Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! comes to cinemas this July

Oh, what a beautiful day! This July, the magic and energy of live theatre is coming to cinemas around the globe with the National Theatre’s acclaimed, Olivier Award-winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Starring then-newcomer Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables, The Greatest Showman) as Curly, alongside Maureen Lipman, Josefina Gabrielle and Shuler Hensley, this riveting stage production was filmed during its record-breaking 1998 run in London.

Directed by theatre legend Trevor Nunn (CATS, Les Misérables) with new choreography by Susan Stroman, Oklahoma! features some of musical theatre’s most delightfully hummable songs, including “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top” and the joyous title tune, “Oklahoma.” Now one of the most beloved musicals ever to grace the stage is coming to the big screen 80 years after it first premiered on Broadway.

This 1998 production features a new Dream Ballet composed for Susan Stroman’s choreography, and the dances to “Kansas City”, “Many a New Day” and “The Farmer and the Cowman” were all redesigned. The production received numerous Olivier Award nominations, winning for Outstanding Musical Production, supporting actor (Hensley), set design (Anthony Ward) and choreography (Stroman).

Oklahoma! is the first musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs’ 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain and the sinister and frightening farmhand Jud Fry.

The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943. It was a box office hit and ran for an unprecedented 2,212 performances, later enjoying award-winning revivals, national tours, foreign productions and an Oscar-winning 1955 film adaptation. 

Grab your friends and ride your surrey to a cinema near you! Visit oklahomaincinemas.com to learn more.