Oklahoma!

Oklahoma! was the first musical written by the team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902-1979)[1] and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960)[2]

The original text

Based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs and set in farm country , it tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain and the frightening farmhand Jud Fry.

The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943 at the St James Theatre in New York[3].

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

1948: First produced in South Africa at His Majesty's Theatre in 1948, brought out by ACT, with Bob Lyon and La Verne Burden. Choreographed by Agnes De Mille.

1955: Presented by African Consolidated Theatres, directed by Philip D. Levard.

1963: Produced by the Alexander Theatre and Louis Burke-Joan Brickhill Productions in December, 1963. Set design by Roy Cooke.

1966: Presented by the Queenstown Theatrical Society, produced by Mary Kockott musical direction by Susan du Plessis.

1967: Staged by the Port Elizabeth Gilbert & Sullivan Society.

1967: Staged by the EOAN Group, conducted by Joseph Manca.

1974: Performed by the Wits Choral Society in the Great Hall at the University of the Witwatersrand from 10 to 25 May.

1975: Presented by Westville Theatre Club at the Westville Theatre, directed by Les Fisher.

1980: Produced by the Port Elizabeth Gilbert & Sullivan Society at their Savoy Theatre. Directed by Trevor Hicks.

1993: Produced by CAPAB, NAPAC and PACOFS in 1993. Directed by Philip Godawa. Musical director Graham Scott. Choreography by Bryan Hill. Cast included Joseph Clark, Paddy Canavan, Juanita Kruger, Luciano Zuppa, Edward Baker-Duly, Denise Stock, Peter Holden, Robert Fridjhon, Taryn Sudding, Kenneth Campbell, Garth Anderson, Mark Hawkins, Mary-Anne de Wet, Michael Black, Anna-Marie Clulow, Karina Constantine, Dina Erasmus, Lisa Gibson, Selva Hannam, Darren Hayward, Margie Jones, Liza Kaplan, David Lee, Robin McBroom, Gary Mills, Lesley-Ann Mitchell, Julian Munro, Billy-Jean Parker, Kenneth Robinson, Mary-Ann Salvage, David Scales, Wayne Scott, Michelle Simpson, Steven Stead, Peter Taylor, Liezel van der Merwe.

1993: Presented by the Dramatic Society of East London at the Guild Theatre, directed by Janet Buckland, with Julie Hartley as Laurie.

2011: Staged by the Port Elizabeth Gilbert & Sullivan Society, directed by Robin Williams.

2014: Staged by the Cape Town Gilbert and Sullivan Society, directed by Teddy Davies, in the Artscape Theatre Centre.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rodgers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Hammerstein_II

Oklahoma! theatre programme, 1993.

Oklahoma! Theatre programme (ACT production 1955) held by NELM: [Collection: KORT, Maurice]: 2012. 379. 23. 73.

Listing of productions: Rapport, 5 May, 2074

Sjoerd Alkema. 2012. "Conductors of the Cape Town Municipal Orchestra, 1914-1965: a historical perspective". University of Cape Town. Unpublished PhD thesis.

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