Forty years ago, in March 1983, I developed a mild obsession with Oklahoma that continued until I stopped working almost eight years ago.
Forty years ago the New York Mercantile Exchange launched a crude oil futures market with physical delivery of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) at Cushing, Oklahoma.
Ninety-two years ago, in March 1931, a play closed on Broadway: Green Grow the Lilacs. An event of little significance except it provided the basis for the first collaboration between Rodgers and Hammerstein, the former composing the music and the latter writing the lyrics and the words.
Eighty years ago, in March 1943, Oklahoma! opened on Broadway. Yesterday I went to a London revival of this old warhorse of a musical. I hadn’t seen it since Trevor Nunn’s 1998 production and had forgotten most of the plot. This new production is a good, very good, psycho-drama concentrating on exploring the characters on an almost bare stage with a set looking like it came from IKEA. It is powerful stuff and I had some bad dreams last night. There is no ‘corn high as an elephant’s eye’. This is a community remote and self-dependent, not even part of the United States. The play and musical are set in Indian Territory in 1906 in what became the US State of Oklahoma in 1907.
Lynn Riggs was born in 1899 in Indian Territory. His mother was one eighth Cherokee and as a child he was given an allotment of Cherokee territory that provided an income until he became established as a writer. He is the man who wrote Green Grow the Lilacs and he knew his subject. It might be going too far to say the play and the musical represent the development of the American Midwest at the turn of the century with competing interests of cowboys and farmers (The Farmer and the Cowman in Oklahoma!) and personal jealousies and rivalries but, what the heck, I’ve just said it. It is, however, beyond doubt that it is a ground-breaking, landmark musical exploring serious themes in ways hitherto the domain of opera and the current London revival emphasises this.
I have never been to Oklahoma and nor have I seen the musical (clearly I should). But 50 years ago on this day I was granted a commission at Sandhurst. The Sovereign’s Parade was taken by Field Marshal Carver who served with distinction in the Second World War, commanding a brigade in Normandy at the extraordinarily young age of 29. Our Commandant and College Commander also fought in Normandy as junior officers. They were remote figures to us cadets, unlike our ever-present drill sergeants Piggy Barnes and Corky Bowskill who struck terror in our hearts.
1973 was a different era as the Army came to terms with conflict in Northern Ireland (one of our captain instructors was at Bloody Sunday) after years of colonial soldiering. But then it was a long time ago. A few of us our celebrating over dinner this evening though two have just pulled out, one after a hunting accident and the other having missed his flight from north east India. That’s the spirit!
I found it rather less wonderful than you. In particular, I could not see the relevance of dance sequence after the interval and and thought the quality of the dance itself lamentable. Any views?
I too thought the dance sequence an unnecessary distraction but a 15 minute ballet is in the original. It depicts Laurey, under the influence of laudanum, dreaming about which man she should marry and foreshadows Jud’s death later.
The smoke and use of a Ciné camera were other irritating distractions.