1.2 Oklahoma!

The Gospel of Musical Theatre

This week, we launch our Season 1 tour through some of the major musicals of Richard Rodgers (1902-79) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1865-1965), who are often credited with pioneering the “integrated musical” that largely defined the great musicals of the mid-20th century.

In Oklahoma! (1943), we talk about:

• Definitions of “the land” and who occupies it
• The cultural impact that Oklahoma! had, and how it reinvented the Broadway musical
• The hidden history of Oklahoma, “Indian Territory,” and the queerer, darker history of what lies underneath the surface of a deliberately white-washed world
• Rene Girard, James Allison, and the theological underpinnings of the scapegoating narrative

Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter, and follow the Gospel of Musical Theatre on Instagram or Twitter @gospelofmt!