University of Oklahoma vs. Rice

Back in the days when poverty was a necessity, writers like John Steinbeck brought us tales of brave men and women not too proud to wear ragged clothes and eat their pets. Here were no sour grapes, but a simple determination to live off the land, wherever the wind might blow it. With the advent of Rodgers and Hammerstein, the theatre was exposed to a musical version of life when men were harder and Indians ran wild in "Oklahoma."

The curtain opens to a scene from the western Indian country, at the turn of the century. Curley is coming to visit his girlfriend Laurey to invite her to a social. Laurey is playing hard to get, and decides to go with Moe instead. In the second act, Curley, Laurey, and Moe are bidding for Laurey's box. Curley ultimately wins, and he goes offstage with Laurey to eat his prize. Moe is left to sing the Rodgers and Hammerstein hit "I Got Plenty of Nuttin'"

The romance of Curley and Laurey develops quickly. Curley gets a job as a missionary with the Indians, and Laurey wants to help him with his missionary position. Soon, they are forced to get married when she discovers she is late. In this moving scene, she sings Rodgers and Hammerstein's hit "Get Me to the Church in Time."

Laurey's father, Menachem, laments that he is unable to give his daughter the kind of wedding he would like. He had become wealthy by most standards by making undergarments out of the Oklahoma dirt, which he called Fruit of the Loam. Here we see Menachem beggin' for a better lot in life as he sings Rodgers and Hammerstein's hit "If I Were a Rich Man."

In the final scene of the musical, one must wonder whatever made the production so popular, until you discover that Curley and Laurey are going off into the promised land, to make a start in life with opportunities and riches and dreams untold. As they ride off into the sunset, the air is filled with Rodgers and Hammerstein's most famous number... well, let's see if you recognize it!