an
American musical comedy produced in 1943 that was one of the first musicals to successfully blend music, dancing and story into a unified
production.
Oklahoma! included music by composer
Richard Rodgers (1902- 1972) and words by lyricist Oscar Hammerstein
II (1895-1960) and had many memorable songs, including "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" and "People Will Say We're In
Love." The story of the musical is that of a cowboy, Curly, who is in
love with a farmer's daughter, Laurie. Curly is opposed by a
dangerous rival, the hired
hand, Jud Fry. In the
final fight of the story, Jud dies on his own knife and Curly and Laurie
ride off together. It was one of the most popular
American musicals of all
time and ran for 2,212 performances.
a musical comedy produced in 1943, based on
Green Grow the Lilacs, a folk drama written in 1931 by
Lynn Riggs (1899 - 1954
American playwright whose plays deal with
life in
Oklahoma and
Texas making
special use of folk themes of that region). The music and lyrics were produced by
Rodgers and Hammerstein and with its many memorable songs,
Oklahoma!
set an all-
time record of durability for musicals. See also
Rodgers and Hammerstein in this glossary.