Is "Oklahoma!" Actually a Horror Story?
Even if you aren't a fan of musicals, you'd probably recognize at least one of the songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein's first production Oklahoma! . Opening on Broadway in 1943, it went on to change the face of American theater and became one of the most celebrated and performed musicals in history. It tells the tempestuous love story of Curly McLain and Laurey Williams at the turn of the century when the Oklahoma territory was on the cusp of becoming a state. Curly is a young, hot cowboy who wants to take farm girl Laurey on a date to the nearby dance. Laurey decides instead to go with farm hand Jud Fry (we'll talk about him in a moment). Chaos, dancing, and accidental murder ensue. Less well-known is the play that Rodgers and Hammerstein based their musical on, Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs. Essentially, it tells the exact same story but with less plot points and dancing. Surprisingly there's almost the same amount of singing. Even though I am very familiar...