, 1947: "Southampton, The luxury liner {{RMS|Queen Elizabeth}} runs aground." See also article by Dr Anthony Field in ''[[The Stage]]'' newspaper, January 9, 1997.</ref> === Original Australian === An Australian production opened at [[Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne|His Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne]], on February 19, 1949. [[Gemze de Lappe]] choreographed and played Dream Laurey.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Oklahoma!|url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/61836|last=His Majesty's Theatre|first=Melbourne|date=1949|website=www.ausstage.edu.au|access-date=May 24, 2020}}</ref> It transferred to the [[Theatre Royal, Adelaide]], on September 17, 1949,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Oklahoma!|url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/69753|last=Theatre Royal|first=Adelaide|date=1949|website=www.ausstage.edu.au|access-date=May 24, 2020}}</ref> the [[Theatre Royal, Sydney]], on November 29, 1949,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Oklahoma!|url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/15420|last=Theatre Royal|first=Sydney|date=1949|website=www.ausstage.edu.au|access-date=May 24, 2020}}</ref> and [[Her Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane|His Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane]], on November 29, 1950.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Oklahoma!|url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/106825|last=His Majesty's Theatre|first=Brisbane|date=1950|website=www.ausstage.edu.au|access-date=May 24, 2020}}</ref> ===1951 and 1979 Broadway revivals=== A 1951 revival produced by the Theatre Guild opened at [[The Broadway Theatre]] on May 9, 1951, and ran for 100 performances. [[Ridge Bond]] played Curly, Patricia Northrop played Laurey, Henry Clarke was Jud, and Jacqueline Sundt played Ado Annie. Mamoulian and de Mille returned to direct and choreograph, and the production was restaged by Jerome Whyte.<ref name=Suskin>Suskin, pp. 499–503.</ref> In 1953, a 10th anniversary revival opened on August 31 at the [[New York City Center]] Theatre. It ran for a limited engagement of 40 performances before going on tour. The cast included [[Florence Henderson]] as Laurey, [[Ridge Bond]] as Curly and [[Barbara Cook]] as Annie. Mamoulian and De Mille directed and choreographed.<ref>''Oklahoma!'', New York City Center Theatre, "Stagebill" program, October 6, 1953</ref><ref>Atkinson, Brooks. [https://www.nytimes.com/1953/09/01/archives/oklahoma-revived-at-city-center-celebrating-rodgers-and.html "'Oklahoma!' Revived at City Center; Celebrating Rodgers and Hammerstein's Official Week"]. ''The New York Times'' (abstract), September 1, 1953, p. 19</ref> A 1979 revival opened at the [[Palace Theatre (Broadway)|Palace Theatre]] on Broadway on December 13, 1979, and closed on August 24, 1980, running for 293 performances and nine previews. William Hammerstein (Oscar's son) directed, and Gemze de Lappe recreated Agnes De Mille's choreography. The show starred [[Christine Andreas]] as Laurey, [[Laurence Guittard]] as Curly, [[Mary Wickes]] as Aunt Eller, [[Christine Ebersole]] as Ado Annie, [[Martin Vidnovic]] as Jud Fry, [[Harry Groener]] as Will Parker and [[Bruce Adler]] as Ali Hakim.<ref name="Gänzl">Gänzl, Kurt. ''Gänzl's Book of the Broadway Musical: 75 Favorite Shows, from [[H.M.S. Pinafore]] to [[Sunset Boulevard]]'', pp. 103–08. Schirmer Books, New York, 1995. {{ISBN|0-02-870832-6}}</ref> Andreas and Groener both received [[Tony Award]] nominations for their performances, and Vidnovic won a [[Drama Desk Award]]. This production started as a cross-country national tour, beginning at the [[Pantages Theatre (Hollywood)|Pantages Theatre]] in Los Angeles on May 1, 1979.<ref>Searl, Hanford. [https://books.google.com/books?id=0SQEAAAAMBAJ&q=Oklahoma+%22Pantages+Theatre%22+Andreas&pg=PT46 "L.A. Debut of ''Oklahoma!'' A True Revival Production"]. ''Billboard'', May 19, 1979</ref> ===1980 West End revival=== The following year, [[James Hammerstein]] directed a production at the [[Haymarket Theatre, Leicester]], in January 1980, produced by [[Cameron Mackintosh]] and [[Emile Littler|Emile Litler]].<ref name=stewart14>{{Cite book|last=Stewart|first=John|url=http://www.vlebooks.com/vleweb/product/openreader?id=none&isbn=9781476603292|title=Broadway musicals, 1943–2004|date=2014|publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-0329-2|oclc=1124494192}}</ref> The De Mille choreography was again adapted by de Lappe. A UK tour followed, and it eventually settled in the West End, opening at the [[Palace Theatre, London]], on September 17, 1980, and running until September 19, 1981.<ref>[http://www.thisistheatre.com/shows/palace60.html "'Oklahoma!' at the Palace Theatre, September 17, 1980 – September 19, 1981"]. Thisistheatre.com, accessed May 20, 2010</ref> This production starred [[John Diedrich]] as Curly and [[Alfred Molina]] as Jud Fry, both of whom were nominated for [[Olivier Awards]].<ref>[http://www.olivierawards.com/winners/view/item98514/olivier-winners-1980/ "Olivier Winners 1980"] ''OlivierAwards.com'', accessed October 9, 2017</ref> Rosamund Shelley played Laurey, [[Madge Ryan]] was Aunt Eller and [[Linal Haft]] was Ali Hakim.<ref name=stewart14/> The production was [[Maria Friedman]]'s debut in the West End, initially in the chorus role of Doris, but she was eventually promoted to the leading role.<ref>[http://www.aboutmaria.com/oklahoma.html "''Oklahoma!''"], About Maria Friedman, accessed July 26, 2013</ref> Sets and costumes were designed by [[Tim Goodchild]].<ref name=stewart14 /> Ray Cook was Musical Director and [[John Owen Edwards]] Conductor (Owen Edwards became Musical Director for Mackintosh's 1998 London revival). A cast recording of this production was issued by JAY Records and on the ''Showtime!'' label.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100127011619/http://castalbumcollector.com/recordings/3630 "'Oklahoma!", 1980 London Cast"]}}. Castalbumcollector.com, accessed May 20, 2010</ref> === 1982 Australian revival === John Diedrich reprised his role as Curly for the national 1982–1983 tour of his native Australia. Again presented by Cameron Mackintosh, the tour was produced by the [[Adelaide Festival Centre|Adelaide Festival Centre Trust]], [[Edgley International]] and The MLC Theatre Royal Company. It opened at the [[Adelaide Festival Centre| Adelaide Festival Theatre]] on April 30, 1982,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Oklahoma!|url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/5727|last=Adelaide Festival Theatre|date=1982|website=www.ausstage.edu.au|access-date=May 24, 2020}}</ref> transferred to the [[Theatre Royal, Sydney]] on June 5, 1982,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Oklahoma!|url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/5728|last=Theatre Royal|first=Sydney|date=1982|website=www.ausstage.edu.au|access-date=May 24, 2020}}</ref> then to [[Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne|Her Majestys Theatre, Melbourne]] on November 8, 1982,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Oklahoma!|url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/110463|last=Her Majesty's Theatre|first=Melbourne|date=1982|website=www.ausstage.edu.au|access-date=May 24, 2020}}</ref> and concluded at [[Her Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane]] in April 1983. The cast included [[Henri Szeps]] as Ali Hakin and [[Neil Melville]] as Cord Elan. Direction was again by William Hammerstein, the De Mille choreography again adapted by de Lappe, with sets and costumes again by Tim Goodchild. This was the musical theatre debut for [[Caroline O'Connor (actress)|Caroline O'Connor]] as an ensemble player and swing/understudy.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Musical theatre queen Caroline O'Connor tells how she prepares for a role|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/musical-theatre-queen-caroline-oconnor-tells-how-she-prepares-for-a-role-20160905-gr9ael.html|last=Waterhouse|first=Kate|date=September 7, 2016|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=May 24, 2020}}</ref> === 1998 West End revival === [[File:Oklahoma! (London Stage Revival) .jpeg|thumb|[[Hugh Jackman]] on the cover of the DVD of the London revival]] A dark-themed production of the musical was presented by the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] in London at the [[Olivier Theatre]], opening on July 15, 1998. The production team included [[Trevor Nunn]] (director), [[Susan Stroman]] (choreographer) and [[William David Brohn]] (orchestrator). The international cast included [[Hugh Jackman]] as Curly, [[Maureen Lipman]] as Aunt Eller, [[Josefina Gabrielle]] as Laurey, [[Shuler Hensley]] as Jud Fry, Vicki Simon as Ado Annie, [[Peter Polycarpou]] as Ali Hakim and Jimmy Johnston as Will Parker.<ref name=curtainlondon>Heppel, David. [http://www.curtainup.com/lonokla.html "Curtain Up review, ''Oklahoma!'', 1998"]. Curtainup.com, July 1998, accessed May 20, 2010</ref> Musical director John Owen Edwards, Brohn and dance arranger David Krane adapted [[Robert Russell Bennett]]'s original orchestrations and extended some of the dance sequences. A new Dream Ballet was composed for [[Susan Stroman]]'s new choreography, and the dances to "Kansas City", "Many a New Day" and "The Farmer and the Cowman" were all redesigned. The overture was also altered, at the request of Nunn.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} Jackman and Gabrielle performed the ballet themselves.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} The production received nine [[Olivier Award]] nominations, winning for Outstanding Musical Production, supporting actor (Hensley), set design ([[Anthony Ward]]) and choreography (Stroman).<ref>[http://www.olivierawards.com/winners/view/item98534/olivier-winners-1999 "Olivier Winners, 1999"]. OlivierAwards.com, accessed October 23, 2015</ref> According to the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, the limited engagement was a sell-out and broke all previous box office records,<ref>[http://www.shulerhensley.com/perfect_oklahoma!.htm "London Welcomes a Perfect ''Oklahoma!''"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330223519/http://www.shulerhensley.com/perfect_oklahoma!.htm |date=March 30, 2012 }}. ''Happy Talk'', the newsletter of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. Vol. 6 Issue 1, Fall 1998, Interview with Hensley, accessed June 4, 2010</ref> and so the show was transferred to the [[Lyceum Theatre (London)|Lyceum Theatre]] in the West End for a six-month run.<ref name=curtainlondon/> Plans to transfer to Broadway with the London cast were thwarted by [[Actors' Equity Association|Actors' Equity]], which insisted that American actors must be cast.<ref>[[Robert Simonson|Simonson, Robert]]. [https://archive.today/20140908131117/http://staging.playbill.com/news/article/43199-Actors-Equity-Denies-London-Cast-of-Oklahoma-US-Visit "Actors' Equity Denies London Cast of ''Oklahoma!'' U.S. Visit"], ''Playbill'', January 22, 1999</ref><ref>Simonson, Robert. [https://archive.today/20120912190211/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/43693-Equity-Stands-Firm-on-Americans-in-Oklahoma "Equity Stands Firm on Americans in ''Oklahoma!''"], ''Playbill'', February 17, 1999</ref> Eventually a U.S. cast was selected.<ref>McBride, Murdoch. [https://archive.today/20120906071311/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/52841-Oklahoma-OKd-Stroman-Nunn-Begin-US-Casting-in-June-Fall-Start-Likely "''Oklahoma!'' OK'd: Stroman, Nunn Begin U.S. Casting in June; Fall Start Likely"], ''Playbill'', May 17, 2000</ref> The production was filmed live and issued on DVD, as well as being broadcast on U.S. [[Public Television]] in November 2003.<ref>Gans, Andrew and Robert Simonson. [https://archive.today/20120913072829/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/82048-PBS-To-Air-Hugh-Jackman-Oklahoma-in-November "PBS To Air Hugh Jackman ''Oklahoma!'' in November"], ''Playbill'', October 8, 2003</ref> The live recording was given a [[limited release|limited theatrical re-release]] on July 16 and 19, 2023, celebrating its 25th anniversary and the musical's 80th anniversary.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Legacy |first1=Spencer |title=Hugh Jackman's Oklahoma Theatrical Release Date Set, Watch Trailer |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/trailers/1287780-hugh-jackmans-oklahoma-theatrical-release-date-set-watch-trailer |website=[[ComingSoon.net]] |publisher=[[CraveOnline]] |date=May 14, 2023 |access-date=May 14, 2023}}</ref> ===2002 Broadway revival=== The London production was repeated on Broadway at the [[Gershwin Theatre]] on March 21, 2002, with direction by Nunn. The production closed on February 23, 2003, after 388 performances. Only two of the London cast, Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey and Shuler Hensley as Jud, were in the production, which also featured [[Patrick Wilson]] as Curly, [[Andrea Martin]] as Aunt Eller and Justin Bohon as Will. It was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (which was awarded to Hensley). The musical was also nominated for nine Drama Desk Awards, with Hensley winning as Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical and Susan Stroman winning for choreography. [[Ben Brantley]] wrote in ''[[The New York Times]]'': "At its best, which is usually when it's dancing, this resurrection of Rodgers and Hammerstein's epochal show 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."<ref>Brantley, Ben. "This Time, a Beautiful Mornin' With a Dark Side", ''The New York Times'', March 22, 2002, Section E, p. 1</ref> The ''[[New York Daily News]]'' review commented that "Visually, this one is stunning – at times, Anthony Ward's sets have a pastoral, idyllic quality, like Thomas Hart Benton's paintings. At other times, especially in lighting designer David Hersey's lustrous palette, they convey the bleakness of the frontier." The review also stated that the Royal National Theatre "brought it back to us in a way that makes it seem fresh and vital."<ref>Kissel, Howard. [http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2002/03/22/2002-03-22_oh__what_a_beautiful_revival.html "Oh, What a Beautiful Revival of a Pure Prairie Classic"]{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. ''New York Daily News'', March 22, 2002</ref> However, ''USA Today'' gave the production a tepid assessment, its reviewer writing: "A cold breeze blows through this beautiful mornin', and that golden haze is never quite bright enough."<ref>Gardner, Elysa. "''Oklahoma!'' revival is just slightly better than OK", ''USA Today'', March 22, 2002, Life Section, p. 1E</ref> The production went on to tour nationally from 2003 to 2005.<ref>Jones, Kenneth. [http://www.playbill.com/article/networks-tour-of-oklahoma-begins-dec-16-in-denver-travels-into-2004-com-116898 "NETworks Tour of ''Oklahoma!'' Begins Dec. 16 in Denver, Travels Into 2004"], ''Playbill'', December 16, 2003, accessed December 29, 2018; [https://www.rnh.com/show/78/Oklahoma#shows-history "History: ''Oklahoma!'' Timeline"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230080757/https://www.rnh.com/show/78/Oklahoma#shows-history |date=December 30, 2018 }}, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, accessed December 29, 2018</ref> ===2019 Broadway revival; 2022 London transfer=== Following a 2015 workshop at [[Bard College]] and a 2018 run at [[Brooklyn]]'s [[St. Ann's Warehouse]], a 75th anniversary staging of ''Oklahoma!'' transferred to Broadway at [[Circle in the Square Theatre]]. The production was directed by [[Daniel Fish]] in an intimate, immersive in-the-round style, set in a community hall, with chili and cornbread served to the audience at intermission. The production's most important tonal change involved the character of Jud Fry. Instead of the sinister brooding and threatening Jud of the original production, in the revival he was described by [[Elisabeth Vincentelli]] in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' as "a proto-[[incel]]",<ref>{{cite web| website=The New Yorker|first=Elizabeth| last=Vincentelli| url=https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/theatre/oklahoma-2-06-10-19|title=Oklahoma!|date=May 31, 2019| accessdate=March 15, 2025}}</ref> and his death came not as an accident but as an intended act at the hands of Curly, followed by a sham trial to clear Curly of the blame.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/04/oklahoma-daniel-fishs-dark-new-broadway-production/586684/ | title=Oklahoma! Gets a Dark, Brilliant Remake | work=The Atlantic | date=April 8, 2019 | last=Purdum | first=Todd | access-date=August 26, 2021 }}</ref> The production began preview performances on March 19, 2019, and officially opened on April 7 for a limited run through January 19, 2020. It starred [[Rebecca Naomi Jones]] as Laurey, [[Damon Daunno]] as Curly, [[Ali Stroker]] as Ado Annie, James Davis as Will Parker, [[Will Brill]] as Ali Hakim, Patrick Vaill as Jud and [[Mary Testa]] as Aunt Eller. The production featured choreography by John Heginbotham and music arrangements by [[Daniel Kluger (composer)|Daniel Kluger]], performed by a seven-piece band.<ref>Culwell-Block, Logan. [http://www.playbill.com/article/reimagined-oklahoma-revival-begins-broadway-performances-march-19 "Reimagined ''Oklahoma!'' Revival Begins Broadway Performances March 19"], ''Playbill'', March 19, 2019; Fierberg, Ruthie. [http://www.playbill.com/article/why-broadways-upcoming-oklahoma-is-not-your-grandmas-version-of-the-rodgers-hammerstein-classic "Why Broadway’s Upcoming ''Oklahoma!'' Is Not Your 'Grandma’s Version' of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Classic"], ''Playbill'', March 18, 2019; and McPhee, Ryan. [http://www.playbill.com/article/reimagined-oklahoma-will-transfer-to-broadway "Reimagined Oklahoma! Will Transfer to Broadway"], ''Playbill'', December 11, 2018</ref> The production was nominated for eight [[Tony Award]]s and won [[Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical|Best Revival of a Musical]] and [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical|Best Featured Actress in a Musical]] for Stroker, making her the first wheelchair user to win a Tony.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/09/theater/ali-stroker-oklahoma-tony-awards.html|title=Ali Stroker Accepts Tony in a Wheelchair, Making History|last=Salam|first=Maya|date=June 9, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 10, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/updating-live-the-2019-tony-award-winners|title=Hadestown Leads the Pack at the 2019 Tony Awards|last=McPhee|first=Ryan|date=June 9, 2019|website=Playbill|access-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref> For the 2021–2022 national tour, Fish rethought the presentation, which remained expressionistic but substituted a [[proscenium]] back-drop, which "renders the original authorial intents far more in balance with the radical ideas of the production", allowing the cast to play their parts with a contemporary naturalism, according to ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' critic [[Chris Jones (drama critic)|Chris Jones]]. The cast included [[Sasha Hutchings]] as Laurey, [[Sean Grandillo]] as Curly and [[Barbara Walsh]] as Aunt Eller.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Chris |date=January 13, 2022 |title=Review: This is not your homespun ''Oklahoma!'' Come ready for a radical new musical. |work=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/reviews/ct-ent-oklahoma-broadway-tour-chicago-review-20220113-ovfqptecsnbt5oskyuioc2qa7m-story.html |access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref><ref>[https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/oklahoma-526789 "''Oklahoma!'' Tour"], Internet Broadway Database, accessed February 20, 2022</ref> In May 2022, the production reopened at the [[Young Vic]] in London for a seven-week limited run, starring [[Arthur Darvill]] as Curly and Anoushka Lucas as Laurey, with [[Marisha Wallace]] as Ado Annie, [[Liza Sadovy]] as Aunt Eller, and James Davis and Patrick Vaill reprising their roles as Will Parker and Jud, respectively.<ref>Gillinson, Miriam. [https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/may/06/oklahoma-review-young-vic-london "''Oklahoma!'' review – an invigorating take on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic"], ''The Guardian'', May 6, 2022</ref> The production transferred to the West End's [[Wyndham's Theatre]] in February 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/oklahoma-to-transfer-to-the-west-end_57229.html|title=''Oklahoma!'' to transfer to the West End|last=Wood|first=Alex|date=25 August 2022|website=WhatsOnStage|access-date=25 August 2022}}</ref> It received positive reviews<ref>[https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Review-Roundup-What-Did-the-Critics-Make-of-the-OKLAHOMA-West-End-Transfer-20230301 "Review Roundup: What Did the Critics Make of the ''Oklahoma!'' West End Transfer?"], BroadwayWorld.com, March 1, 2023</ref> and won the 2023 [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival]].<ref>[https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/year/olivier-awards-2023 "Olivier Awards 2023"], Official London Theatre, accessed 7 April 2023</ref> ===Other notable productions=== ====Discoveryland==== ''Oklahoma!'' was presented nightly except Sundays each summer at the Discoveryland amphitheater, an outdoor theatre in [[Sand Springs, Oklahoma]], from 1977 until 2011.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130908002840/http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/news/local_news/discoveryland-to-remain-closed-through-2013-season "Sand Springs' Discoveryland! theater, known for the play ''Oklahoma'', to remain closed through 2013"], KRJH.com, June 19, 2013</ref><ref name=Discoveryland>[http://dland.redrockcustomhomes.com/awards.html "Discoveryland! Honors and Awards"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705113521/http://dland.redrockcustomhomes.com/awards.html |date=July 5, 2010 }}, Discoveryland! USA, Inc., accessed July 11, 2010</ref> In 1993, [[Mary Rodgers]] (daughter of Richard Rodgers) and William Hammerstein (son of Oscar Hammerstein II) designated Discoveryland the "National Home of Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''Oklahoma!''"<ref name=Discoveryland/> ====2006 Japan==== In 2006, ''Oklahoma!'' was performed in Japan by the all-female [[Takarazuka Revue]]. This revival starred Yuu Todoroki, Ai Shirosaki, and Hiromu Kiriya.<ref>[http://www.takarazuka-revue.info/tiki-index.php?page=Oklahoma+%28Moon+2006%29 "''Oklahoma!'' in 2006 listing"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203133513/http://takarazuka-revue.info/tiki-index.php?page=Oklahoma%20%28Moon%202006%29 |date=December 3, 2010 }}, Takarazuka-revue.info, accessed May 20, 2010</ref> ====2009 Chichester Theatre Festival==== In the summer of 2009, British director [[John Doyle (director)|John Doyle]] directed the musical at the [[Chichester Festival Theatre]]. The production was dark in concept and featured new orchestrations by [[Jonathan Tunick]]. On a spare stage, decorated only with blue sheets, "Confetti of rose petals stains the floor like drops of blood, and a nightmarish dream-dance sequence has Freudian overtones as Laurey's bridal gown becomes her shroud."<ref name=guardian>Gardner, Lyn. [https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/jun/27/oklahoma-chichester-festival-theatre-review "'Oklahoma!'Chichester Festival Theatre"]. ''[[The Guardian]]'', June 27, 2009</ref><ref name=telegraph>Cavendish, Dominic. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090629063454/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/dominiccavendish/5638481/Oklahoma-at-Chichester-review.html "''Oklahoma!'' at Chichester"]. ''The Telegraph'', June 25, 2009, accessed June 7, 2010</ref> It received mixed reviews. ''The Times'' reviewer wrote: "This is a very stylised, overdrilled production, no friend of intimate moments or quiet depth of emotion."<ref>Nightingale, Benedict. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110615105945/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article6577412.ece "'Oklahoma!' at the Chichester Festival Theatre, West Sussex"]. ''The Times'', June 26, 2009</ref> ''The Guardian'' liked it the most, stating that "it's a delight, with one brilliant tippy-tappy-toed song after another and a nugget of darkness lodged in its sweet heart."<ref name=guardian/> ''Whats On Stage'', like most of the papers, gave the show three out of five stars and wrote that this is a "downbeat vision" and that "all told it's a somewhat disappointing show", but their "average reader rating" was four stars.<ref>Cooter, Maxwell. [http://www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatre/london/E8831245924735/Oklahoma!+(Chichester).html "'Oklahoma!'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615170835/http://www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatre/london/E8831245924735/Oklahoma!+(Chichester).html |date=June 15, 2011 }} Whatsonstage.com, June 25, 2009</ref> A review in ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' commented, "Doyle uses shadow and silhouette to bring out the musical's nightmarish 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 the tone evenly textured."<ref name=telegraph/> ====2010 UK tour==== The show toured England for nine months in 2010 in a new staging by [[Julian Woolford]], with [[Marti Webb]] as Aunt Eller and [[Mark Evans (actor)|Mark Evans]] as Curly.<ref>Cole, Simon. [http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/central/E8831268932553/Marti+Webb+Opens+New+Tour+of+Oklahoma!.html "Marti Webb Opens New Tour of ''Oklahoma!''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615165949/http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/central/E8831268932553/Marti+Webb+Opens+New+Tour+of+Oklahoma!.html |date=June 15, 2011 }} Whatsonstage.com, March 18, 2010</ref> ====2010 Washington, DC Arena Stage==== ''Oklahoma!'' opened in October 2010 at the [[Arena Stage]] to critical acclaim.<ref name=marks1>Marks, Peter. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/performing-arts/oklahoma,1071268/critic-review.html "A grand new state: You just cain't say no to Arena Stage's 'Oklahoma!'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130205220135/http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/performing-arts/oklahoma,1071268/critic-review.html |date=February 5, 2013 }}, ''The Washington Post'', November 6, 2010</ref><ref>See also Billups, Edith. [http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/proscenium-view-theater-news-and-reviews/2010/nov/9/oklahoma-arena-stage/ "'Oklahoma!' at the Arena Stage in D.C."], ''Washington Times'', November 9, 2010; Blanchard, Jayne. [http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/11/07/oklahoma/ "'Oklahoma!' Review"], dctheatrescene.com, November 7, 2010; and Jones, Kenneth. [http://www.playbill.com/article/photo-call-arena-stage-opens-its-doors-to-the-world-at-homecoming-with-alumni-stars-com-173068 "Arena Stage Opens Its Doors to the World at Oct. 23 "Homecoming," With Alumni Stars"], Playbill.com, October 23, 2010, accessed August 29, 2017</ref> Artistic Director Molly Smith cast African-American actresses as Laurey and Aunt Eller to mirror both modern Washington, D.C., demographics and the diverse population of the musical's 1906 Oklahoma territory setting.<ref>BWW News Staff. [http://broadwayworld.com/article/Review_Roundup_OKLAHOMA_at_Arena_Stage_20101206 "Review Roundup: 'Oklahoma!' at Arena Stage"]. Broadwayworld.com, December 6, 2010</ref> The production received ten 2011 [[Helen Hayes Award]] nominations, winning as Outstanding Resident Musical (tying with Shakespeare Theatre's ''Candide'') and for choreography (Parker Esse), lead actor (Nicholas Rodriguez as Curly) and musical direction (George Fulginiti-Shakar).<ref>Jones, Kenneth. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/150203-DCs-Helen-Hayes-Winners-Include-Candide-The-Liar-Clybourne-Park-Oklahoma-Thurgood "DC's Helen Hayes Winners Include Candide, The Liar, Clybourne Park, Oklahoma!, Thurgood"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428000030/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/150203-DCs-Helen-Hayes-Winners-Include-Candide-The-Liar-Clybourne-Park-Oklahoma-Thurgood |date=April 28, 2011 }}, Playbill.com, April 25, 2011</ref> The production returned to the Arena Stage for a second run in 2011.<ref>Jones, Kenneth. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/152504-Still-Doin-Fine-Arena-Stage-Revives-Its-Hit-2010-Oklahoma-Starting-July-8 "Still Doin' Fine: Arena Stage Revives Its Hit 2010 Oklahoma!, Starting July 8"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805073116/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/152504-Still-Doin-Fine-Arena-Stage-Revives-Its-Hit-2010-Oklahoma-Starting-July-8 |date=August 5, 2011 }}. Playbill.com, July 8, 2011</ref> ====2012, Seattle, Washington, 5th Avenue Theatre==== The [[5th Avenue Theatre]]'s 2012 production, directed by Peter Rothstein, included African-American dancers and an African-American actor as Jud.<ref name=SGS>Strangeways, Michael. [https://archive.today/20130202033038/http://www.seattlegayscene.com/2012/02/review-oklahoma-at-the-5th-avenue-is-a-bit-problematic.html "''Oklahoma!'' at the 5th Avenue Is a Bit Problematic"], ''Seattle Gay Scene'', February 10, 2012</ref> The choice was intended, as in the Arena Stage production, to reflect the historical presence of African Americans in the Oklahoma territory, but it "has some audience members squirming in their seats ... they're seeing on stage one of the ugliest stereotypes in our history: an imposing black man ravaging a petite white woman [and] the white hero ... all but urges Jud to hang himself – and even pantomimes the act. Some see a clear reference to lynching."<ref name=Brodeur>Brodeur, Nicole. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nicolebrodeur/2017557140_nicole21m.html "''Oklahoma'' seen in a new light"], ''The Seattle Times'', February 20, 2012</ref><ref>Goldstein, David. [http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/racial-profiling/Content?oid=12582804 "Racial Profiling"], ''The Stranger'', February 14, 2012</ref> The "Dream Ballet" had a sinister, sexual tone and ended with Jud dragging Laurey away to be raped. One critic noted the historical "license taken when an African-American farmhand is allowed to escort a white woman to the box dance. ... Maybe some people ... left with not so much a song in their head, but a question in their heart. And isn't that part of what theater is supposed to do?"<ref name=Brodeur/> Another wrote: "Rothstein's ''Oklahoma!'' is now the story of a crazy, sex obsessed black man ... lusting violently after his white mistress, who ends up murdered at the hands of a white man, who gets off scot free after a mock trial."<ref name=SGS/> ====2015 UK tour==== A UK tour ran from February to August 2015, directed by Rachel Kavanaugh and starring Ashley Day as Curly, Charlotte Wakefield as Laurey, [[Belinda Lang]] as Aunt Eller and [[Gary Wilmot]] as Ali Hakim.<ref>Davies, Michael. [http://www.whatsonstage.com/northampton-theatre/reviews/oklahoma-uk-tour_37255.html "''Oklahoma!'' (Tour) – triumphant production warrants its revival"], Whats On Stage, February 26, 2017; and Collins, Stephen. [http://britishtheatre.com/review-oklahoma-lyceum-theatre-sheffield-5stars "''Oklahoma!'' Lyceum Theatre Sheffield"], BritishTheatre.com, July 27, 2015</ref> ===1955 film adaptation=== {{Main|Oklahoma! (1955 film)}} The 1955 film adaptation starred [[Gordon MacRae]], [[Shirley Jones]] (in her film debut),<ref>Jones had previously performed in a stage production of ''Oklahoma!'' See: [https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/85454/oklahoma ''Oklahoma!'' from Turner Classic Movies]</ref> [[Rod Steiger]], [[Charlotte Greenwood]], [[Gloria Grahame]], [[Gene Nelson]], [[James Whitmore]] and [[Eddie Albert]]. It was the only musical film directed by [[Fred Zinnemann]],<ref name="Chapin">[[Audio commentary]] by Ted Chapin and Hugh Fordin, [[CinemaScope]] version of film, 2-DVD 50th Anniversary Edition (2005), [[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]]</ref> and [[Agnes de Mille]] choreographed. It was the first feature film photographed in the [[Todd-AO]] [[70 mm film|70 mm]] [[widescreen]] process.<ref name="TCM">{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/85454/oklahoma |title=''Oklahoma!'' from Turner Classic Movies |publisher=Turner Classic Movies |access-date=March 7, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.in70mm.com/todd_ao/magna/index.htm |title=Magna Theatre Corporation |publisher=In70mm.com |access-date=March 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307090915/http://www.in70mm.com/todd_ao/magna/index.htm |archive-date=March 7, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Rodgers and Hammerstein personally oversaw the film to prevent the studio from making the changes that were then typical of stage-to-film musical adaptations, such as interpolating new songs by others. The film followed the stage version more closely than any other Rodgers and Hammerstein stage-to-film adaptation, although it divided the long first scene into several shorter scenes, changing the locations of several of the songs. For example, "Kansas City" is performed at the train station, where Aunt Eller and other cowboys meet Will Parker just after he returns from Kansas City. Lyrics in the song about a [[burlesque]] stripteaser were slightly changed to pass [[censorship|film censorship]].<ref name="Chapin"/> In a nod to ''[[Green Grow the Lilacs (play)|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 a Outrage" and "Lonely Room".<ref name="TCM" /> The film won [[Academy Awards]] for [[Academy Award for Original Music Score|Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture]] and [[Academy Award for Sound|Best Sound, Recording]].<ref name="Oscars1956">{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1956 |title=The 28th Academy Awards (1956) Nominees and Winners |access-date=August 20, 2011|work=oscars.org}}</ref> <!-- TELEVISION ADAPTATION: Please do not add this at least until it begins principal filming. See [[WP:CRYSTAL]]. --> ==Recordings== {{further|Oklahoma! (original Broadway cast recording)}} [[Bing Crosby]] and [[Frank Sinatra]] both recorded versions of "People Will Say We're In Love" and "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" in 1943.<ref name=Carter226>Carter 2007, p. 226</ref> Due to the [[1942–1944 musicians' strike]], however, these recordings featured no instrumental accompaniment and instead "were lugubriously weighed down by ''a cappella'' backup."<ref name=Maslon>[[Laurence Maslon|Maslon, Laurence]]. [https://nytimes.com/2019/07/10/theater/oklahoma-cast-album.html How ''Oklahoma!'' revolutionized the cast album], ''The New York Times'', July 10, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2021</ref> Producers of ''Oklahoma!'' lamented the lack of high-quality official recordings, with [[Theresa Helburn]] writing to a colleague in August 1943: "There are no records of ''Oklahoma!'' that we can send you. As you know, the [[James Petrillo|Petrillo]] ban on the union musicians still holds. They cannot play for broadcasting so the only record that has been made is a singing of "People Will Say We're in Love" with Frank Sinatra, which if it sounds anything like his radio singing of the same must be terrible."<ref name=Carter226/> [[Decca Records]] president [[Jack Kapp]] settled with the union in September 1943, and three weeks later he hastily booked the original cast and orchestra of ''Oklahoma!'' into a recording studio.<ref name=Maslon/> At a time when Broadway numbers were typically recorded by popular singers with smaller bands, it was unique for ''Oklahoma!'' to record its original cast with full orchestration.<ref>O'Dell, Cary. [https://loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/OKLAHOMA!.pdf "''Oklahoma!'' Original cast recording 1943"], 2003, Library of Congress. Retrieved April 6, 2021</ref> Although some tunes were not included due to time and cost constraints, most of the songs from ''Oklahoma!'' were released on a record album by [[Decca Records]] in 1943 containing six 10-inch double-sided discs in 78 RPM format. It sold more than one million copies, prompting the label to call the cast back into the studio to record three additional selections that had been left out of the first set. These were issued as ''Oklahoma! Volume Two''. In 1949, Decca re-released the first set on LP but not the second set, which soon became a very rare collectors' item. All subsequent LP releases were similarly incomplete. Finally in 2000, Decca Broadway went back to the original glass masters to generate a new high fidelity transfer of the complete song program and released it on CD, utilizing the original 78 album artwork.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deccabroadway.com/product/default.aspx?pid=56721&aid=96945 |title=''Oklahoma'' |publisher=Deccabroadway.com |date=May 16, 2000 |access-date=March 7, 2012}}</ref> The success of the original ''Oklahoma!'' cast album set a precedent for the production of [[cast album|original cast recordings]] of Broadway musicals, which became an essential part of a musical's dissemination and endurance in popular culture.<ref>Stempel, p. 311</ref> Later cast recordings of ''Oklahoma!'' include the 1979 Broadway cast recording, the 1980 London cast recording, the 1998 Royal National Theatre cast recording, the 2019 Broadway cast recording, and a [[Oklahoma! (soundtrack)|soundtrack album]] of the [[Oklahoma! (film)|1955 film]]. There have also been more than 20 studio cast recordings of the show, featuring stars such as [[Nelson Eddy]], [[John Raitt]] and [[Florence Henderson]] in the leading roles.<ref>Fick, David. [http://musicalcyberspace.wordpress.com/musicals-l-o/oklahoma/4/ "''Oklahoma!'' Cast Recording Reviews"]. Musical Cyberspace, March 31, 2003, accessed September 26, 2010</ref> ==Reception== The original production of ''Oklahoma!'' was an unprecedented critical and commercial success. John Anderson of the ''[[New York Journal American]]'' pronounced the musical "a beautiful and delightful show, fresh and imaginative, as enchanting to the eye as Richard Rodgers's music is to the ear. It has, at a rough estimate, practically everything".<ref name=Suskin/> In the ''[[New York Herald Tribune]]'', Howard Barnes wrote, "Songs, dances, and a story have been triumphantly blended. ... The Richard Rodgers score is one of his best, and that is saying plenty. Oscar Hammerstein 2nd has written a dramatically imaginative libretto and a string of catchy lyrics; Agnes de Mille has worked small miracles in devising original dances to fit the story and the tunes, while Rouben Mamoulian has directed an excellent company with great taste and craftsmanship."<ref name=Suskin/> Louis Kronenberger of [[PM (newspaper)|''PM'']] opined that "Mr. Hammerstein's lyrics have less crispness and wit than Lorenz Hart's at their best, but the songs in ''Oklahoma!'' call for less sophisticated words, and Mr. Hammerstein has found very likeable ones."<ref name=Suskin/> In the ''[[Daily News (New York)|New York Daily News]]'', [[Burns Mantle]] declared that "''Oklahoma!'' really is different – beautifully different. With the songs that Richard Rodgers has fitted to a collection of unusually atmospheric and intelligible lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein 2nd, ''Oklahoma!'' seems to me to be the most thoroughly and attractively American musical comedy since [[Edna Ferber]]'s ''Show Boat''".<ref name=Suskin/> ''[[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 scores any musical play ever had. Next to Mr. Rodgers, however, must stand the amazing Agnes de Mille, whose choreography, carried out to perfection by her ballet [corps], is actually the biggest hit of the show. The "Out of My Dreams" and "All Er Nuthin'" dances are such supreme aesthetic delights. ... They are spinetingling, out of this world."<ref name=Suskin/> In ''[[The New York Sun]]'', [[Ward Morehouse]] commented that "''Oklahoma!'' is charming and leisurely. And tunely. And certainly not topical," as other shows had been in the early years of World War II. "It reveals Mr. Rodgers, shorn only for the moment of Larry Hart, in good form indeed. And nobody in last night's audience seemed to have a better time than Mr. Hart himself, who applauded the proceedings from a seat in Row B."<ref name=Suskin/> 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 to ear. He told Rodgers he had never had a better evening at the theater in his life."<ref name=Nolan/> 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 the score consisted of "a flock of Mr. Rodgers's songs that are pleasant enough, but still manage to sound quite a bit alike ... without much variety in the presentation." She concluded that the show was "very picturesque in a studied fashion, reminding us that life on a farm is apt to become a little tiresome."<ref name=Suskin/> ==Antecedents and influence== 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 Broadway shows for decades."<ref>Hischak, p. 201</ref> William Zinsser observed that ''Oklahoma!'' broke the old "musical comedy conventions", with the songs "delving into character" and advancing the plot.<ref>Zinsser, William. ''Easy to Remember:The Great American Songwriters and Their Songs'', David R. Godine Publisher, 2006, {{ISBN|1-56792-325-9}}, p. 180</ref> The show "became a milestone, so that later historians writing about important moments in twentieth-century theatre would begin to identify eras according to their relationship to ''Oklahoma!''"<ref>Everett, p. 124.</ref> ''Oklahoma!'' made Rodgers and Hammerstein "the most important contributors to the musical-play form. ... The examples they set in creating vital plays, often rich with social thought, provided the necessary encouragement for other gifted writers to create musical plays of their own".<ref>Lubbock, Mark. [http://www.theatrehistory.com/american/musical030.html "American musical theatre: an introduction"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221095758/http://www.theatrehistory.com/american/musical030.html |date=February 21, 2009 }} excerpted from ''The Complete Book of Light Opera'', London: Putnam, 1962, pp. 753–56</ref> Theater historian [[Ethan Mordden]] points out that, although ''Oklahoma!'' has been called "the first integrated musical, the first American folk musical", ''[[Show Boat]]'' "got there first on both counts."<ref name=Mordden140>Mordden (1988), p. 140</ref> Even earlier, the [[Princess Theatre, New York City|Princess Theatre]] musicals, following [[Gilbert and Sullivan]] and French ''[[opéra bouffe]]'', began the reintegration of song and story after decades of thinly plotted British and American musicals, paving the way for ''Show Boat'' and ''Oklahoma!'' by showing that a musical could combine popular entertainment with continuity between its story and songs.<ref>Jones 2003, pp. 10–11</ref> These Princess Theatre shows, which featured modern American settings, "built and polished the mold from which almost all later major musical comedies evolved. ... The characters and situations were, within the limitations of musical comedy license, believable and the humor came from the situations or the nature of the characters. [[Jerome Kern|Kern's]] exquisitely flowing melodies were employed to further the action or develop characterization."<ref>Bordman, Gerald and Thomas Hischak, eds. [http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t149.e1700 "Kern, Jerome (David)"]. ''The Oxford Companion to American Theatre'', third edition, Oxford University Press 2004. Oxford Reference Online, accessed May 15, 2010 (requires subscription)</ref><ref name=Kenrick>Kenrick, John. [http://www.musicals101.com/1910bway.htm ''History of The Musical Stage 1910–1919: Part I''], accessed May 11, 2010</ref> Mordden also notes that ''Oklahoma!'' was called the first great dance musical, but other musicals had earlier focused on dance, among them ''[[Gay Divorce]]'' and ''[[On Your Toes]]''. He concludes: "But ''Oklahoma!'' was the first American musical with an ethnic sound, words and music entirely in the folk idiom."<ref name=Mordden140/> Critic Andrea Most argues that the musical reflected its author's and composer's Jewish heritage and desires for Jewish Americans. Most asserts that the musical was written at a time when America presented Jews with an opportunity to gain privileged status by assimilating into mainstream American culture and passing as white Americans. Most claims that although there were rarely any identifiably Jewish characters in plays of this time period, characters such as Ali and Jud allowed for subtle Jewish representation, Ali embodying an accepted and friendly ideal for Jewish-Americans and Jud embodying Jewish-Americans' fear of becoming a marginalized minority like black Americans.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Most|first=Andrea|date=1998|title='We Know We Belong to the Land': The Theatricality of Assimilation in Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''Oklahoma!''|journal=PMLA|volume=113|issue=1|pages=77–89|doi=10.2307/463410|jstor=463410|s2cid=163715873 |issn=0030-8129}}</ref> ==Awards and nominations== ===Original Broadway production=== {| class="wikitable" width="95%" |- ! width="5%"| Year ! width="25%"| Award ceremony ! width="40%"| Category ! width="20%"| Nominee ! width="10%"| Result |- | align="center"|1944 | [[Pulitzer Prize]]<ref>[http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/1944 "1944 Pulitzer Prizes"], Pulitzer.org, retrieved January 7, 2018</ref> | [[Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards|Pulitzer Prize Special Awards and Citations]] | [[Richard Rodgers]] and [[Oscar Hammerstein II]] | {{won}} |- | align="center"|1947 | colspan=2|[[Theatre World Award]] | Dorothea Macfarland | {{won}} |- | align="center"|[[47th Tony Awards|1993]] | [[Tony Award]] | colspan=2|[[Special Tony Award]] (50th anniversary) | {{won}} |} ===1979 Broadway revival=== {| class="wikitable" width="95%" |- ! width="5%"| Year ! width="25%"| Award ceremony ! width="40%"| Category ! width="20%"| Nominee ! width="10%"| Result |- | rowspan=5 align="center"|[[34th Tony Awards|1980]] | rowspan=2|[[Tony Award]] | [[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical|Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical]] | [[Christine Andreas]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical|Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical]] | [[Harry Groener]] | {{nom}} |- | rowspan=2|[[Drama Desk Award]] | rowspan=2|[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical|Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical]] | [[Martin Vidnovic]] | {{nom}} |- | rowspan=2|[[Harry Groener]] | {{nom}} |- | colspan=2|[[Theatre World Award]] | {{won}} |} ===1980 West End revival=== {| class="wikitable" width="95%" |- ! width="5%"| Year ! width="25%"| Award ceremony ! width="40%"| Category ! width="20%"| Nominee ! width="10%"| Result |- | rowspan=2 align="center"|[[1980 Laurence Olivier Awards|1980]] | rowspan=2|[[Laurence Olivier Award]] | [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical|Actor of the Year in a Musical]] | [[John Diedrich]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Play|Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in Theatre]] | [[Alfred Molina]] | {{nom}} |} ===1998 West End revival=== {| class="wikitable" width="95%" |- ! width="5%"| Year ! width="25%"| Award ceremony ! width="40%"| Category ! width="20%"| Nominee ! width="10%"| Result |- | align="center"|1998 | [[Critics' Circle Theatre Award]] | colspan="2"|Best Musical | {{won}} |- | rowspan="9" align="center"|[[1999 Laurence Olivier Awards|1999]] | rowspan="9"|[[Laurence Olivier Award]] | colspan="2"|[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival|Outstanding Musical Production]] | {{won}} |- | [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical|Best Actor in a Musical]] | [[Hugh Jackman]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical|Best Actress in a Musical]] | [[Josefina Gabrielle]] | {{nom}} |- | rowspan="2"| [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical|Best Supporting Performance in a Musical]] | Jimmy Johnston | {{nom}} |- | [[Shuler Hensley]] | {{won}} |- | [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director|Best Director]] | [[Trevor Nunn]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer|Best Theatre Choreographer]] | [[Susan Stroman]] | {{won}} |- | [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Set Designer|Best Set Designer]] | [[Anthony Ward]] | {{won}} |- | [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design|Best Lighting Designer]] | [[David Hersey]] | {{nom}} |} ===2002 Broadway revival=== {| class="wikitable" width="95%" |- ! width="5%"| Year ! width="25%"| Award ceremony ! width="40%"| Category ! width="20%"| Nominee ! width="10%"| Result |- | rowspan="17" align="center"| 2002 | rowspan="7"| [[Tony Award]] | colspan="2"| [[Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical|Best Revival of a Musical]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical|Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical]] | [[Patrick Wilson]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical|Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical]] | [[Shuler Hensley]] | {{won}} |- | [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical|Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical]] | [[Andrea Martin]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical|Best Direction of a Musical]] | [[Trevor Nunn]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Tony Award for Best Choreography|Best Choreography]] | [[Susan Stroman]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Tony Award for Best Lighting Design|Best Lighting Design]] | [[David Hersey]] | {{nom}} |- | rowspan="9"| [[Drama Desk Award]] | colspan="2"| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical|Outstanding Revival of a Musical]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical|Outstanding Actor in a Musical]] | [[Patrick Wilson]] | {{nom}} |- | rowspan="2"| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical|Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical]] | [[Shuler Hensley]] | {{won}} |- | Justin Bohon | {{nom}} |- | [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical|Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical]] | [[Andrea Martin]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical|Outstanding Director of a Musical]] | [[Trevor Nunn]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography|Outstanding Choreography]] | [[Susan Stroman]] | {{won}} |- | [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design|Outstanding Set Design]] | [[Anthony Ward]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design|Outstanding Lighting Design]] | [[David Hersey]] | {{nom}} |- | colspan="2"|[[Theatre World Award]] | Justin Bohon | {{won}} |} === 2019 Broadway revival === {| class="wikitable" width="95%" |- ! width="5%" | Year ! width="25%" | Award ceremony ! width="40%" | Category ! width="20%" | Nominee ! width="10%" | Result |- | rowspan="28" align="center" |2019 | rowspan="8" |[[Tony Award]] | colspan="2" |[[Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical|Best Revival of a Musical]] | {{won}} |- |[[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical|Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical]] |[[Damon Daunno]] | {{nom}} |- | rowspan="2" |[[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical|Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical]] |[[Ali Stroker]] | {{won}} |- |[[Mary Testa]] | {{nom}} |- |[[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical|Best Direction of a Musical]] |[[Daniel Fish]] | {{nom}} |- |[[Tony Award for Best Scenic Design in a Musical|Best Scenic Design in a Musical]] |[[Laura Jellinek]] | {{nom}} |- |[[Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Musical|Best Sound Design of a Musical]] |Drew Levy | {{nom}} |- |[[Tony Award for Best Orchestrations|Best Orchestrations]] |[[Daniel Kluger (composer)|Daniel Kluger]] | {{nom}} |- | rowspan="12" |[[Drama Desk Award]] | colspan="2" |[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical|Outstanding Revival of a Musical]] | {{nom}} |- |[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical|Outstanding Actor in a Musical]] |Damon Daunno | {{nom}} |- |[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical|Outstanding Actress in a Musical]] |[[Rebecca Naomi Jones]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical|Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical]] |Patrick Vaill | {{nom}} |- | rowspan="2" |[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical|Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical]] |Ali Stroker | {{won}} |- |Mary Testa | {{nom}} |- |[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical|Outstanding Director of a Musical]] |Daniel Fish | {{nom}} |- |[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical|Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical]] |Laura Jellinek | {{nom}} |- |[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical|Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical]] |Scott Zielinski | {{nom}} |- |[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical|Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical]] |Drew Levy | {{nom}} |- |[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations|Outstanding Orchestrations]] |Daniel Kluger | {{won}} |- |[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Projection Design|Outstanding Projection Design]] |Joshua Thorson | {{nom}} |- | rowspan="2" |[[Drama League Award]] | colspan="2" |Outstanding Revival of a Musical | {{nom}} |- | Distinguished Performance | Ali Stroker | {{nom}} |- | rowspan="6" |[[Outer Critics Circle Award]] | colspan="2" |Outstanding Revival of a Musical | {{nom}} |- | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Damon Daunno | {{nom}} |- | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Ali Stroker | {{nom}} |- | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Daniel Fish | {{nom}} |- | Outstanding Orchestrations | Daniel Kluger | {{win}} |- | Outstanding Sound Design | Drew Levy | {{nom}} |- | align="center" |2020 |[[Grammy Award]] |[[Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album|Best Musical Theater Album]] |[[Damon Daunno]], [[Rebecca Naomi Jones]], [[Ali Stroker]], [[Mary Testa]] & Patrick Vaill <small>(principal soloists)</small>; Daniel Kluger & Dean Sharenow <small>(producers)</small>; [[Richard Rodgers]] <small>(composer)</small>; [[Oscar Hammerstein II]] <small>(lyricist)</small> |{{nom}} |} ===2023 West End revival=== {| class="wikitable" width="95%" |- ! width="5%" | Year ! width="25%" | Award ceremony ! width="40%" | Category ! width="20%" | Nominee ! width="10%" | Result |- | rowspan="7" align="center" |2023 | rowspan="7"| [[Laurence Olivier Award]] | colspan="2" |[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival|Best Musical Revival]] | {{won}} |- | [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical|Best Actor in a Musical]] | [[Arthur Darvill]] | {{won}} |- | [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical|Best Actress in a Musical]] | Anoushka Lucas | {{nom}} |- | rowspan="2"| [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical|Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical]] | [[Liza Sadovy]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Marisha Wallace]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Sound Design|Best Sound Design]] | Drew Levy | {{nom}} |- | [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Original Score or New Orchestrations|Best Original Score or New Orchestrations]] | Daniel Kluger | {{nom}} |} ==In popular culture== {{More citations needed section|date=July 2017}} ''Oklahoma!'' has frequently been quoted or parodied in films, television and other media. The following list includes some of the more noteworthy references. '''Films''' * The songs "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'"{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} and "Oklahoma!" were spoofed in the animated film ''[[South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut]]''. One of the spoofs is the song "Uncle Fucka", which parodies the spelled-out O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A of the musical's title song.<ref>Pahle, Rebecca. [http://mentalfloss.com/article/501819/10-best-animated-movies-all-time "The 10 Best Animated Movies of All Time"], MentalFloss.com, June 13, 2017</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://entertainment.time.com/2011/06/23/the-25-all-time-best-animated-films/slide/south-park-bigger-longer-uncut-1999| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022161015/http://entertainment.time.com/2011/06/23/the-25-all-time-best-animated-films/slide/south-park-bigger-longer-uncut-1999/| url-status=dead| archive-date=October 22, 2011|title=''South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut: The 25 All-TIME Best Animated Films''|author=Richard Corliss|date=June 21, 2011|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> A similar spoof is heard in the musical ''[[Curtains (musical)|Curtains]]'', concerning the title song of the ''Oklahoma!''-like musical performed within the show.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} * In the film ''[[When Harry Met Sally...]]'', Harry and Sally sing a [[karaoke]] version of "Surrey With the Fringe on Top".<ref>Eastwood, Joel. [https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2014/07/19/when_harry_met_sally_turns_25_how_does_it_hold_up.html "''When Harry Met Sally'' turns 25: How does it hold up?"], ''[[Toronto Star]]'', July 19, 2014, accessed July 4, 2017</ref> * In the film ''[[Twister (1996 film)|Twister]]'', Beltzer is heard singing the song "Oklahoma!" when he is introduced.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} * In the film ''[[Dave (film)|Dave]]'', the title character sings the song "Oklahoma!"{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} * In the film ''[[I Can Only Imagine (film)|I Can Only Imagine]]'', [[Bart Millard]] performs "Oklahoma!" for his school play.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} * The 2020 film ''[[I'm Thinking of Ending Things (film)|I'm Thinking of Ending Things]]'' contains several references to ''Oklahoma!'' and a performance of the song "Lonely Room".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.looper.com/242531/the-ending-of-im-thinking-of-ending-things-explained/|title=The ending of I'm Thinking of Ending Things explained|date=September 4, 2020|website=[[ZergNet#Owned or associated websites|Looper]]|author=Brian P. Rubin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904154220/https://www.looper.com/242531/the-ending-of-im-thinking-of-ending-things-explained/|archive-date=September 4, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> '''Television''' * In ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Milhouse of Sand and Fog]]", the character Milhouse imagines himself and Bart singing "[[The Farmer and the Cowman]]". Another episode, "[[I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say D'oh]]", begins with Llewellyn Sinclair directing a production of ''Oklahoma!'' with Marge as Ado Annie. Llewellyn is frustrated every time Marge tells him "no", since Ado Annie "cain't say no".<ref>Sokol, Tony. [https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/the-simpsons/280340/the-simpsons-season-30-episode-20-review-im-just-a-girl-who-cant-say-doh "The Simpsons Season 30 Episode 20 Review: I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say D'oh"], ''Den of Geek'', April 8, 2019</ref> * ''[[Sesame Street]]'' featured Kermit the Frog directing the film "Oklahoma" and Forgetful Jones singing the title song but forgetting how it begins. In 1977, [[Ray Charles]] performed "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" on Sesame Street, while Oscar the grouch sang to himself "Oh what a rotten old morning/Oh what a rotten old day". On episode 317 of ''[[The Muppet Show]]'', [[Fozzie Bear]], dressed as a cowboy, begins to sing "Oklahoma", but large Muppets dressed as [[Samurai]] warriors turn the number into a parody called "Yokohama".{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} * ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' spoofed the musical as "Ducklahoma", which heavily featured anvils.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} * In an episode of ''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'', "[[3rd Rock from the Sun (season 1)|Frozen Dick]]", [[Dick Solomon|Dick]] sings a rendition of "Oklahoma!" in a diner; the patrons in the diner sing along with him. * In the ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'' episode "[[Gourmet Night]]", Polly sings "[[I Cain't Say No]]".{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} * In episode 9 of ''[[Band of Brothers (TV miniseries)|Band of Brothers]]'', "Why We Fight" (2001), several soldiers sing the show's title song.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bracht |first=Mel |title=Miniseries shows brutality of combat |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2001/09/09/miniseries-shows-brutality-of-combat/62131555007 |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=The Oklahoman}}</ref> * The HBO series ''[[Watchmen (TV series)|Watchmen]]'', set in Tulsa, frequently references the musical through the score, character names, lyrics, and integrates its music, themes and plot points in the episodes, once including a fully-staged performance of the song "Oklahoma!".<ref>Rice, Lynette. [https://ew.com/tv/2019/12/17/all-the-times-watchmen-referenced-musical-oklahoma "All the times ''Watchmen'' referenced the musical ''Oklahoma!''"], ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', December 17, 2019</ref> * The ''[[Euphoria (American TV series)|Euphoria]]'' episode "Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys" shows Lexi writing a play to compete with the school's production of ''Oklahoma!''. Cassie's attempt to dress fashionably is mistaken as an audition outfit for ''Oklahoma!''.<ref>Di Placido, Dani. [https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2022/01/26/euphoria-season-2-episode-3-recap-heartache-and-headache/?sh=195ee4f36810 "''Euphoria'' Season 2, Episode 3 Recap: 'Heartache and Headache'"], ''[[Forbes]]'', January 26, 2022</ref> '''Other media''' * On April 4, 1944, comedian [[Fred Allen]] performed a parody of "Oklahoma!" on his CBS radio show. In Allen's version "Oklahoma!" became "North Dakota," "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning" became "Oh, What a Miserable Morning," and "Surrey With the Fringe on Top" became "Union Suit with the Hinge on the Back.".{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} * The title song became the official [[List of U.S. state songs|state song]] of [[Oklahoma]] in 1953. (Oklahoma became a state on November 16, 1907.) * In [[Truman Capote]]'s 1958 novella ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (novella)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'', [[Holly Golightly (character)|Holly Golightly]] sings music from ''Oklahoma!'' while accompanying herself on her guitar.{{page needed|date=April 2013}} ==Notes== {{Reflist}} ==References== *Carter, Tim. ''Oklahoma!: the making of an American musical''. Yale University Press, 2007, {{ISBN|0-300-10619-X}} *Everett, William A. and Paul R. Laird. ''The Cambridge Companion to the Musical'', [[Cambridge University Press]], 2002, {{ISBN|0-521-79189-8}} *Hischak, Thomas S. ''The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia''. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007, {{ISBN|0-313-34140-0}} *Jones, John B. [https://books.google.com/books?id=WqQH31qkYNoC ''Our Musicals, Ourselves'']. Hanover: University Press of New England, 2003 {{ISBN|978-1-58465-311-0}} *Kantor, Michael and Maslon, Laurence. ''Broadway: The American Musical''. New York: Bullfinch Press, 2004. {{ISBN|0-8212-2905-2}} * [[Ethan Mordden|Mordden, Ethan]]. ''Broadway Babies: The People Who Made the American Musical'', Oxford University Press (1988) {{ISBN|0-19-536375-2}} *Nolan, Frederick. ''The Sound of Their Music: The Story of Rodgers and Hammerstein''. New York: Applause Books, 2002, {{ISBN|1-55783-473-3}} *Stempel, Larry. ''Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater''. New York: [[W.W. Norton & Company]], 2010, {{ISBN|0-393-06715-7}} ==Further reading== *Block, Geoffrey. ''The Richard Rodgers Reader''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. *Ewen, David. ''With a Song in His Heart (Richard Rodgers)''. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963. *Fordin, Hugh. ''Getting To Know Him: The Biography of Oscar Hammerstein II''. New York: Random House, 1977; Decapo Press, 1995. *[[Stanley Green (historian)|Green, Stanley]]. ''The Rodgers and Hammerstein Fact Book''. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 1980. *Mordden, Ethan. ''Rodgers & Hammerstein''. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1992. *Purdum, Todd S. ''Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution''. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2018. ==External links== {{Wikiquote}} * {{ibdb show|id=6697|title=Oklahoma!}} * [http://www.theatrehistory.com/american/musical014.html Information from the Theatre History website] * [http://www.rnh.com/show/78/Oklahoma%21 RNH Theatricals site] * [http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_o/oklahoma.htm Plot and production information, guidetomusicaltheatre.com ] * [https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1633217 Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #8] – Excerpts sung by original cast; commentary by Rodgers and Hammerstein {{Rodgers and Hammerstein}} {{Oklahoma!}} {{Navboxes | title = Awards for ''Oklahoma!'' | list = {{OlivierAward MusicalRevival}} {{PulitzerPrize SpecialCitations Arts}} {{Special Tony Award}} {{TonyAward MusicalRevival}} }} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Oklahoma!| ]] [[Category:1943 musicals]] [[Category:Broadway musicals]] [[Category:Fiction set in 1906]] [[Category:Musicals set in the 1900s]] [[Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients]] [[Category:Laurence Olivier Award–winning musicals]] [[Category:Musicals based on plays]] [[Category:Musicals set in Oklahoma]] [[Category:Pulitzer Prize-winning works]] [[Category:Tony Award–winning musicals]] [[Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings]] [[Category:West End musicals]] [[Category:Western (genre) plays]] [[Category:Musicals set on farms]]
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