Rodgers & Hammerstein 101
Transcript of Rodgers & Hammerstein 101
Rodgers & Hammerstein 101
OLLI Fall Semester 2019 • Alan Teasley, Instructor
Class 1 • Hammerstein Before Rodgers Today’s Opening Number
Link (2:28)
Rodgers & Hammerstein
(1943-59)
• 11 Shows • 34 Tony Awards • 15 Academy Awards • 2 Grammys • 2 Emmys • 2 Pulitzer Prizes
• Integrated song, story, and dance “as never before” (Purdum)
• Owned their own publishing house and the rights to all their shows
• Built an extensive casting and producing organization
• Pioneered recording of original cast albums
Innovations
Goals of the Course
You will:
Be familiar with the 10 Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musicals (and be able to hum at least one song from each!)
Know about the careers of these men both before and after their partnership
Understand the innovations that made this team’s shows revolutionary in the 1940s and 1950s
Enjoy Rodgers and Hammerstein’s many contributions to the Great American Songbook
Recommended Text:
Todd S. Purdum, Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution (2018)
Course Web Site: www.musicals-101.com
Who Am I? Who Are You?
A little about me & my interest in Rodgers & Hammerstein
Introductions(“Getting to Know You”): In 30 seconds or less, tell us your NAME and ONE of the following:
The R&H song that best captures your personality, Your favorite R&H musical, OR Why you’re taking this class
The Roots of the Broadway Musical
Broadway: The American Musical (PBS,
2004)
from Episode 1: “Give My Regards to
Broadway (1893-1927)”
[10:30]
Hammerstein’s Mentor:
Otto Harbach
• Lyricist & Librettist • 22 years older than Oscar • Emphasized dramatic values • Favored florid lyrics of
operetta: “A litany of dreams, moons, stars, and dew” (Purdum)
Hammerstein’s Early Collaborators
Rufolf Friml
Sigmund Romberg
Sigmund Romberg Jerome Kern
Rudolf Friml
• Rose-Marie (1924)* • “Indian Love Call”
• The Wild Rose(1926)
*with Lyricist Otto Harbach
Sigmund Romberg
• The Desert Song (1926)* • The New Moon (1928)
• “Lover, Come Back to Me” • “Stouthearted Men” • “One Kiss”
*with Lyricists Otto Harbach & Frank Mandel
Georges Bizet
Carmen Jones (1943)
Book & Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Preview of film (1954)
Jerome Kern
• Sunny (1925)* • “Who?”
• Show Boat (1927) • Sweet Adeline (1929)
• “Don’t Ever Leave Me” • Music in the Air (1932)
• “I’ve Told Every Little Star” • “The Song is You”
• Very Warm for May (1939) • “All the Things You Are”
• Lady Be Good (Film, 1941) • “The Last Time I Saw Paris”
*with Lyricist Otto Harbach
Show Boat (1927)
Producer: Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr.
Music: Jerome Kern Book & Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II
Based on the novel by Edna Ferber Additional Lyrics & Songs: P. G. Wodehouse, Charles K. Harris, & Joseph E. Howard Staged by: Zeke Colvan & Oscar Hammerstein II Cast: Helen Morgan, Edna May Oliver, Jules Bledsoe, Howard Marsh
Show Boat (1927)
Broadway: The American Musical
(PBS, 2004)
from Episode 1: “Give My Regards to
Broadway (1893-1927)”
[9:46] Films of Show Boat
1929
Sigmund Romberg
1936 1951
Recordings of Show Boat
Songs From Show Boat
“Make Believe”
“Ol’Man River”
“Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man”
“Life Upon the Wicked Stage”
“You Are Love”
“Why Do I Love You?”
“Bill” (lyrics: P. G. Wodehouse)
“After the Ball” (Charles K. Harris)
Hal Prince on Show Boat (1994)
“It is the first great contemporary modern musical. The first to merge the traditional, happy-go-lucky naiveté of Broadway musical comedy with serious themes. The first with a score ranging from light-hearted, popular 32-bar songs to 19th century operetta and grand opera.”
“Show Boat is essentially a celebration of the family . . . and a love affair with theatre people.”
Paper Mill Playhouse
Production of Show Boat (1989)
(Broadcast on Great Performances;
Currently on YouTube)
Opening “Make Believe” “Ol’ Man River”
“Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man”
Helen Morgan
“Bill”
Show Boat (1936)
Reflection on Today’s Class
To play us out . . .
Ella Fitzgerald:
“All the Things You Are” (Very Warm for May)
Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II
Nelson Riddle Orchestra, 1963
(3’15”)