Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!

<p>Rodgers and Hammerstein's first collaboration remains in many ways their most innovative setting the standards and rules of modern musical theatre. In a Western territory just after the turn of the 20th century a high-spirited rivalry between local farmers and cowboys provides a colorful background for Curly a charming cowboy and Laurey a feisty farm girl to play out their love story. Their romantic journey as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road contrasts with the comic exploits of brazen Ado Annie and hapless Will Parker in a musical adventure embracing hope determination and the promise of a new land.</p><p><br></p><p>Oklahoma! </em>opened at the St. James Theatre on Broadway on March 31 1943. At that time the longest-running show in Broadway history had run for three years. Oklahoma!</em> surpassed that record by two more years running for a marathon 2212 performances. The US national tour played for an unprecedented ten and a half years visiting every single state and playing before a combined audience of more than 10 million people. In 1947 Oklahoma!</em> opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane London where it ran for 1548 performances the longest run of any show up to that time in the 267-year history of the theatre. In 1953 the Oklahoma State Legislature named Oklahoma the official state song. In 1955 the motion picture version of Oklahoma!</em> starring Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones and produced by Rodgers and Hammerstein was released to great success.</p>