By seamlessly integrating song and dance into the plotline, Oklahoma!, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first collaboration, set a new standard for the American musical when it debuted on Broadway in 1943. Praised by critics and beloved by audiences, the original production delighted Broadway for a record-setting five year run. Since first closing in 1948, Oklahoma! has enjoyed three Broadway revivals, and hundreds of regional theatres perform the musical each year.
The Department of Theatre and Dance and the Department of Music at ETSU were proud to join the legacy of theatres across the world in presenting the Pulitzer Prize winning, Oklahoma! - an American classic!
Reflections on Directing and Choreographing Oklahoma!
How Can We as Theatre Makers Offer a Fresh Perspective on What’s Been Done Many Times Before?
As director/choreographer of Oklahoma!, I am bound by the confines of the time period of the musical and therefore the style of dance required of this particular musical. I also feel bound by the legacy of the original choreographer, Agnes de Mille. I don’t want stray too far from de Mille’s pioneering vision – I feel the need to honor aspects of her work, particularly during the dream ballet at the end of the first act. After all, her work on Oklahoma! transformed the role of dance in musical theatre; her dances were able to further the storyline in ways spoken word and song could not. So, I wouldn’t dare argue against the enormous influence de Mille’s choreography of Oklahoma! has been on the development of musical theatre dance, and I feel the weight of her presence, her mark on this show.
When directing and choreographing for musical theatre, I am often working within strongly built parameters. If the musical is highly structured (like Oklahoma!), directing and choreographing something fresh and exciting can be a challenge. In the case of Oklahoma!, Agnes de Mille loomed large. But by researching the production’s vast history, taking note of how other directors and choreographers contributed to their productions of the musical (in particular Tony award winner Susan Stroman’s innovative work on the Royal National Theater’s 1999 production of Oklahoma!, which breathed new life into the musical), and then embracing the unique circumstances of our own production, the rather large shadow cast by the incomparable Agnes de Mille was managed.
Theatre makers face a myriad of issues throughout the creative process. You might not connect particularly with the script, or the space is ridiculously cramped, or the theatre can’t accommodate your amazing multimedia ideas, or you’re having a hard time getting on the same page with the costume designer or lighting designer, and so on and so on. But sometimes the biggest obstacle that stands in your way is … you. You know that voice that says, “This isn’t good enough; you are the least original person in the world; stop pretending you know what you’re doing.”
Agnes de Mille described a conversation she had with Martha Graham discussing her turmoil over why she found success in choreographing Oklahoma!, which she felt was only "fairly good” after many years of producing other works that did not get anywhere near the attention. She explained to Graham:
"I was bewildered and worried that my entire scale of values was untrustworthy... I confessed that I had a burning desire to be excellent, but no faith that I could be. Graham responded, very quietly: 'There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. ... No artist is pleased… [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.'"
(Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham 264)
The feeling de Mille describes of unworthiness coupled with a desire to produce great work is relatable on so many levels. I am comforted by Graham's advice to take solace in the “blessed unrest” that is theatre making!
Work Cited:
Mille, A.de. Martha: the Life and Work of Martha Graham. Random Century, 1992.
Photo Credit: ETSU Photographic Services and Eva Alom.
Musical Direction: Matthew Potterton
Costume Design: Karen Brewster
Scenic Design: Melissa Shafer
Lighting Design: Delbert Hall