Musicals- One of the great art forms

Musicals, one of the great art forms of the twentieth century, is very much a living art form (Nolan,21). A truly popular art, the musical closely reflects society and its needs- sometimes providing a message and often providing a much needed romantic or comic escape. While researching the history of musicals, I became very interested in the works of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, and their significant contributions to the musical as we know it today. I was unaware that, prior to their collaboration, both Rodgers and Hammerstein had distinguished careers of their own.

Richard Rodgers, a composer, collaborated with lyricist Lorenz Hart on a series of musical comedies that epitomized the wit and sophistication of Broadway in its heyday (Mordden,182). From the 1920's into the early 40's, Rodgers and Hart wrote more than forty shows and film scores. Among their greatest were On Your Toes, Babes In Arms, The Boys From Syracuse, I Married An Angel, and Pal Joey.

During this same era, Oscar Hammerstein brought new life to a moribund artform: the operetta (Nolan, 46). His collaboration with Jerome Kern resulted in the 1927 operetta Showboat that changed the course of modern musical theatre. His last musical before embarking on an exclusive partnership with Richard Rodgers was Carmen Jones, the highly acclaimed 1943 all black revision of Georges Bizet's tragic opera Carmen.

The first musical by this dynamic duo was Oklahoma! a musical play that blended Rodgers' musical comedy with Hammerstein's operetta. Oklahoma! was considered a milestone in the development of the American musical and it also marked the beginning of the most successful partnership in Broadway musical history (Briggs, 262). One of the clips from Oklahoma!, starring Hugh Jackman, that I enjoyed can be viewed by clicking on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS0NPYH_pGw Other successful musicals of theirs include Carousel, Allegro, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. Interestingly, Rodgers and Hammerstein only wrote one musical specifically for the big screen, State Fair, and one for television, Cinderella.

Collectively, this amazing duo produced musicals that earned 35 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, 2 Pulitzer Prizes, 2 Grammy Awards, and 2 Emmy Awards (Nolan, 46). Cited by Time Magazine and CBS news as among the twenty most influential artists of the 20th century, they were jointly commemorated on a U.S. postage stamp in 1999. I am certainly looking forward to experiencing more musicals from the golden age of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Works Cited:

1. Briggs, Tom. Musical Scene Study: The Musicals of Rodgers & Hammerstein. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2007. Print.

2. Mordden, Ethan. Rodgers and Hammerstein. New York: Random House, 1977. Print.

3. Nolan, Frederick. The Sound of Their Music: The Story of Rodgers and Hammerstein. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2002. Print.

4. Hugh Jackman- People Will Say Were In Love. Web. 18 Oct. 2009.