Character guide
Laurey Williams
from Oklahoma!
Laurey Williams is the independent minded young farm woman at the heart of Oklahoma!, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's 1943 musical.
- Show
- Oklahoma!
- Broadway premiere
- 1943
- Role
- Lead
- Music by
- Richard Rodgers
Laurey Williams on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1955 film
Laurey was Shirley Jones's film debut: she played her in the 1955 film opposite Gordon MacRae, while Joan Roberts originated the role on Broadway in 1943. In both versions a dancer takes over Laurey in the dream ballet that follows Out of My Dreams and plays out her fears about Curly and Jud: Katharine Sergava danced Dream Laurey opposite Marc Platt on Broadway, and Bambi Linn danced her opposite James Mitchell on film.
The film's climax puts Laurey in more physical danger. After the wedding, Jud sets fire to the haystack where she and Curly are standing, a nod to the source play Green Grow the Lilacs; on stage, Jud simply attacks Curly with a knife.
Who is Laurey Williams?
Laurey lives on a farm in the Oklahoma Territory at the turn of the twentieth century with her Aunt Eller, and she finds herself pulled between two very different suitors, the confident cowboy Curly McLain and the brooding, threatening farmhand Jud Fry. Proud and unwilling to be pushed into anything, she resists Curly's advances even as her feelings for him grow.
Laurey's decision about which man to accept becomes tangled with real danger once Jud's obsession with her turns menacing, and her journey through fear, desire, and self determination sits at the emotional center of the show's blend of romance and darkness.
Laurey's role in Oklahoma!
Laurey is a lead role requiring a legitimate soprano voice for numbers such as Many a New Day and the extended People Will Say We're in Love, as well as strong dramatic and, in the original production, dance ability for the famous dream ballet built around her character.
Joan Roberts originated the role on Broadway in 1943, and Laurey has remained a foundational ingenue role in the American musical theatre canon, prized for combining old fashioned romantic charm with real psychological depth.
Laurey Williams: frequently asked questions
What show is Laurey Williams from?
Laurey Williams is a lead character in Oklahoma!, which opened in 1943.
Is Laurey Williams a lead or supporting role?
Laurey Williams is a lead role.
Who wrote the music for Oklahoma!?
Richard Rodgers composed the music, with lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II.
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