Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! | ||
---|---|---|
Book Oscar Hammerstein II | | |
Basis | Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs | |
Productions |
| |
Awards |
|
Oklahoma! is the first
The original 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 Oscar-winning 1955 film adaptation. It has long been a popular choice for school and community productions.[1] Rodgers and Hammerstein won a special Pulitzer Prize for Oklahoma! in 1944.
This musical, building on the innovations of the earlier
Background
By the early 1940s, Rodgers and Hammerstein were each well known for creating
Conception
In 1931, the
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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[11]
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'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.[8] 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.[11]
The first title given to the work was Away We Go! which opened for out-of-town-tryouts in New Haven's Shubert Theatre on March 11, 1943.[12] 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."[13] 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 musical number, "Oklahoma" and the decision to retitle the musical after that number.[14][15]
Todd had been wrong; the show opened on Broadway to raves from the critics, sold out, and won a special Pulitzer Prize.[16] 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."[10] 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.[17] The show's creativity stimulated Rodgers and Hammerstein's contemporaries and ushered in the "Golden Age" of American musical theatre.[10]
Plot
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.
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, and shows off his souvenirs ("Kansas City"). He won $50 ($1,700 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 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" (
Act II
At the social, during a
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"). Ali Hakim returns with Gertie, whom he has recently married after being 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
Description | 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, 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°, 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° |
Dream Laurey | Laurey in the dream sequence | Katharine Sergava° |
° denotes original Broadway cast
Musical numbers
|
|
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 (Will Parker), Joseph Buloff (Ali Hakim), Jane Lawrence (Gertie), Barry Kelley (Ike) and George S. Irving (Joe). 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".[19] Church was replaced by Vladimir Kostenko two months after the premiere.[citation needed] The production's scenic designer was Lemuel Ayers.[20]
The production ran for 2,212 performances, finally closing on May 29, 1948.
Early U.S. tours
The first of several national tours began in
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".[28]
Original West End
Oklahoma! was the first of a post-war wave of Broadway musicals to reach London's West End. It starred Howard Keel (then known as Harold Keel) and Betty Jane Watson, opening at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on April 30, 1947, to rave press reviews and sellout houses, running for 1,543 performances.[29] 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.[30]
Original Australian
An Australian production opened at His Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, on February 19, 1949. Gemze de Lappe choreographed and played Dream Laurey.[31] It transferred to the Theatre Royal, Adelaide, on September 17, 1949,[32] the Theatre Royal, Sydney, on November 29, 1949,[33] and His Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane, on November 29, 1950.[34]
1951 and 1979 Broadway revivals
A 1951 revival produced by the Theatre Guild opened at
A 1979 revival opened at the
1980 West End revival
The following year,
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 Trust, Edgley International and The MLC Theatre Royal Company. It opened at the Adelaide Festival Theatre on April 30, 1982,[45] transferred to the Theatre Royal, Sydney on June 5, 1982,[46] then to Her Majestys Theatre, Melbourne on November 8, 1982,[47] 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 as an ensemble player and swing/understudy.[48]
1998 West End revival
A dark-themed production of the musical was presented by the
The production received nine
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."[57] 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."[58] 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."[59] The production went on to tour nationally from 2003 to 2005.[60]
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 is depicted in a positive, sympathetic light, 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.[61]
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
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. The cast included Sasha Hutchings as Laurey, Sean Grandillo as Curly and Barbara Walsh as Aunt Eller.[65][66]
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.[67] The production transferred to the West End's Wyndham's Theatre in February 2023.[68] It received positive reviews[69] and won the 2023 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival.[70]
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.[71][72] 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!"[72]
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.[73]
2009 Chichester Theatre Festival
In the summer of 2009, British 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."[74][75] 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."[76] 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."[74] 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.[77] A review in 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."[75]
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 as Curly.[78]
2010 Washington, DC Arena Stage
Oklahoma! opened in October 2010 at the Arena Stage to critical acclaim.[79][80] 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.[81] 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).[82] The production returned to the Arena Stage for a second run in 2011.[83]
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.[84] 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."[85][86] 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?"[85] 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."[84]
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.[87]
1955 film adaptation
The 1955 film adaptation starred Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones (in her film debut),[88] Rod Steiger, Charlotte Greenwood, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson, James Whitmore and Eddie Albert. It was the only musical film directed by Fred Zinnemann,[89] and Agnes de Mille choreographed. It was the first feature film photographed in the Todd-AO 70 mm widescreen process.[90][91]
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
Recordings
Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra both recorded versions of "People Will Say We’re In Love" and "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" in 1943.[93] Due to the 1942–1944 musicians' strike, however, these recordings featured no instrumental accompaniment and instead "were lugubriously weighed down by a cappella backup."[94] 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 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."[93] 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.[94]
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.[95] 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.[96]
The success of the original Oklahoma! cast album set a precedent for the production of
Reception
The original production of Oklahoma! was an unprecedented critical and popular success. John Anderson of the
In the
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."[35]
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."[99] William Zinsser observed that Oklahoma! broke the old "musical comedy conventions", with the songs "delving into character" and advancing the plot.[100] 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!"[101] 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".[102]
Theater historian
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.[107]
Awards and nominations
Original Broadway production
Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1944 | Pulitzer Prize[108] | Pulitzer Prize Special Awards and Citations | Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II | Won |
1947 | Theatre World Award | Dorothea Macfarland | Won | |
1993 | Tony Award
|
Special Tony Award (50th anniversary) | Won |
1979 Broadway revival
Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1980 | Tony Award
|
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Christine Andreas | Nominated |
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Harry Groener | Nominated | ||
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Martin Vidnovic | Nominated | |
Harry Groener | Nominated | |||
Theatre World Award | Won |
1980 West End revival
Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1980 | Laurence Olivier Award
|
Actor of the Year in a Musical | John Diedrich | Nominated |
Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in Theatre | Alfred Molina | Nominated |
1998 West End revival
Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | Critics' Circle Theatre Award | Best Musical | Won | |
1999 | Laurence Olivier Award
|
Outstanding Musical Production | Won | |
Best Actor in a Musical | Hugh Jackman | Nominated | ||
Best Actress in a Musical | Josefina Gabrielle | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Performance in a Musical | Jimmy Johnston | Nominated | ||
Shuler Hensley | Won | |||
Best Director | Trevor Nunn | Nominated | ||
Best Theatre Choreographer | Susan Stroman | Won | ||
Best Set Designer | Anthony Ward | Won | ||
Best Lighting Designer | David Hersey | Nominated |
2002 Broadway revival
Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Tony Award
|
Best Revival of a Musical | Nominated | |
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Patrick Wilson | Nominated | ||
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Shuler Hensley | Won | ||
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical | Andrea Martin | Nominated | ||
Best Direction of a Musical | Trevor Nunn | Nominated | ||
Best Choreography | Susan Stroman | Nominated | ||
Best Lighting Design | David Hersey | Nominated | ||
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Patrick Wilson | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Shuler Hensley | Won | ||
Justin Bohon | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Andrea Martin | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Director of a Musical | Trevor Nunn | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Choreography | Susan Stroman | Won | ||
Outstanding Set Design | Anthony Ward | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Lighting Design | David Hersey | Nominated | ||
Theatre World Award | Justin Bohon | Won |
2019 Broadway revival
Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Tony Award
|
Best Revival of a Musical | Won | |
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Damon Daunno | Nominated | ||
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical | Ali Stroker | Won | ||
Mary Testa | Nominated | |||
Best Direction of a Musical | Daniel Fish | Nominated | ||
Best Scenic Design in a Musical | Laura Jellinek | Nominated | ||
Best Sound Design of a Musical
|
Drew Levy | Nominated | ||
Best Orchestrations | Daniel Kluger | Nominated | ||
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Damon Daunno | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Rebecca Naomi Jones | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Patrick Vaill | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Ali Stroker | Won | ||
Mary Testa | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Director of a Musical | Daniel Fish | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical | Laura Jellinek | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical | Scott Zielinski | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Drew Levy | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Orchestrations | Daniel Kluger | Won | ||
Outstanding Projection Design | Joshua Thorson | Nominated | ||
Drama League Award | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
Distinguished Performance | Ali Stroker | Nominated | ||
Outer Critics Circle Award
|
Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Damon Daunno | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Ali Stroker | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Director of a Musical | Daniel Fish | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Orchestrations | Daniel Kluger | Won | ||
Outstanding Sound Design | Drew Levy | Nominated | ||
2020 | Grammy Award
|
Best Musical Theater Album | Damon Daunno, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Ali Stroker, Mary Testa & Patrick Vaill (principal soloists); Daniel Kluger & Dean Sharenow (producers); Richard Rodgers (composer); Oscar Hammerstein II (lyricist) | Nominated |
2023 West End revival
Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Laurence Olivier Award
|
Best Musical Revival | Won | |
Best Actor in a Musical | Arthur Darvill | Won | ||
Best Actress in a Musical | Anoushka Lucas | Nominated | ||
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Liza Sadovy | Nominated | ||
Marisha Wallace | Nominated | |||
Best Sound Design | Drew Levy | Nominated | ||
Best Original Score or New Orchestrations
|
Daniel Kluger | Nominated |
In popular culture
This section needs additional citations for verification. (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] 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.[109][110] A similar spoof is heard in the musical Curtains, concerning the title song of the Oklahoma!-like musical performed within the show.[citation needed]
- In the film When Harry Met Sally..., Harry and Sally sing a karaoke version of "Surrey With the Fringe on Top".[111]
- In the film Twister, Beltzer is heard singing the song "Oklahoma!" when he is introduced.[citation needed]
- In the film Dave, the title character sings the song "Oklahoma!"[citation needed]
- In the film I Can Only Imagine, Bart Millard performs "Oklahoma!" for his school play.[citation needed]
- The 2020 film I'm Thinking of Ending Things contains several references to Oklahoma! and a performance of the song "Lonely Room".[112]
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".[113]
- 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]
- Tiny Toon Adventures spoofed the musical as "Ducklahoma", which heavily featured anvils.[citation needed]
- In an episode of Frozen Dick", Dicksings a rendition of "Oklahoma!" in a diner; the patrons in the diner sing along with him.
- In the Gourmet Night", Polly sings "I Cain't Say No".[citation needed]
- In episode 9 of Band of Brothers, "Why We Fight" (2001), several soldiers sing the show's title song.[114]
- The HBO 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!".[115]
- The 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!.[116]
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]
- The title song became the official state song of Oklahomain 1953. (Oklahoma became a state on November 16, 1907.)
- In Holly Golightly sings music from Oklahoma! while accompanying herself on her guitar.[page needed]
Notes
- Bye Bye Birdie) as the eighth most frequently produced musical by U.S. high schools in 2007.
- ^ Everett, p. 137, chapter by Riis, Thomas L., with Ann Sears and Everett
- ISBN 1-55783-555-1
- ^ Swain, Joseph P. The Broadway Musical: A Critical and Musical Survey. Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2002, pp. 103–06
- ^ Secrest, pp. 403–04
- ^ “Oscar Hammerstein II” Archived December 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Songwriters Hall of Fame, accessed December 22, 2010
- ^ Layne, Joslyn. Lorenz Hart Biography, Allmusic, accessed December 22, 2010
- ^ a b c d Nolan, pp. 1–25.
- ^ a b Kantor and Malson, pp. 196–202
- ^ a b c Gordon, John Steele. "Oklahoma!" American Heritage, February/March 1993, accessed December 31, 2022
- ^ a b Kenrick, John. "History of the Musical Stage, 1940s Part II: Oklahoma, OK!" Musicals101.com, accessed October 11, 2011
- ^ "Try out history". Archived from the original on May 11, 2008.
- ^ Mordden (1988), p. 139
- ISBN 0-316-34319-6
- JSTOR 3051564.
- ^ "Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for Oklahoma!", Pulitzer.org, 1944, accessed November 16, 2019
- ^ Lewis, David H., Broadway musicals: A Hundred Year History, 2002, McFarland & Company, p. 35
- ^ Carter (2007), p. 177
- ^ a b c Hischak, p. 202
- ^ Arnold Saint-Subber (September 11, 1955). "Obituary: Lemuel Ayers". The New York Times.
- ^ Oklahoma! Archived February 16, 2005, at the Wayback Machine at Encyclopedia of Composers and Songwriters, PBS.org, accessed April 30, 2012
- ^ "Tony Awards: American theatrical awards", Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed February 24, 2019
- ^ Gelb, Arthur. "Facts and Figures on a Gold Mine", The New York Times, March 29, 1953, p. X1
- ^ "75th Anniversary of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Production Oklahoma!", Oklahoma Historical Society, 2018
- ^ "Career: Broadway" Archived August 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, John Raitt – Broadway's Legendary Star, Definite Maybe Productions, accessed May 19, 2016
- ^ Hischak, p. 203
- ISBN 0-19-512851-6, p. 78
- ^ "Oklahoma! to Celebrate 10th Birthday March 31", The New York Times, February 15, 1953, p. 79
- ^ Who's Who in the Theatre, 11th edition, 1952. See also The Times review, May 1, 1947.
- ^ 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.
- ^ His Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne (1949). "Oklahoma!". www.ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Theatre Royal, Adelaide (1949). "Oklahoma!". www.ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Theatre Royal, Sydney (1949). "Oklahoma!". www.ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ His Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane (1950). "Oklahoma!". www.ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Suskin, pp. 499–503.
- ^ Oklahoma!, New York City Center Theatre, "Stagebill" program, October 6, 1953
- ^ Atkinson, Brooks. "'Oklahoma!' Revived at City Center; Celebrating Rodgers and Hammerstein's Official Week". The New York Times (abstract), September 1, 1953, p. 19
- ISBN 0-02-870832-6
- ^ Searl, Hanford. "L.A. Debut of Oklahoma! A True Revival Production". Billboard, May 19, 1979
- ^ OCLC 1124494192.
- ^ "'Oklahoma!' at the Palace Theatre, September 17, 1980 – September 19, 1981". Thisistheatre.com, accessed May 20, 2010
- ^ "Olivier Winners 1980" OlivierAwards.com, accessed October 9, 2017
- ^ "Oklahoma!", About Maria Friedman, accessed July 26, 2013
- ^ "'Oklahoma!", 1980 London Cast" Archived January 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Castalbumcollector.com, accessed May 20, 2010
- ^ Adelaide Festival Theatre (1982). "Oklahoma!". www.ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Theatre Royal, Sydney (1982). "Oklahoma!". www.ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne (1982). "Oklahoma!". www.ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Waterhouse, Kate (September 7, 2016). "Musical theatre queen Caroline O'Connor tells how she prepares for a role". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ a b Heppel, David. "Curtain Up review, Oklahoma!, 1998". Curtainup.com, July 1998, accessed May 20, 2010
- ^ "Olivier Winners, 1999". OlivierAwards.com, accessed October 23, 2015
- ^ "London Welcomes a Perfect Oklahoma!" Archived March 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Happy Talk, the newsletter of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. Vol. 6 Issue 1, Fall 1998, Interview with Hensley, accessed June 4, 2010
- ^ Simonson, Robert. "Actors' Equity Denies London Cast of Oklahoma! U.S. Visit", Playbill, January 22, 1999
- ^ Simonson, Robert. "Equity Stands Firm on Americans in Oklahoma!", Playbill, February 17, 1999
- ^ McBride, Murdoch. "Oklahoma! OK'd: Stroman, Nunn Begin U.S. Casting in June; Fall Start Likely", Playbill, May 17, 2000
- ^ Gans, Andrew and Robert Simonson. "PBS To Air Hugh Jackman Oklahoma! in November", Playbill, October 8, 2003
- CraveOnline. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ Brantley, Ben. "This Time, a Beautiful Mornin' With a Dark Side", The New York Times, March 22, 2002, Section E, p. 1
- ^ Kissel, Howard. "Oh, What a Beautiful Revival of a Pure Prairie Classic"[permanent dead link]. New York Daily News, March 22, 2002
- ^ Gardner, Elysa. "Oklahoma! revival is just slightly better than OK", USA Today, March 22, 2002, Life Section, p. 1E
- ^ Jones, Kenneth. "NETworks Tour of Oklahoma! Begins Dec. 16 in Denver, Travels Into 2004", Playbill, December 16, 2003, accessed December 29, 2018; "History: Oklahoma! Timeline" Archived December 30, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, accessed December 29, 2018
- ^ Purdum, Todd (April 8, 2019). "Oklahoma! Gets a Dark, Brilliant Remake". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ Culwell-Block, Logan. "Reimagined Oklahoma! Revival Begins Broadway Performances March 19", Playbill, March 19, 2019; Fierberg, Ruthie. "Why Broadway’s Upcoming Oklahoma! Is Not Your 'Grandma’s Version' of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Classic", Playbill, March 18, 2019; and McPhee, Ryan. "Reimagined Oklahoma! Will Transfer to Broadway", Playbill, December 11, 2018
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ McPhee, Ryan (June 9, 2019). "Hadestown Leads the Pack at the 2019 Tony Awards". Playbill. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ Jones, Chris (January 13, 2022). "Review: This is not your homespun Oklahoma! Come ready for a radical new musical". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ "Oklahoma! Tour", Internet Broadway Database, accessed February 20, 2022
- ^ Gillinson, Miriam. "Oklahoma! review – an invigorating take on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic", The Guardian, May 6, 2022
- ^ Wood, Alex (August 25, 2022). "Oklahoma! to transfer to the West End". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "Review Roundup: What Did the Critics Make of the Oklahoma! West End Transfer?", BroadwayWorld.com, March 1, 2023
- ^ "Olivier Awards 2023", Official London Theatre, accessed 7 April 2023
- ^ "Sand Springs' Discoveryland! theater, known for the play Oklahoma, to remain closed through 2013", KRJH.com, June 19, 2013
- ^ a b "Discoveryland! Honors and Awards" Archived July 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Discoveryland! USA, Inc., accessed July 11, 2010
- ^ "Oklahoma! in 2006 listing" Archived December 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Takarazuka-revue.info, accessed May 20, 2010
- ^ a b Gardner, Lyn. "'Oklahoma!'Chichester Festival Theatre". The Guardian, June 27, 2009
- ^ a b Cavendish, Dominic. "Oklahoma! at Chichester". The Telegraph, June 25, 2009, accessed June 7, 2010
- ^ Nightingale, Benedict. "'Oklahoma!' at the Chichester Festival Theatre, West Sussex". The Times, June 26, 2009
- ^ Cooter, Maxwell. "'Oklahoma!'" Archived June 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Whatsonstage.com, June 25, 2009
- ^ Cole, Simon. "Marti Webb Opens New Tour of Oklahoma!" Archived June 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Whatsonstage.com, March 18, 2010
- ^ Marks, Peter. "A grand new state: You just cain't say no to Arena Stage's 'Oklahoma!'" Archived February 5, 2013, at archive.today, The Washington Post, November 6, 2010
- ^ See also Billups, Edith. "'Oklahoma!' at the Arena Stage in D.C.", Washington Times, November 9, 2010; Blanchard, Jayne. "'Oklahoma!' Review", dctheatrescene.com, November 7, 2010; and Jones, Kenneth. "Arena Stage Opens Its Doors to the World at Oct. 23 "Homecoming," With Alumni Stars", Playbill.com, October 23, 2010, accessed August 29, 2017
- ^ BWW News Staff. "Review Roundup: 'Oklahoma!' at Arena Stage". Broadwayworld.com, December 6, 2010
- ^ Jones, Kenneth. "DC's Helen Hayes Winners Include Candide, The Liar, Clybourne Park, Oklahoma!, Thurgood" Archived April 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Playbill.com, April 25, 2011
- ^ Jones, Kenneth. "Still Doin' Fine: Arena Stage Revives Its Hit 2010 Oklahoma!, Starting July 8" Archived August 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Playbill.com, July 8, 2011
- ^ a b Strangeways, Michael. "Oklahoma! at the 5th Avenue Is a Bit Problematic", Seattle Gay Scene, February 10, 2012
- ^ a b Brodeur, Nicole. "Oklahoma seen in a new light", The Seattle Times, February 20, 2012
- ^ Goldstein, David. "Racial Profiling", The Stranger, February 14, 2012
- ^ Davies, Michael. "Oklahoma! (Tour) – triumphant production warrants its revival", Whats On Stage, February 26, 2017; and Collins, Stephen. "Oklahoma! Lyceum Theatre Sheffield", BritishTheatre.com, July 27, 2015
- ^ Jones had previously performed in a stage production of Oklahoma! See: Oklahoma! from Turner Classic Movies
- ^ 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
- ^ a b "Oklahoma! from Turner Classic Movies". Tcm.com. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ^ "Magna Theatre Corporation". In70mm.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ^ "The 28th Academy Awards (1956) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
- ^ a b Carter 2007, p. 226
- ^ a b Maslon, Laurence. How Oklahoma! revolutionized the cast album, The New York Times, July 10, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2021
- ^ O'Dell, Cary. "Oklahoma! Original cast recording 1943", 2003, Library of Congress. Retrieved April 6, 2021
- ^ "Oklahoma". Deccabroadway.com. May 16, 2000. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ^ Stempel, p. 311
- ^ Fick, David. "Oklahoma! Cast Recording Reviews". Musical Cyberspace, March 31, 2003, accessed September 26, 2010
- ^ Hischak, p. 201
- ISBN 1-56792-325-9, p. 180
- ^ Everett, p. 124.
- ^ Lubbock, Mark. "American musical theatre: an introduction" Archived February 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine excerpted from The Complete Book of Light Opera, London: Putnam, 1962, pp. 753–56
- ^ a b Mordden (1988), p. 140
- ^ Jones 2003, pp. 10–11
- ^ Bordman, Gerald and Thomas Hischak, eds. "Kern, Jerome (David)". The Oxford Companion to American Theatre, third edition, Oxford University Press 2004. Oxford Reference Online, accessed May 15, 2010 (requires subscription)
- ^ Kenrick, John. History of The Musical Stage 1910–1919: Part I, accessed May 11, 2010
- S2CID 163715873.
- ^ "1944 Pulitzer Prizes", Pulitzer.org, retrieved January 7, 2018
- ^ Pahle, Rebecca. "The 10 Best Animated Movies of All Time", MentalFloss.com, June 13, 2017
- ^ Richard Corliss (June 21, 2011). "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut: The 25 All-TIME Best Animated Films". Time. Archived from the original on October 22, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- ^ Eastwood, Joel. "When Harry Met Sally turns 25: How does it hold up?", Toronto Star, July 19, 2014, accessed July 4, 2017
- Looper. Archivedfrom the original on September 4, 2020.
- ^ Sokol, Tony. "The Simpsons Season 30 Episode 20 Review: I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say D'oh", Den of Geek, April 8, 2019
- ^ Bracht, Mel. "Miniseries shows brutality of combat". The Oklahoman. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Rice, Lynette. "All the times Watchmen referenced the musical Oklahoma!", Entertainment Weekly, December 17, 2019
- ^ Di Placido, Dani. "Euphoria Season 2, Episode 3 Recap: 'Heartache and Headache'", Forbes, January 26, 2022
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, 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. 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
- 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: 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.
- 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
- Oklahoma! at the Internet Broadway Database
- Information from the Theatre History website
- RNH Theatricals site
- Plot and production information, guidetomusicaltheatre.com
- Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #8 – Excerpts sung by original cast; commentary by Rodgers and Hammerstein