“Oklahoma!” is Getting a Modern-Day Twist

Amy Ellen Richardson, Rebecca Sutherland, and Natalie Casey in "Oklahoma!" musical at the Chichester Festival Theatre, Britain in 2009. Photo by Geraint Lewis/REX/Shutterstock (954201q)

Oh, what a beautiful idea!

What would Oklahoma! be like in this day and age? We’re about to find out! Plans have been announced to turn the iconic musical, which is set in the early 1900s, into a television series during the present day.

Having first opened on Broadway in 1943, the musical has spawned three revivals, as well as a movie in 1955.

The small screen adaptation is expected to feature the songs we have come to love and associate with the cowboy caboodle, such as “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”, “People Say We’re in Love”, and the titular, “Oklahoma”.

The project is being arranged by The Rogers & Hammerstein Organisation, in collaboration with Skydance Television.

Oklahoma!’s artistically revolutionary position in American culture has both kept it at the forefront of theatrical performances and allowed for various new innovations,” said Chief Creative Officer of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organisation, Ted Chaplin. “This first-time ever television series will expand on the life of this remarkably resilient show.”

Although the cast has yet to be announced, the series has already brought Bekah Brunstetter of This Is Us and John Lee Hancock from The Blind Side onboard to write the script, with the letter assuming directing duties for the first episode.

It’s all er nuthin’!