Day Sixteen: Oklahoma!

Today's post is a musical from my least favorite composer(s). For me, I have serious issues with the classic duo Rogers and Hammerstein. I'm not a big fan of them for some reason. (There are a couple of musicals I can tolerate, however.) And the musical I chose to represent that is one of least favorite out of their works.

So I'll try to give a synopsis of the show. In Oklahoma during 1906, cowboy Curly McLain is in a good mood today and wanders into farm girl Laurey Williams' yard. He and Laurey tease each other, while Laurey's Aunt Eller looks away. There's a dance that night, and during it is an auction of lunch baskets made by the local girls to raise money for the schoolhouse. Whoever wins a lunch basket gets to eat the lunch with the girl who made it. Curly asks Laurey to go with him, but she tells him he waited too long. He persuades her by telling her he'll bring her in the finest carriage money can buy, but she thinks he's kidding, much to her dismay that he really did rent a carriage.

The lonely and disturbed farm hand Jud Fry has become obsessed with Laurey and asks her to the dance. She accepts to spite Curly, even though she is afraid of Jud. Meanwhile, cowboy Will Parker has just come back from his visit to modern Kansas City. He won $50 at a fair, which is how much his girlfriend's father, Andrew Carnes, is demanding if he wants to marry Ado Annie, his girlfriend. Unfortunately, he spent the money on buying gifts for her. Will also purchased a "Little Wonder" (a metal tube used for looking at pictures but with a hidden blade) for Ado Annie's father, unaware with its deadly secret.

Later, Ado Annie confesses to Laurey that she has been spending a lot of time with Ali Hakim, a Persian peddler. Laurey tells her she'll have to choose between the two, but Annie insists she loves them both. Laurey and her friends prepare for the dance, while Gertie Cummings flirts with Curly (she has an obnoxious laugh that Laurey instantly becomes annoyed by). Laurey tells her friends she doesn't really care about Curly.

Andrew Carnes, Annie's father, finds Annie with Ali Hakim. After questioning her about their relationship, Carnes forces Hakim to agree to marry Annie at gunpoint. Hakim thinks about the unfairness of the situation with the other guys. Curly discovers that Laurey is going to the dance with Jud and tries to convince her to with him instead. Scared to tell Jud she won't go with him, she tries to convince Curly (and herself) that she doesn't love him.

Hurt by her refusal, Curly goes to the smokehouse, where Jud lives, to go talk to him. Curly tries to convince Jud that since he isn't appreciated, he could hang himself, and the townsfolk would realize how much they really did care about him. Their chat ends up turning into a confrontation about Laurey. After Curly leaves, Jud vows to woo Laurey and to even make her his bride.

Confused between her fear of Jud and her feelings for Curly, she buys a "magic potion" (it's really a bottle of smelling salts) from Hakim, which he guarantees it will reveal her true love. She muses on leaving her dreams of love behind and joining the man she loves, then falls asleep under the influence of the laudanum (which was in the mixture). Laurey first dreams of what her marriage to Curly would be like, but then her dream takes a nightmarish turn when Jud appears and kills Curly. She cannot escape him, confused by her desires. The dream makes her realize that Curly is the right man for her, but it's too late for her to change her mind about going to the dance with Jud; he's already arrived and they leave for the dance.

At the dance, while the partygoers dance to an upbeat square dance, the rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys over fences and water rights has led to fighting, until Aunt Eller ends by firing a gun to quiet everyone. Laurey becomes upset seeing Curly arriving at the dance with Gertie. Attempting to get out of the Annie mess, Ali Hakim buys Will's souvenirs from Kansas City for $50. Jud buys the "Little Wonder," knowing of the secret blade inside.

The auction starts and Will bets $50, forgetting he will lose the money Annie's father demands if Will wants Annie's hand in marriage. Desperate, Hakim bets $51 so Will can keep the money and "buy" Annie's marriage. The auction becomes much more serious when Laurey's basket is offered. Several of the men in town bid in order to save Laurey from Jud, but he save every penny he owned and continued. Curly and Jud go into an auction war, which Curly wins by selling his saddle, his horse and even his gun. Jud stealthily tries to kill Curly with the "Little Wonder" but Aunt Eller (who knows what's happening) intervenes by asking Curly for a dance, foiling the plan. Later that night, Will and Annie work out their relationship, as long as she promises not to flirt with other guys.

Jud confronts Laurey and confesses his feelings for her. When she admits she doesn't feel the same way, Jud threatens her. She then fires him as her farm hand and tells him to get off of her property. He furiously threatens Laurey before departing; Laurey fears for her life and calls for Curly. Curly, after finding out what Laurey did, realizes that she came to him for protection and guidance, reassures her and proposes marriage, which she accepts. Curly then realizes he must be a farmer. Hakim decides to leave the territory and tells Annie that Will is the guy she wants to marry.

Three weeks later, Laurey and Curly marry and the entire town is in celebration. During the celebration, Hakim returns to town with his new wife, Gertie, whom he unwillingly married after her father threatened him with a shotgun. A drunk Jud reappears in town and attacks Curly with a knife. As Curly dodges a stabbing attempt, Jud falls on his own knife and dies. The town has a makeshift trial for Curly, who has to leave on his honeymoon. The judge, Andrew Carnes, declares him "Not Guilty!" and Curly and Laurey leave for their honeymoon.

Here's a song, from the movie version, "People Will Say We're In Love," sung by Shirley Jones (Laurey) and Gordon McRae (Curly)(this is when she tries to convince him and herself that she doesn't love him).