Famous playwright and poet Lynn Riggs is most famous for writing the play "Green Grow the lilacs" which was a not too successful 1931 off Broadway play. In 1943 Rodgers and Hammerstein made it into a musical named "Away We Go" which received mixed reviews on its off Broadway introduction. Before the play opened on Broadway some changes were made and a new song called "Oklahoma" was put in for which the play was renamed. "Oklahoma" became a monster musical hit (and later hit film), which ran for a then-astounding 5+ year, 2212-performance run at The St. James Theatre from 1943-1948. The song "Oklahoma" was named the Oklahoma state song in 1953. There is a memorial museum dedicated to Mr Riggs in Claremore, Oklahoma where the original surrey with the fringe on top from the movie resides.