On July 15, 1998, the Royal National Theatre premiered its landmark, Olivier Award-winning production of Oklahoma!, starring newcomer Hugh Jackman as Curly, Josefina Gabrielle as Laurie, and Shuler Hensley, whose performance as Jud Fry garnered him an Olivier Award. Directed by Trevor Nunn with new choreography by Susan Stroman, this production ran at the Olivier Theatre at the National from … Read More
1979 Broadway Revival
Under the direction of Oscar Hammerstein II’s eldest son, William “Bill” Hammerstein, Oklahoma! received a Broadway revival at the Palace Theatre that opened December 13, 1979. Featuring Agnes de Mille’s original choreography, recreated by Gemze de Lappe, this production starred Christine Andreas as Laurey; Laurence Guittard as Curly and a young Christine Ebersole as Ado Annie. The production ran 293 … Read More
1955 Motion Picture
The blockbuster film adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! premiered at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City on October 11, 1955. The film was the first ever shot and presented in the Todd-AO 70mm Widescreen format, which required some theatres to have their screen areas renovated. It was also the first to have a road show-style promotional rollout, a … Read More
1951 Broadway Revival
Exactly three years after the original Broadway production closed at the St. James, Oklahoma! was revived for a limited engagement at the Broadway Theatre on May 29, 1951. A part of the National Tour of the original production, the return to Broadway starred Ridge Bond, Patricia Northrup, Maurice Kelly, Henry Clarke and Mary Marlo. Though the special engagement was only … Read More
1947 West End Premiere
Opening first at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on April 29, 1947, and later moving to the Stoll Theatre, Oklahoma! had a wildly successful premiere on the West End in London starring Harold Keel, Betty Jane Watson, Mary Marlo and Henry Clarke. Marveling European audiences with this fresh innovation of the musical form, with critics calling it “a gem, a … Read More
1943 Original Broadway Production
When Oklahoma! first arrived on Broadway, much was on the line for the creative and producing team. Many were skeptical that an interesting musical could be crafted from a homespun play that only saw moderate success, dealing with farmers and cowmen in the middle of the country. In addition, the producers were in a slump, and many of the creators … Read More
2018 West End Revival
In a strictly limited, five-week summer engagement, Bartlett Sher’s wildly acclaimed Lincoln Center Theater revival of The King and I returned to the London Palladium in the West End. Kelli O’Hara, Ken Watanabe and Ruthie Ann Miles all reprised their roles for the show’s fifth West End production, nominated for six Laurence Olivier Awards, including Best Musical Revival. The production … Read More
2015 Broadway Revival
On April 16, 2015, The King and I made a triumphant return to Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater’s Vivian Beaumont Theatre in a Bartlett Sher production hailed as “resplendent” by The New York Times. Starring Kelli O’Hara, who won a Tony for her portrayal of Anna Leonowens, and Ken Watanabe in his American stage debut as the King, this Award-winning … Read More
2000 West End Revival
The Australian/Broadway production returned to the London stage at the London Palladium, the same theatre where Yul Brynner performed years before and the Lincoln Center Theater production would play several years later. This highly anticipated West End production, which opened on May 3, 2000, starred Elaine Paige as Anna and Jason Scott Lee as the King, with Taewon Yi Kim … Read More
1999 Animated Film
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I was adapted into an animated family feature film released by Warner Brothers Family Entertainment on March 19, 1999. With a slightly modified story for family audiences, the movie featured Miranda Richardson as Anna Leonowens (with Christiane Noll singing for Anna) and Martin Vidnovic as the King.