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| Scenes from top to bottom: Box social, Dream Ballet, Oklahoma homestead, and Curly and Laurey on the farmhouse porch. |
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by Thomas Hischak
There are many reasons "Oklahoma!" is such a seminal work, the most important being it is the first fully integrated American musical -- the songs and dances grow out of the characters and their emotions rather than just the story or the need for singing and dancing. Unlike previous shows in which a generic love song, a comic number, or dance could arbitrarily be assigned to almost any character or situation, "Oklahoma!" only sings and dances when a particular character needs to express himself or herself in a very individual way. We are so used to this model from all the musicals that followed "Oklahoma!" that we often forget how unique the original was when it debuted at the St. James Theatre on March 31, 1943.
Many other aspects of "Oklahoma!" make it unique. It was the first professional collaboration between Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, who would go on to become the most successful musical team in Broadway history. It was the first musical to run over 2,000 performances and the first to have its score recorded (a practice we consider standard today). The show also started a trend toward rural settings and more sincere characterizations, whereas most previous musicals were urban and emphasized sophisticated or satiric character types. For decades after 1943, Broadway musicals would often follow the Rodgers & Hammerstein model.
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