Oklahoma (1973)

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Elm Street Auditorium May 11-13, 1973

The Actorsingers
Member of the Arts and Science Center
Welcome you to

OKLAHOMA

The Play

Set in the Midwestern Indian country, at the turn of the century, the musical presents two sets of lovers. It's a yarn that features a villainous character, Jud, (which opened musical comedy to a new aspect), who comes between a cowhand known as Curly and a pretty girl called Laurey. A love triangle between Ado Annie, an Oriental pedlar, and a cowhand named Will provides sticky humorous situations. With an unusual auction, enchanting ballet, and a sad murder, there is, in all the romance, tensions, laughter and drama, the melodic tunes which create OKLAHOMA!

Rodgers and Hammerstein

Oklahoma was a direct result of Rodgers and Hammerstein becoming a team. Rodgers had been approached by The Theatre Guild of New York, which was suffering a succession of theatrical failures that was bringing their famous producing organization to death, about creating a musical based on Novelist Lynn Riggs' "Green Grow the Lilacs," but Lorenz Hart, Rodgers' partner at the time, felt sure that this particular novel didn't have the makings of a musical. The Theatre Guild's next play simply had to be a success. Rodgers new partner was Hammerstein.

Hammerstein had secretly wanted to convert "Green Grow the Lilacs" into a musical. He had approached Jerome Kern, who turned his request down with the reason that the novel didn't have the makings of a musical. Then Hammerstein found out that The Theatre Guild was negotiating with Rodgers and Hart; Rodgers remembered Hammerstein and Hammerstein remembered Rodgers at the same time. Rodgers paid Hammerstein a visit to his farm in Pennsylvania in 1941, and a "marriage" was performed -- a marriage of words and music.