Set in 1906 when the Oklahoma Territory had yet to reach statehood, the musical Oklahoma! tells the age-old tale of love, community and the American way of life before the modern age emerged. Based on Lynn Riggs’ 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs, Oklahoma! is most notably known as the first musical written by the famous Broadway duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Oklahoma! originally debuted at the St. James Theatre in New York City on March 31, 1943, and ran for an astounding 2,212 performances making it a box office smash! The masterpiece was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1944 and was nominated for eight Tony Awards and won Best Revival of a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Ali Stroker.
The musical has long been a favorite for school musicals and community theaters. The popular lyrics, choreography and set design lend themselves to theaters looking for a crowd-pleasing production.
The Story of Oklahoma!
The plot of the musical Oklahoma! follows the love story between spunky farm girl, Laurey, and the two rivals for her affection: Curly, a brash cowboy, and Jud, the hired farmhand. There is also a secondary romance between Will and Ado Annie. While we won’t ruin the surprise of who ends up with who, suffice it to say that love wins out in the end.
The musical opens on a farm in the Oklahoma Territory just after the turn of the century when the United States is still forming and territories have yet to fully reach statehood. Life on the prairie is tough with farm life keeping citizens busy from sun up to sun down. The story chronicles the rugged landscape and people who find themselves working the land.
The audience will be delighted with the lyrics and choreography of popular songs such as “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “People Will Say We’re in Love,” “I Cain’t Say No!” and the exhilarating title song, “Oklahoma!” As the toe-tapping music plays, the audience meets the characters of Laurey, Curly, Jud, Will and Ado Annie as their romances intertwine with the story of the territory fulfilling its requirements for statehood.
Backdrops for Oklahoma!
Explore the more than 37 options of backdrops for your next performance of Oklahoma! on our show suggestions pages. Here are a few of our most popular options that could help set your stage for an amazing performance.
Farm Settings
Since the musical takes place almost entirely on the plains and prairies of the Midwest, these backdrops that depict woods, farms and plains would be ideal for any school or community theater production.
This Farm Landscape Backdrop shows a colorful farm landscape with tilled earth, green grass, a beautiful sky and a large tree at the center. A 2′ black border surrounds the scene as shown.
This Farm Landscape is slightly different in that it shows rolling farmlands at night with tilled earth and a white chapel sitting in the center. A 2′ black border surrounds the scene as shown.
Another option for a unique farmscape would be this Farm Landscape Backdrop # 2425 which shows yet another colorful farm landscape with harvested corn, trees and beautiful sky. A 2′ black border frames the scene down the sides and across the bottom and 3′ across the top as shown.
View all of our backdrops on our website and choose one or more for your next production.