Character guide
Ali Hakim
from Oklahoma!
Ali Hakim is the fast talking traveling peddler caught between marriages in Oklahoma!, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's 1943 musical.
- Show
- Oklahoma!
- Broadway premiere
- 1943
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Richard Rodgers
Ali Hakim on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1955 film
Ali Hakim, the Persian peddler caught up in Ado Annie's love life, loses his only number in the 1955 film: It's a Scandal! It's a Outrage!, his comic number with the ensemble, was cut. Joseph Buloff originated the role on Broadway in 1943, and Eddie Albert played him on screen.
The rest of his comic plot survives, with James Whitmore as Ado Annie's shotgun-carrying father, Andrew Carnes, and Barbara Lawrence as Gertie Cummings. As on stage, Ali ends up losing Ado Annie to cowboy Will Parker, played in the film by Gene Nelson.
Ali Hakim: role facts
- Originated on Broadway by
- Joseph Buloff (1943)
- Notable performers
- Eddie Albert played Ali Hakim in the 1955 film, and Will Brill played him in the 2019 Broadway revival.
- Voice type and range
- Baritone
- Songs Ali Hakim sings
- It's a Scandal! It's a Outrage! (with ensemble)
Who is Ali Hakim?
Ali Hakim is a peddler who travels from farm to farm selling goods and, whenever he can manage it, flirting his way into the affections of the local women, including Ado Annie. Charming but deeply reluctant to be tied down, he spends much of the show trying to wriggle out of the marriage Annie's father expects him to make.
His comic scheming and desperate attempts to avoid commitment provide some of the show's broadest comedy, and his eventual fate closes out the Ado Annie subplot on a lighthearted note.
Ali Hakim's role in Oklahoma!
Ali Hakim is a supporting role built almost entirely around comic dialogue and stage business rather than solo songs, requiring sharp verbal timing and strong chemistry with Ado Annie and Will Parker in their shared scenes.
Joseph Buloff originated the role on Broadway, and the part remains a reliable source of laughs in productions of Oklahoma!, valued for the fast paced comic relief it provides amid the show's more serious romantic drama.
Ali Hakim: frequently asked questions
What show is Ali Hakim from?
Ali Hakim is a supporting character in Oklahoma!, which opened in 1943.
Is Ali Hakim a lead or supporting role?
Ali Hakim is a supporting role.
Who wrote the music for Oklahoma!?
Richard Rodgers composed the music, with lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II.
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