OKLAHOMA! Opened on Broadway on this Day in 1943

Oklahoma opened to rave reviews at the St. James Theatre on this day, March 31st, 1943.

The musical, with music by Richard Rodgers and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, was based on Lynn Rigg's 1930 play "Green Grow the Lilacs." The production was directed by Rouben Mamoulian and choreographed by Agnes De Mille.

The original cast included Betty Garde as Aunt Eller, Alfred Drake as Curly, Joan Roberts as Laurie, Celeste Holm as Ado Annie, and Howard Da Silva as Jud Fry.

The production went on to play a total of 2,212 performances, running almost five years, and held the record for the longest-running Broadway musical for 15 years. The musical also received a special Pulitzer Prize in 1943. The Tony Awards were not yet in existence at this time.

Watch the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization's look back at the show's history here:

There have been 4 revivals of the show on Broadway since the original production, most recently 2019's reimagined production of the show, directed by Daniel Fish, and starring Damon Daunno as Curly, Rebecca Naomi Jones as Laurie, Ali Stoker as Ado Annie, and Patrick Vaill as Jud Fry. The revival won Best Revival of a Musical at the 2019 Tony Awards.

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