Oklahoma! was the first Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, marking the beginning not only of the modern American musical, but also the beginning of the most successful musical partnership in Broadway history.
The original production opened on March 31, 1943 at the St. James Theater in New York, and closed five years later on May 29, 1948.
It was revived on Broadway in 1951, playing from May 29 to July 28 at the Broadway theatre, and from December 13, 1979 to August 24, 1980 at the Palace Theatre.
The most recent Broadway revival, which played from March 21, 2002 to February 23, 2003 at the Gershwin Theatre was based on the hit London revival, which played at the Royal National Theatre’s Olivier Theatre from July 15 to October 3, 1998, and transferred to the Lyceum Theatre in London from January 20 to June 26, 1999.
The show can be seen in amateur and regional productions all over the country.