92Y Lyrics & Lyricists Program Celebrates 75th Anniversary of OKLAHOMA! In May

"At its birth, [Oklahoma!] was to its America what Hamilton has been to ours: both an unexpected record-smashing box-office phenomenon and a reassuring portrait of our past that lifted up theatergoers at a time of great anxiety about the country's future". Frank Rich, New York Magazine

Does that still hold today?

Rodgers & Hammerstein's first collaboration wasn't just a theatrical smash hit it was a game changer. An early dismissal of the show: No jokes, no legs, no chance, couldn't have proved more wrong. Oklahoma! ushered in an entirely new kind of musical, and with it, the dawning of a new era in musical theater.

Commemorating the show's 75th anniversary Lyrics & Lyricists-style are Kerstin Anderson (My Fair Lady), Phillip Attmore (Hello, Dolly!), Jordan Donica (My Fair Lady), all making their L&L debuts, as is director Parker Esse. Additional casting is to be announced.

As Rodgers & Hammerstein's chief creative officer, L&L's Ted Chapin is uniquely positioned to entertain, explore and educate even among those who count themselves as musical theater experts. We'll be taking a deep look at the show from its unlikely creation, through its years as a staple of the repertoire, through to the various modern reinterpretations that attest to the show's continuing relevance, he comments. And of course, because this is L&L, there will be a few oddities thrown in among the show's beloved and well-known songs.

Saturday, May 4, 8 pm, Sunday, May 5, 2 pm & 7 pm, Monday, May 6, 2 pm & 7:30 pm/ Tickets from $73 (35 & Under tickets, $30). For more information visit: www.92y.org.