Revolution, romance, lovers, pirates, mutiny and villainy came together in this 1928 Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II operetta, set in 18th-century New Orleans and France. Often regarded as the last great American work in the Golden Age of Operetta, The New Moon premiered on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on September 19, 1928, starring Evelyn Herbert, Robert Halliday and … Read More
Androcles and the Lion
After his rocky collaboration with Stephen Sondheim on Do I Hear a Waltz?, Richard Rodgers chose to write both music and lyrics for his next project, Androcles and the Lion. In his memoir, Rodgers wrote, “I simply went back to my No Strings collaborator – me – and we got along just fine.” With a book by Peter Stone, based … Read More
No Strings
No Strings, the first musical with music and lyrics written solely by Richard Rodgers, was Rodgers’ first project after the passing of his longtime collaborator, Oscar Hammerstein II. With a book by Samuel A. Taylor, this 1962 musical comedy twinkled with a Parisian flair when it debuted on Broadway at the 54th Street Theatre on March 15, 1962. In a … Read More
The Desert Song
This 1926 operetta from the team who had created Rose-Marie (plus additional librettist Frank Mandel) was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colonial rule. A swashbuckling romance/adventure story, The Desert Song presents a brave and dynamic hero who takes on a mid-mannered persona to conceal his true identity – a theme … Read More
Rose-Marie
Friml, Stothart, Harbach and Hammerstein’s “musical play” Rose-Marie, set in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, premiered on Broadway on September 2, 1924. A traditional romance with a touch of murder and melodrama, the show concerned Rose-Marie LaFlamme, a French-Canadian girl in love with a local trapper. Leaning more towards operetta than musical theatre, the score featured several popular tunes, the most … Read More
By Jupiter
Rodgers and Hart’s musical adaptation of Julian F. Thompson’s The Warrior’s Husband was the songwriting team’s last full-length collaboration. A farcical battle of the sexes between Greek soldiers and Amazon warriors, By Jupiter featured several hit songs, including “Wait Till You See Her” and “Nobody’s Heart.” Directed by Joshua Logan, with choreography by Robert Alton, the first production opened on … Read More
The Garrick Gaieties
The first hit show by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, The Garrick Gaieties was a musical revue featuring topical sketches and hummable songs, including their hit tune “Manhattan.” Produced by The Theatre Guild, Gaieties returned to Broadway in two new editions: one in 1926, with songs by Rodgers & Hart, and another in 1930, with songs by a host of … Read More
I’d Rather Be Right
Presented by Sam H. Harris with staging by George S. Kaufman, I’d Rather Be Right opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on November 2, 1937. In 1938, the show transferred to the Music Box Theatre, running for a total of 290 performances. The political satire, which specifically named contemporary political figures, starred George M. Cohan as President Franklin D. … Read More
I Married an Angel
I Married An Angel opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on May 11, 1938, featuring Dennis King, Vivienne Segal, Walter Slezak and Vera Zorina. Directed by Joshua Logan and choreographed by George Balanchine, the musical ran for almost a year, playing 338 performances. Joshua Logan, incidentally, went on to collaborate with Rodgers & Hammerstein on South Pacific 20 years … Read More
A Connecticut Yankee
A playfully romantic romp through King Arthur’s court, A Connecticut Yankee was based on the comical 1889 novel by Mark Twain. The musical opened on Broadway at the Vanderbilt Theatre on November 3, 1927, featuring William Gaxton, Constance Carpenter and June Cochrane. On November 17, 1943, the show was revived at the Martin Beck Theatre, featuring Vivienne Segal, Dick Foran, … Read More