Customer Reviews

Oklahoma! (Original 1943 Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Over the last nearly sixty years, the musical Oklahoma has been ground into our psyche and has become a part of our culture. It opened on Broadway in 1943 and the musical theatre has never been the same. Oklahoma set many "firsts" in the musical theatre, and the original cast album was one of them. When the Original Cast Album of Oklahoma was first released in 1943 in conjunction with the Show's opening, it was the first "complete" cast album ever recorded. Bits and pieces of other shows had been recorded for decades (and even some entire shows sung to piano accompaniment), but this marked the first time the entire cast and orchestra went into the recording studio to record the show's songs. And, ever since that time nearly 60 years ago, this recording of Oklahoma has never gone out of print.

The Original Cast Recording was so extremely popular that the cast reunited the following year to record "Volume 2" of the Original Cast Album, which contained 3 songs left out of the first album.

The original recording was released as a set of 78 RPM records in 1943. Volume 2 was released a year later, but when the set was transferred to LP several years later, Volume 2 was left out and remained thus for decades. The entire contents of both volumes have been included in proper order for the CD release.

Okay, enough blabbing now. To the point, this is definately the Oklahoma recording of choice. With Alfred Drake as Curly, Joan Roberts as Laurey, and Celeste Holm as Ado Annie, this album is not to be surpassed. They all give stellar performances. With many cast albums to follow, songs had to be truncated and/or sped up to fit the limited playing time of a 78 RPM side. That is not the case here. There are a few cuts, but these are not major and the score does not sound rushed by any means. Sound quality is also great. While quality is beginning to show the considerable age of the recording, it does not get in the way of the listening experience. I would not recommend any recording of Oklahoma over this one. It is THE BEST and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Buy it, at the very least for its historical significance.

Among the many innovations Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" brought to the musical theatre was the practice of taking the entire original cast into a recording studio to record the songs from the show with the original orchestrations as conducted by the original conductor. Musical theatre fans like myself are forever grateful for the invention of the original cast album that this show brought on.

But there are many other reasons why you should buy this recording besides its historical significance. This recording captures the groundbreaking show as it first sounded to audiences back in 1943, and it certainly rings with energy, heart, and obvious love and admiration. The great Robert Russell Bennett's orchestrations are still magnificent, but what especially distinguishes this album is the wonderful performances by the cast. Alfred Drake certainly gives Gordon MacRae from the 1955 film a run for his money as the definitive Curly; he has lots of energy and comic timing, and what a voice! Joan Roberts is a feisty Laurey, Lee Dixon is a fine Will Parker, and Celeste Holm, in her musical debut as Ado Annie, is completely charming. The supporting cast right down to the chorus is all first-rate, with the exception of Howard da Silva's strident Jud Fry. (It's just as well Drake recorded Jud's beautiful solo, "Lonely Room," as I doubt da Silva's version would have done it justice) By the way, though many of the stars are indeed not really known today, many of them did go on to great careers after this show; Drake was the original Fred in "Kiss Me Kate" and Hajj in "Kismet," among several other musical roles, and even tried his hand at Shakespeare, playing King Claudius in "Hamlet;" da Silva played Benjamin Franklin in the stage and screen versions of the musical "1776;" and Holm, of course, went on to a very rewarding career in theatre, movies, and television.

This recording still sounds as fresh and exciting as it must have been back in 1943. More modern recordings give you stereo sound and more complete readings of this classic score, which is certainly not a bad thing, but this recording is not only historicaly significant, but a valuable record of a great show as it first sounded.

OKLAHOMA! was the first of the mega-musicals running through several seasons on Broadway and spinning off multiple touring companies.

Decca recorded the original Broadway cast in 12 selctions and issued the 6-record 78 RPM set in December 1943. That set sold so well that in 1945 they issued a second album containing 3 selections left off the first set. When it was transferred to LP in 1949, however, only the first album was included and for the next 40 years that is how the album of OKLAHIOMA! remained - missing the additional 3 selections.

In 1993 to mark the 50th anniversary of the musical MCA went back to the original masters and lovingly restored the entire score for this CD issue. The sound is glorious: Far better than any previous edition. It's in mono, but of such high fidelity that the listener will not mind at all.

It's the performances that make this album such a fascinating document: This is how the show sounded when it was setting a new standard by which all subsequent shows would be judged. Later casts often try too hard to either mimic the originals, or they go too far in the opposite direction.

In order to fit the songs on the early records some minor trims had to be made but these do not seriously detract fom the recording. If fact they work to ensure that no single song out-stays its welcome.

The CD comes with excellent backgroudn notes on the production, and colour reproductions of both original album covers.

Anyone building a library of original cast recordings would do well to start with this disc.

If i had had the chance i would have awarded this cast recording four and a half stars. In many ways Oklahoma is one of my favorite cast albums-i love the light melodic music of most of the songs and honestly feel that this is one of Hammerstein's best efforts as a lyricist. Several of the songs are very, very good, indeed i would go so far as to call them masterpieces. People Will Say We're in Love, with its beautiful flowing melody and rich romantic feeling is one of these highlights. Laurie's other musical moments, Many A New Day and Out Of My Dreams are also very pretty. The soaring captivating title song is also among my favorites. For comic relief i would reccomend Kansas City, The Surrey with a Fringe on The Top and All Or Nuthin. These songs all capture the light, merry, american(in a very positive way) feeling of the piece especially. Oklahoma is without doubt one of the landmarks of the Broadway stage and deserves its place as one of the greatest American musicals. The reason i only gave it four stars is because this particular recording does not do justice to the piece. The stars are all exceptionally talented and the sound quality for such an early recording is not bad, but large sections of instrumental music, ( where for instance is the music from the legendary ballets?) and portions of the songs seem to have been cut. It is a very brief recording, in some ways it seems abrupt and rushed. Also, while i find it highly enjoyable, i must admit that it is in my opinion the least immpressive of Rodgers and Hammerstein's four greatest hits. It is a very positive beginning, but it lacks the soaring romantic power of South Pacific, the wonderful sophistication of The King and I, and the pure genius of R+H's masterpiece, The Sound Of Music. This however, does not mean that i do not reccomend it, indeed i believe that no musical collection is complete without it and this recording is excellent place to start exploring Oklahoma. It has a very historical feeling to it which is another reason why it is a must have for any serious musical fan.

The first Broadway musical to truly capture itself on record, you need to own this recording for the history and the performances alone--Alfred Drake, Joan Roberts, and Celeste Holm (among others) are more than worth it. That said, the recording itself is less than ideal--it was cobbled together from at least two recordings of the songs, and sounds like it. Plus, due to the recording standards of the day, there are a number of significant cuts and some oddities--Alfred Drake singing "Lonely Room," which he never sang onstage, for example. Nonetheless, it's great to have the score preserved by its great original cast, and for all its problems, it should be in everyone's collection.

First recorded by Decca as a set of 78 RPM records in 1943, this recording of OKLAHOMA! catches the show when it was fresh and new. This excellent CD transfer offers us a chance to really hear it. On 78's musch of the music was oblitereated by surface noise. On LP three songs were missing. Now, the whole musical program - in proper theatrical order - has been transferred to CD with the greatest of care. The excellent liner notes provide the background and historical context. But it is the music that counts. Close your eyes and journey back to a time when the world was at war and OKLAHOMA! blew into Broadway as breath of fresh air reaffirming the values that the country was fighting to preserve.

Some listeners have questioned why the dance music was not included. These recordings were made for 78-rpm records from the pre-Lp era, and each side was limited to about 3 1/2 minutes, so the dance music (and sometimes verses of songs) had to be cut to make the music fit. Notice that halfway through "The Farmer and the Cowman" the number seems to end, the start up again. This is where the original record had to be flipped. This was state of the art in 1943.

As usual, there's not much I can add to Arne Andersen and Tommy Peter's reviews. "Oklahoma!" is a classic and this is the best cast it ever had. Alfred Drake, Joan Roberts, Celeste Holm, they're all winners. While the recording is showing its considerable age, no one has done it better. Unlike many of the cast albums to follow on 78 rpm, most of the songs are intact and are true to their original stage version. I would not recommend any recording of "Oklahoma!" over this one. It's the first and the best.

Although recorded in 1943 on 78 rpm disks,the original cast imbue their performances with such sincerity and excitement that this is still the interpretation to beat. Orchestrations are equally exciting - this was the "first" Original Broadway Cast recording. A bonus here is the addition of four sides originally released in a volume 2 of the show that appear here for the first time since 1944. A milestone moment in the American Musical Theatre recorded here with all of the wonder that made it great!

Oklahoma is a must if you like the good old Broadway sound. I think it is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's best works. This recording is also held up by the classic Broadway voice of Afred Drake. The songs are all classics but they move slow and after a little while they all just start sounding the same. The main drawback to this recording is the recording its self. Since it was made in 1943 the techonology was lacking so it sounds like you are listening to an old record. Still it is a must for all broadway fans.

The Amazon review would have you believe that the cast, outside of Celeste Holm, is largely forgotten. There are many who will forget Alfred Drake only when Ethel Merman, Julie Andrews, Gwen Verdon, John Raitt, and Richard Kiley are forgotten as well. It's like saying that one of the 5 first inductees in the Baseball Hall of Fame is not well known. Drake is a first round Broadway Hall of Famer.