The First Light of the Golden Age of the American Musical: O
klahoma!
9743043Stella
Oklahoma!
• Richard Rodgers (composer) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyricist): the most consistently fruitful and successful partnership
Carousel, South Pacific The King and I The Sound of Music
Other works:
• Written in 1943• The longest running
Broadway musical of its time, a record it held for fifteen years
• Over 30,000 productions worldwide in more than a dozen languages.
Story of Oklahoma!
• Curly & Laurey: A couple do not admit their love to each other• Jud Frey: intervene between Curly& La
urey • Will & Ado Annie & Ali Hakim• Aunt Eller: provide wisdom, respectab
le
Golden Age of the American Musical
• 1940s~1960s• Background: 1929 Stock Market
Crash, Great Depression, Entrance to WWII
• Get rid of the influence of traditional European operetta• Try to form their own American style musical: Show Boat
Show Boat" was the first musical to include show-within-a show numbers
Early Musical form
• Opening chorus :young and beautiful girls dress in well designed costume
Ziegfeld Follies
• Opening songs and dances: no special meaning and not relate to the story
0:33~1:35 2:16~3:25http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=
player_embedded&v=BjExqlkld3k#! 5:08~6:00http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=
player_embedded&v=FyGhmbfd7rY#! • Clear line between dance and drama• Songs and dances: lack of characteristics, emo
tion
Reform
• Oscar Hammerstein II : treat the subject frankly
• Innovation and challenge,
unlimited : more elements the directions
can use to tell story• Integration of song,
dance, character and plot
Song
• The songs must delving into characters and advancing the plot
• Oklahoma! : remove the opening chorus replaced by the solo of Curly “Oh What a Beautiful Morning”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNEUtN21cuU
• With the description of the golden dewdrop on the meadow and followed by a series of description of the scenes : lead audience in to the world on the stage
Dance
• The early dance was only the combination of a set of fix steps
• tell the audiences what can not told in lyrics and songs by body movement
• Advance the plot not only show the movements
• The ballet in Laurey’s dream: her marriage to Curly is interrupted by Jud knocking Curly unconscious and carrying her off
• Dream: the inner world of Laurey-DVD
• The ballet provides a dreamlike non-reality and the music accomplished through a seemingly irrational medley of various tunes from the show: “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” and other songs
• Reality and non-reality: predict at least one possible outcome
American: National Identity
• Distraction from the hard life: playful and hopeful songs
• The people in Oklahoma! overcome difficulties and adversities: confidence and strength to help rebuild a world ravaged by years of war
• “we know we belong to the land and the land we belong to is grand”: it conveys the concept of national identification
• “Oklahoma, ok”: “the State of O.K.” →”the state of okay” Bad thing will pass and everything will be fin
e• Oklahoma! 1:06http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
mrDVzbeDzRk
Thank you……