Oklahoma! the Musical Play
Oklahoma! the Musical
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein turned Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs, into the musical, Oklahoma! The musical is set in Claremore, a small farming town in present day Oklahoma. The story follows Laurey Williams and her two suitors, the cowboy Curly McLain and the farmhand Jud Fry. The musical explores important themes such as relationships, commitments, and violence.
Why is it so Revolutionary?
Oklahoma! was different from anything seen on Broadway previously. It successfully integrated music, dance, lyrics, and dialogue to effectively develop the characters and a create a dimensional plot. Each of these aspects advanced the cohesive story. The musical includes well-known scores such as "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" and "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" that develop the personalities and relationships between characters.
(Curly and Laurey sing "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top")
The musical also explored sexual issues and risqué topics that hadn't been explored much in theater at the time. This inlcuded events for bidding on dates with women (The Box Social), sexual desires and interactions between men and women, and interest in pornographic material.(Women dolling themselves up for the Box Social)
The Character of Ado Annie
Ado Annie Carnes is one of the female leads in Oklahoma! She is a playful, "boy-crazy" character who has just discovered all that comes along with being an attractive young woman. Much like Laurey, Ado has two male suitors - the traveling peddler, Ali Hakim and a cowboy, Will Parker. Although Will is madly in love with her and would give all he has to be with her, she is very intrigued with Ali, regardless of the fact that he only shows interest in her good looks. When asked who she likes more she says, "whoever i'm with", which displays her inability to decipher love from lust. She portrays many of the relationship challenges and self-discoveries a young girl faces when coming into womanhood.
"I Cain't Say No"
Ado Annie sings "I Cain't Say No" in the first act of Oklahoma! It describes her "sexual awakening" and the challenges that it has brought her. Although she is promised to Will, she "can't say no" to the advances of other men, such as Ali, who give her attention. Even though she knows it isn't right, when men "talk purty" to her and shower her with compliments she just can't resist them. She finds it hard to act like a young lady, and instead lets desires and flattery get the best of her.
(Ado sings "I Cain't Say No" to Laurey)
Lyrics that especially help develop Ado Annie's flirtatious character:
"I'm just a fool when lights are lowI cain't be prissy an' quaintI ain't the type that can faintHow can I be what I ain'tI cain't say no"
"Watcha gonna do when a feller gets flirtyAnd starts to talk purtyWhatcha gonna do?Supposin that he saysYour lips are like cherriesOr roses or berriesWhatcha gonna do?"
Ado Annie and Will Parker:
Ado Annie and Will Parker sing the song "All er Nothin'" towards the end of the second act. He is critical of her flirtatious personality and demands that she fully commit to him like he is willing to do for her. He suggests that she "be a little more standoffish" towards other men and realize that he has given up a lot for her such as drinking, gambling, and shenanigans. She responds to his request with witty remarks such as "I was faithful as c'n be, fer me" and "no use waitin' up fer me" which display her flirtatious nature which may not be able to be toned down.
Hey Audrey! I really like your blog post, it's very organized and I like the visuals a lot. I also like how you brought up themes of sexual issues and desires; I hadn't thought about those and how they were important themes to the musical! I think Ado Annie's character is very interesting because she seems independent with the fact that she can't settle down, yet also reflects ideas of misogyny, such as singing about not being able to say no to men. I think that this shows the attempts made by Hammerstein and Rodgers to be more progressive than what was usual at the time, but that obviously being progressive at the time was still what would be considered sexist today.
ReplyDeleteWhile "Oklahoma!" broke new ground in its integration of music, dance, and story, it is important to note that the representation of women in the musical is not without its flaws. Ado Annie, in particular, is portrayed as a flirtatious, indecisive character who struggles to choose between her two male suitors. While this may be seen as a reflection of the time in which the musical was written, it perpetuates harmful stereotypes about women and their supposed inability to make decisions or control their own desires.
ReplyDeleteIt is also troubling that Ado Annie's sexual awakening is depicted as something to be ashamed of or controlled. The lyrics to "I Cain't Say No" imply that Ado Annie is weak-willed and easily swayed by the attention of men, rather than being a confident and empowered woman who is in control of her own sexuality.
It is important to critically examine the ways in which popular culture perpetuates harmful stereotypes and reinforces unequal power dynamics. While "Oklahoma!" may have been groundbreaking in some respects, it is important to acknowledge its limitations and to strive for more nuanced and empowering representations of women in media.