Orginal Broadway Cast- Oklahoma

Well, there is no tribute to Broadway without this, which I purchased for $3. This production launched the beginning of the Golden Age of the Broadway Musical.  This groundbreaking work paved the way for many things which seem standard today.

Oklahoma! really separated two eras of Broadway musicals and gave way to the rise of the “book”musical as the dominate art form.  As opposed to musical follies or productions where the songs were simply vehicles for the star and unrelated to the story, the book musical used music and lyrics to advance the story line.  This form was kicking around here and there before, most notably in 1927’s Showboat but Oklahoma! came to symbolize the genre and therefore changed all of Broadway thereafter.

Both principle’s Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein were well established before they teamed up in the early 40’s.  Rodgers had his share of success working with lyricist Lorenz Hart.  Hammerstein had also worked with a myriad of music writers including Jerome Kern on the aforementioned Showboat.  Both men had entertained the idea of converting the earlier play Green Grow The Lilacs into a musical.  However, Kern had refused to work on this production and Hart had sunk into a great depression that would eventually lead to his death.  Thus, Rodgers asked Hammerstein (who incidentally had six flops in a row and was starting to have self doubt) to partner up and thus history was made.  As a side note, the partnership worked well for both men’s habits.  As opposed to their former partners, Hammerstein preferred to write the lyrics first before the music was written as Rodgers preferred to write the music to lyrics.

Two other interesting aspects to this production, Oklahoma! was cast with singers who could act as opposed to actors who could sing, and as a result, there were really no big stars on opening night.  Furthermore, one of the musicals most notable features was the 15 minute dream ballet, choreographed by Agnes DeMille, niece of Cecil.  It is not only the use of dance but the importance of it in explaining the character’s feelings that make it truly groundbreaking.

During out of town tryouts, producer Mike Todd walked out of the first act noting that the show had no chance of success.  However when retooled and debuted on Broadway in March of 1943, Oklahoma! was a smash hit with critics and audiences.  Due to the unprecedented demand for tickets, the show ran for five years or 2,212 performances, a record at the time. National tours followed along with a big screen adaptation in 1955, various revivals, and performances around 75% of the high schools in this country. Unfortunately, there were no Tony awards in 1943 so none to be won.  However, I found it interesting that his former partner, Hart, told Rodgers upon viewing. that it was the best evening he ever experienced in theater, before dying later in the year.

Another groundbreaking fact, when Decca Records released a set six 10 inch 78 rpm’s from the musical, it was the first original cast recording from a Broadway production (for all practical purposes), paving the way for many more for many years.   This set was a success as well, selling over a million copies.  Due to this, the set was repackaged and reissued thru the years.  This record, is a 1955 re-issue.

Here on this record, the original cast and chorus belt out some of the songs which by now are Broadway standards.  Cast members Alfred Drake ( Curly) , Joan Roberts, (Laurie), Howard Da Silva (Jud), Lee Dixon (Will Parker), and Celeste Holm (Aldo Annie) all shine on this effort.  Pretty good album despite not having my favorite song, “The Farmer and the Cowhand Should Be Friends” on it. Personally, and I think I made it known on some older posts, my interest in Oklahoma! has waned over the years, although I still do like the songs.  However, I still feel that Jud got a bad deal in the story. But since the movie version has both Shirley Jones and Gloria Grahame in it, it will always get watched by me.

But for a sample, I went with one of my favorite numbers, the duet between lovers Will Parker and Aldo Annie, “All or Nothing”.

Not sure why I felt the need to write a book about this but it is done so there.  Satisfactory.