Oklahoma! is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and
Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow
the Lilacs. Set in farm country outside the town of 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 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. Rodgers
and Hammerstein won a 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
where the songs and dances are fully integrated into a well-made story
with serious dramatic goals that are able to evoke genuine emotions
other than laughter. In addition, Oklahoma! features musical themes,
or motifs, that recur throughout the work to connect the music and
story.[page needed] A fifteen-minute "dream ballet" reflects Laurey's
struggle with her feelings about two men, Curly and Jud. Oklahoma! Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter