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
I Remember Mama
For his 40th and final score, Richard Rodgers turned to a play he and Oscar Hammerstein II had produced on Broadway 35 years earlier. John Van Druten’s 1944 hit I Remember Mama, about a Norwegian family’s survival in turn-of-the-century San Francisco, had become a modern classic. Rodgers’ collaborators, Martin Charnin and Thomas Meehan, were riding high after the success of … Read More
Rex
Richard Rodgers’ sole collaboration with lyricist Sheldon Harnick, Rex is a musical retelling of the life of Henry VIII and the ascent of his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I. With a book by Sherman Yellen, the musical was billed as a “musical play,” though the score contains 14 original songs. The show premiered on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April … Read More
Two by Two
Richard Rodgers entered his seventh decade of writing for the theatre with this fresh retelling of the Biblical story of Noah. Two by Two premiered on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on November 10, 1970. Directed by Joe Layton, the production starred Danny Kaye and featured Marilyn Cooper, Joan Copeland, Harry Goz, Madeline Kahn, Michael Karm, Tricia O’Neil and Walter … Read More
Do I Hear A Waltz?
This musical adaptation of The Time of the Cuckoo, a bittersweet romance set in Venice, was a unique collaboration of three giants of the musical theatre: Richard Rodgers, Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim. The only collaboration between Sondheim and Rodgers, the musical premiered on Broadway in the spring of 1965. A modest hit, it played 220 performances and received multiple … Read More
On Your Toes
Rodgers & Hart’s Broadway hit, a combination of musical comedy, jazz and ballet, introduced several of their most popular tunes, including “There’s A Small Hotel” and “Glad to Be Unhappy.” Directed by the legendary George Abbott and choreographed by newcomer George Balanchine, this landmark musical featured two extensive ballet sequences, marking an early example of musical comedy incorporating dance as … Read More
The Boys from Syracuse
Twins! More twins! Lovers – chased and chaste! The first musical ever adapted from Shakespeare remains one of the most madcap musical farces ever to animate the stage. Featuring American standards like “Falling in Love with Love,” “Sing for Your Supper” and “This Can’t Be Love,” The Boys from Syracuse remains a treasure in the canon of the American Songbook. … Read More
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