Oklahoma!: When the Dark Comes Right Behind the Song
Initially, Oklahoma! seems like a happy, bouncy musical about lovely Laurie and her cute cowboy Curly, however it has much darker undertones. Suicide, forced relationships, and death overall are all included in this “cheerful” show. These twisted themes are presented several times throughout the musical, but are particularly visible in the songs “Pore Jud is Daid” and “Lonely Room.” Between the two of them, the songs feature our big strong cowboy Curly suggesting suicide and the monster that is Jud being briefly humanized, before demonizing himself once again.
Keeping with the order the songs are presented in the show, the first one to look at is “Pore Jud is Daid.” Our hero Curly seems …show more content…
Is the song “Lonely Room,” performed by Jud shortly after his duet with Curly. Jud sings about the sadness of living alone and unwanted in the smokehouse. The man that Curly had just tried to present as a monster who deserved to die, shows intense vulnerability and depression. While everyone else sings happy songs of love and adventure, Jud sings of loneliness, isolation, and a slight hint of self-loathing. Jud sings of how he dreams of living happily with a beautiful girl by his side, no longer alone in the smokehouse with various vermin. However, this song doesn’t just show us a moment of Jud’s vulnerability; it shows us his breaking point. Right when the monster seems to be a man, he shows once again how he is the villain. Jud sings about no longer waiting alone for the life he wants to come to him, instead he is going to go out and take …show more content…
features many moments of excitement, love, and laughter, but it also contains several darker scenes. Many of these feature Jud, the farmhand meant to be portrayed as the villain. Though he is given a brief moment of weakness and humanity, Jud is shown in the moments of darkness as if he himself is the dark in the show. Curly sings of how Jud should off himself in “Pore Jud is Daid” and Jud sings of how he is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his own goals in “Lonely Room.” These scenes starkly contrast the normally cheerful show and add to it an additional layer beyond your standard love story. In conclusion, though the darker moments may not seem to fit in general feel of the show they give to it depth and serve to make the bright even
Initially, Oklahoma! seems like a happy, bouncy musical about lovely Laurie and her cute cowboy Curly, however it has much darker undertones. Suicide, forced relationships, and death overall are all included in this “cheerful” show. These twisted themes are presented several times throughout the musical, but are particularly visible in the songs “Pore Jud is Daid” and “Lonely Room.” Between the two of them, the songs feature our big strong cowboy Curly suggesting suicide and the monster that is Jud being briefly humanized, before demonizing himself once again.
Keeping with the order the songs are presented in the show, the first one to look at is “Pore Jud is Daid.” Our hero Curly seems …show more content…
Is the song “Lonely Room,” performed by Jud shortly after his duet with Curly. Jud sings about the sadness of living alone and unwanted in the smokehouse. The man that Curly had just tried to present as a monster who deserved to die, shows intense vulnerability and depression. While everyone else sings happy songs of love and adventure, Jud sings of loneliness, isolation, and a slight hint of self-loathing. Jud sings of how he dreams of living happily with a beautiful girl by his side, no longer alone in the smokehouse with various vermin. However, this song doesn’t just show us a moment of Jud’s vulnerability; it shows us his breaking point. Right when the monster seems to be a man, he shows once again how he is the villain. Jud sings about no longer waiting alone for the life he wants to come to him, instead he is going to go out and take …show more content…
features many moments of excitement, love, and laughter, but it also contains several darker scenes. Many of these feature Jud, the farmhand meant to be portrayed as the villain. Though he is given a brief moment of weakness and humanity, Jud is shown in the moments of darkness as if he himself is the dark in the show. Curly sings of how Jud should off himself in “Pore Jud is Daid” and Jud sings of how he is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his own goals in “Lonely Room.” These scenes starkly contrast the normally cheerful show and add to it an additional layer beyond your standard love story. In conclusion, though the darker moments may not seem to fit in general feel of the show they give to it depth and serve to make the bright even