ABSTRACT
A producer fast running out of money. A songwriting team who had never collaborated. A choreographer who had never choreographed a Broadway musical. A cast made of virtual unknowns. Post opening word of mouth had taken off so much so that the day after opening lines were wrapped around the block to get tickets; the Guild was particularly pleased. Oklahoma was a bona fide hit going on to run a whopping 2,212 performances, over five years—unheard of at the time for a musical comedy. Oklahoma changed all that with their recording. People have every single lead who opened the show on Broadway performing the songs they sang in the St. James Theatre. The orchestra were the same members who played the songs in the pit under conductor Jay Blackton. The entire chorus of singers—because in those days the dancers and singers were two separate choruses—were all from the original company.
