Oklahoma!
A New Musical from a New Team
Created by Rogers and Hammerstein (two Jewish men) in New York City, during the post war world of Broadway, about America's most idealized vision of itself, set in turn-of-the-century Oklahoma, "How", you might be wondering, did Oklahoma! ever become a hit musical?". Taking after its ancestor, Show Boat, the soundtrack of Oklahoma! was written to go with the plot, which was adapted from a play known as Green Grow The Lilacs by Lynn Riggs. Another attribute of the soundtrack alone that set Oklahoma! apart from most musicals of the era was, put simply, that Richard Rodgers' lyrics were written before the instrumental score was even developed, and Oscar Hammerstein composed actually notes, melodies, and harmonies to accompany the moods and messages of the verbal verses. To most people's understanding, what made Oklahoma! unique was not actually the ways of musical theatre that it adopted from prior shows and improved upon, but the ways in which it differed from the productions that came before it. These come in a veritable smorgasbord of differentiation.
Ever been to see a live musical? If so, you'll know that virtually every single one of them begins with a bang, so to speak. The bone-chilling epic No One Mourns The Wicked, from Wicked, or even the feel-good ballad Good Morning Baltimore from Hairspray satisfy this statement quite nicely. Oklahoma!, once again, is an exception. The first thing seen by the audience when the curtain rises is nothing exciting, nothing ground breaking, nothing but an old woman sitting in front of a barn, churning butter. Undoubtedly the most anti-climactic opening the audience had ever seen, however, the first musical number of the show cemented Oklahoma! well into their hearts. This number, which showed that it doesn't take a huge spectacle to attract an audience, titled O' What A Beautiful Mornin', is shown below.
Ever been to see a live musical? If so, you'll know that virtually every single one of them begins with a bang, so to speak. The bone-chilling epic No One Mourns The Wicked, from Wicked, or even the feel-good ballad Good Morning Baltimore from Hairspray satisfy this statement quite nicely. Oklahoma!, once again, is an exception. The first thing seen by the audience when the curtain rises is nothing exciting, nothing ground breaking, nothing but an old woman sitting in front of a barn, churning butter. Undoubtedly the most anti-climactic opening the audience had ever seen, however, the first musical number of the show cemented Oklahoma! well into their hearts. This number, which showed that it doesn't take a huge spectacle to attract an audience, titled O' What A Beautiful Mornin', is shown below.
Another unconventional aspect of the show that is known for having begun The Golden Age of Broadway was the name, but not for the reason you might think. The musical Oklahoma! was, in fact, originally titled Away We Go! until mere weeks before it opened in New York at the St. James Theatre. The story goes as follows. After Away We Go!'s tryout in New Haven, the entire staff and cast were still under much pressure and stress to make the show as perfect as possible. Among the changes made to accommodate this goal were the cut of two solo dances in the second act and the addition of a new song. Hammerstein was asked to write this new tune about the land...and that was as clear as his directions got. He promptly wrote the words to Oklahoma. The song was orchestrated on the train ride to Boston from New Haven by Robert Russell Bennett. The new number, apart from impressing the entire team instantly, also prompted the name change. And thus, Oklahoma! made its way to Broadway for its premiere on March 31st. Below is the very song that gave Oklahoma! its name.
Despite being different from what everyone in the audience of the St. James had foreseen, Oklahoma! went on to break many records in the world of show business. First and foremost, the songs were immensely popular. Three of them (People Will Say We're in Love, O' What a Beautiful Mornin', and The Surrey with the Fringe on Top) even managed to top the charts for months after the musical was originally shown. The show opened in London in 1947, and went on to become the very first American musical to be shown all the way around the world. In the ten years before its debut, not a single hit show exceeded 500 performances, but, during its run in New York, Oklahoma! played a revolutionary 2,212 times. No matter what your personal opinion is, Oklahoma! is the living, beating heart of modern Broadway and always will be.
"I was sure of it. I don't know who else agreed with me - Oscar had had a bad time; the Theatre Guild had had a bad time; Agnes de Mille, who did such a wonderful job, had never had a Broadway show; nobody expected the show to work, but we had a runthrough one time, when we were in rehearsal, and my wife was there. When I got home about three hours later, there was a little note on my pillow that said 'Darling, this is the best musical show I've ever seen.' So I had some idea that we had hit it."
- Richard Rodgers |