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A TIMELINE OF OKLAHOMA! PREMIERES

  • March 11-13, 1943: The new musical has its world premiere engagement at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, CT. Entitled Away We Go!, the work is termed “a musical play” with book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs, with music by Richard Rodgers.
  • March 31, 1943: With an exclamation point tacked on for extra flourish, the Act II showstopper becomes the musical’s title song when Oklahoma! opens at the St. James Theatre on Broadway to rave reviews.

Sorab Wadia as Ali Hakim and Carrie Love as Ado Annie in the national tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s OKLAHOMA!
  • July 15, 1998: A new production of Oklahoma! is premiered at the Royal National Theatre in London, directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Susan Stroman.
  • February 23, 2002: Performances of the Royal National Theatre/Cameron Mackintosh production begin at the Gershwin Theater on Broadway.
  • December 16, 2003: Performances of the NETworks National Tour begin at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts based on the Royal National Theatre/Cameron Mackintosh production, directed by Fred Hanson and choreographed by Ginger Thatcher (recreating Trevor Nunn and Susan Stroman’s original work).

FUN FACTS!

  • When Oklahoma! closed on Broadway May 29, 1948 after 2,212 performances, more than four and a half million people had seen it there.
  • With its 10 and ½ year run, the national tour of Oklahoma! held the U.S. theatrical record for the longest running continual tour for over 40 years.
  • Internationally, Oklahoma! has been performed throughout the world and translated into more than a dozen languages including French, Greek, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Hebrew, Icelandic, Norwegian, Hungarian, Dutch and Polish. English language productions have been presented in Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa.
  • Oklahoma! is the only Broadway show tune that is also a state song. It was designated “the official song and anthem of the State of Oklahoma” on May 6, 1953.
  • There have been over 30,000 productions of Oklahoma! worldwide.
  • Oklahoma! is the first Broadway musical to be commemorated on a U.S. postage stamp.