Broadway

The other night I attended a dinner/theater production at my church called Broadway Bound. It was outstanding. Almost everything my church does is over the top good. Why?

Excellence attracts excellence - and, of course, the motivation is the highest.

The music was mostly from three old time Broadway musicals, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady and Oklahoma.

Of the three, Oklahoma is my favorite. It is the quintessential American musical. It changed the way musicals were done.

Produced in 1943, Oklahoma was the first musical to tell a story. Prior to that musicals had little or no plot. Oklahoma was a love story full of realism and tragedy.

Prior to Oklahoma the concept of a dream ballet was completely unheard of.

Oklahoma ran for over five years on Broadway and broke all records up to that time.

Many years ago I heard lyricist and composer Sylvia Fine speak. (She was also the wife of Danny Kaye.) She told this story about Oklahoma.

A few years after World War II the America company of Oklahoma appeared in London. The show was already well known in Europe by then. All of London was still feeling deeply moved by what the Americans had done in the war. When the play was over there was thunderous applause and then the London theater goers continued to thank the American Oklahoma performers by singing the entire score back to them.

Oklahoma is America - and it's my second favorite Broadway musical.


***