State Fair (musical)

State Fair
Original Broadway poster (1996)
Music	Richard Rodgers
Lyrics	Oscar Hammerstein II
Book	Tom Briggs Louis Mattioli
Basis	Phil Stong's book State Fair and the 1945 Film
Productions	1996 Broadway

State Fair is a musical with a book by Tom Briggs and Louis Mattioli, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and music by Richard Rodgers.

Rodgers and Hammerstein originally adapted the Phil Stong novel of the same name for a 1945 movie musical, which was remade in 1962. The stage production closely follows the plot of its predecessors, providing a glimpse into the life of the farming Frake family and their three-day adventure at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines in 1946. While parents Abel and Melissa are hoping to win a few blue ribbons, siblings Margy and Wayne are more interested in finding romance on the midway.

In 1969, The Muny in St. Louis presented the world stage premiere of State Fair starring Ozzie and Harriet Nelson with Ron Husmann, Jerry Lanning, Bonnie Schon, Carol Richards, Tom Pedi, Tommy Tune and Lawrence Leritz (stage debut) in the children's chorus. The production was directed by James Hammerstein, supervised by Richard Rodgers and also choreographed by Tommy Tune. Additional songs included in this production were three from "Me & Juliet"; "It's Me!", "Keep It Gay" and "Marriage Type Love" and a new one, "Away From Home."

In 1992 a new stage adaptation, by Tom Briggs and Louis Mattioli, was produced as part of the Broadway Preview Series at the North Carolina School of the Arts, and was directed and choreographed by Randy Skinner. The show played at the Stevens Center in Winston-Salem from July 17 – August 16, 1992. From North Carolina, the show moved to Long Beach Civic Light Opera in October 1992. A re-staging of the 1992 version received a lengthy national tour, opening at the 1995 Iowa State Fair at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines on August 12.