Character guide
Ado Annie Carnes
from Oklahoma!
Ado Annie Carnes is the good natured, boy crazy comic character in Oklahoma!, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's 1943 musical.
- Show
- Oklahoma!
- Broadway premiere
- 1943
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Richard Rodgers
Ado Annie Carnes on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1955 film
Celeste Holm originated Ado Annie Carnes on Broadway in 1943, and Gloria Grahame played her in the 1955 film, opposite Gene Nelson as Will Parker and Eddie Albert as the Persian peddler Ali Hakim, with James Whitmore as her father, Andrew Carnes.
Ado Annie keeps both of her songs on screen, I Cain't Say No and her duet with Will, All Er Nuthin', but the love triangle around her loses some music: Ali Hakim's comic number It's a Scandal! It's a Outrage! was cut from the film, along with Jud's solo Lonely Room.
Ado Annie Carnes: role facts
- Originated on Broadway by
- Celeste Holm (1943)
- Notable performers
- Gloria Grahame played Ado Annie in the 1955 film, and Ali Stroker won the 2019 Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in the Broadway revival.
- Voice type and range
- Mezzo-soprano (belt)
- Songs Ado Annie Carnes sings
- I Cain't Say No (solo)
- The Farmer and the Cowman (with company)
- All Er Nuthin' (with Will Parker)
Who is Ado Annie Carnes?
Ado Annie is Laurey's friend, a cheerfully indecisive young woman who cannot bring herself to choose between suitors and openly admits she has trouble saying no to men's attention. Her comic subplot, torn between the cowboy Will Parker and the traveling peddler Ali Hakim, provides a lighthearted counterpoint to Laurey and Curly's more fraught romance.
Her frank, unembarrassed honesty about her own desires was considered daring for its time, and she remains one of musical theatre's most beloved comic characters for her guilelessness and warmth.
Ado Annie's role in Oklahoma!
Ado Annie is a supporting role built around the comic showstopper I Cain't Say No, which requires sharp comic timing and a belting voice, along with strong ensemble work in numbers involving Will Parker and Ali Hakim.
Celeste Holm originated the role on Broadway, and the part has become one of the great comic supporting roles in the canon, a favorite for performers who can land big laughs while keeping the character's warmth intact.
Ado Annie Carnes: frequently asked questions
What show is Ado Annie Carnes from?
Ado Annie Carnes is a supporting character in Oklahoma!, which opened in 1943.
Is Ado Annie Carnes a lead or supporting role?
Ado Annie Carnes is a supporting role.
Who wrote the music for Oklahoma!?
Richard Rodgers composed the music, with lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II.
Think you can name today's mystery character in eight guesses?
Play today's Character Guesser