“By opening the show with the woman alone onstage and the cowboy beginning his song offstage, we did more than set a mood; we were, in effect, warning the audience, ‘Watch out! This is a different kind of musical.’ Everything in the production was made to conform to the simple open-air spirit of the story; this was essential and certainly a rarity in the musical theatre.” —Richard Rodgers
Rodgers and Hammerstein's first show together was Oklahoma!, which opened on March 31, 1943. It was based on a play by Lynn Riggs called Green Grow the Lilacs.
Oklahoma! appealed to audiences because it focused on life after a depression. Viewers were happy to know that Oklahoma! offered them the promise of a better life in the future. Oklahoma! changed the rules of musical theatre by introducing creative methods such as combining dance, music, and dialogue to tell a part of the story. Instead of including unrelated songs or dances between scenes, as was common in variety shows, Oklahoma! included these elements only if they contributed to one continuous story. Oklahoma! ran for a record-breaking 2,212 performances, lasting over 15 years, and is still performed by local theatres and student groups in America. |
“Rodgers & Hammerstein's first collaboration remains, in many ways, their most innovative, having set the standards and established the rules of musical theatre still being followed today.” —Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization
“The day after Oklahoma! opened, no one realized that a new age had dawned on Broadway. But it soon became apparent that standards had changed, and that the slap-dash musical comedies of the past were no longer acceptable.” —John Kenrick |
“The chief influence of Oklahoma! was simply to serve notice that when writers come up with something different, and it had merit, there would be a large and receptive audience waiting for it. From Oklahoma! on, with only rare exceptions, the memorable productions have been those daring to break free from the conventional mode.” —Richard Rodgers