Joan Roberts (July 15, 1917 – August 13, 2012)[1] was an American actress, most famous for creating the role of Laurey in the original Broadway production of Oklahoma! in 1943.
Roberts was a regular on The Texaco Summer Theater on CBS July 4 - December 5, 1943. The program was a summer replacement for The Fred Allen Show but was extended when Allen did not return as scheduled.[6]
Roberts initially auditioned for the role of Ado Annie in the original Broadway production of Oklahoma! (which eventually went to Celeste Holm), but the show's librettist Oscar Hammerstein cast her as the female lead, Laurey.[4] At the time of her death she was one of four surviving cast members of the original 1943 opening night production of Oklahoma! and the only one who played a principal role (Celeste Holm died several weeks earlier), along with George S. Irving, Marc Platt, and Bambi Linn. Roberts subsequently starred as Sara Longstreet on Broadway in the musical High Button Shoes.[4]
In addition to her work as an actress, Roberts taught voice lessons and presented workshops on singing and voice projection.[8] In 2011 the University of North Carolina's School of the Arts mounted a production of Oklahoma! that replicated the original Broadway staging of the show. Roberts and Celeste Holm both attended that production and were present at an event honoring the two actresses.[8]