Rodgers and Hammerstein Collaborations
Oklahoma! The first collaboration of Rodgers and Hammerstein was entitled Oklahoma! The idea of the musical came from a play called Green Grow the Lilacs, written by Lynn Riggs in 1931. This story is about the state of Oklahoma at the turn of the century, when the Indian Territory joined the United States. It is the story of a girl named Laurey Williams and her (sort of) love triangle with two boys by the names of Curley McClain and Jud Fry. Laurey is in love with Curley, but she attends a dance with Jud instead. At the dance, Curley surprised Laurey by bidding an enormous amount on the basket of food she has prepared. They soon marry, and after the wedding, Jud starts a fight with Curley, but he loses. Jud is accidentally stabbed, but Curley was acquitted. Curley and his new wife live happily ever after in the great place of Oklahoma.
This musical opened at St. James Theatre on March 31, 1943 and ran for 2,212 performances. It was directed by Rouben Mamoulain and choreographed by Agnes de Mille. Oklalahoma! became so popular that it was decided to make it into a movie. The movie would be pretty similar, including some of the musical’s famous songs, such as “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “The Surrey With the Fringe on Top,” “People Will Say We’re In Love,” and “Oklahoma.”
The film version of the same name was released October 11, 1955. Agnes de Mille again, choreographed it. Shirley Jones played the role of Laurey Williams, while Gordon MacRea played Curley McClain.
Carousel On April 19, 1945 the musical Carousel opened at the Majestic Theatre in New York. It was based on the play entitled Liliom by Ferenc Molnar. This was a story about a young man named Billy Bigelow and his young wife Julie Jordan. Billy is a carnival barker, but soon looses his job. This upsets him because he knows that Julie is about to have a child, so he attempts to get more money by means of robbery. He then is forced to kill himself to escape arrest. Billy then goes to Heaven. Some time later, Billy is allowed to go back to earth for only 24 hours to see his unhappy daughter Louise, who is 15 years old. Billy steals a star to give to his daughter, but she refuses it. He slaps her in the face, but she isn’t upset by the action. Billy gets to know his daughter and gives her a better...
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... and Hammerstein was also their last. The musical came from “The Trapp Family Singers,” by Maria Augusta Trapp. It opened on November 16, 1959 in New York and ran for 1,443 performances.
This was the story of a girl named Maria Rainer who is sent to the house of a widower named Capt. Georg Von Trapp, to watch over his children. They both fall in love with each other, but say nothing because Georg is engaged to a wealthy woman named Elsa Schraeder. They realize they are in love, and soon get married. They are forced to leave Austria because it has been invaded by the Germans. Georg must return to the navy. The two and the children escape the Germans.
Many songs were incorporated into the story line, such as “The Sound of Music,” “My Favorite Things,” and “So Long, Farewell.”
The Sound of Music soon became a film. It premiered on March 2, 1965. Julie Andrews played the part of Maria, who played Cinderella before. There has been at least one revival since, on March 16, 1998 in New York.
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...icial production of Porgy and Bess began in 1933 when Heyward and Gershwin signed a contract with The Theatre Guild. Gershwin worked on the opera in both New York and South Carolina, where he went to get a feel for the music there. George Gershwin wrote the music, Dubose Heyward wrote the libretto and also wrote the lyrics with the help of Ira Gershwin. The original production of Porgy and Bess opened on Broadway in the fall of 1935 and ran for 124 performances. Porgy and Bess was not considered a true opera until 1976, there have been several productions since it opened. The most recent Broadway production of Porgy and Bess opened on January 12th, 2012, it starred Audra McDonald as “Bess” and Norm Lewis as “Jake”. It received positive to mixed reviews, Audra was praised for her portrayal of “Bess” and even won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
Ragtime, by E.L. Doctorow, was originally published in 1975, and later became a musical that premiered at the Toronto Centre for the Arts in 1996. The story illustrates three families’ journeys in the changing society of America during the 1920s. Each family is in a different position in society. One family is rich and white and lives in the exclusive upper class neighborhood of New Rochelle, NY. Their lives are sheltered and privileged.
In the film the music is very important. At the beginning it is set at
"Agnes De Mille :: Rodgers & Hammerstein :: Bio Details." Agnes De Mille :: Rodgers & Hammerstein :: Bio Details. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.
For my second cultural report I decided to go see a musical called “Wicked” in New York City with my girlfriend. I made this choice because I haven’t seen the famous Broadway Musical before but I was told by my girlfriend that it is a really good musical to do my report on. The musical was seen in New York City, New York on Broadway (March 31, 2017) at 8pm in Gershwin Theatre. Wicked is the musical story of The Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West and Glenda the Good before Dorothy came. Wicked spotlights the untold stories of The Wizard of Oz’s most infamous characters, the Wicked Witch of the West and her unlikely friend, Glinda the Good. The show follows green-skinned star Elphaba from birth to college and through the events which eventually
The partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein was made possible by Richard Rodgers’ partner, Hart, becoming increasingly difficult to get back to work. Rodgers wished to adapt the play Green Grow the Lilacs into a musical, but Hart wasn’t interested in the show. So, Rodgers took Oscar Hammerstein up on his offer to collaborate on a project. That project turned out to be the successful musical Oklahoma!
Julie Andrews performance in The Sound of Music was anything but ordinary. Andrew’s role as Maria secured her tittle as one of the greatest actresses of her time, though The Sound of Music was only her second onscreen performance. She played the role of Maria with such strength and kindness yet, in a very assertive manor; when standing up for the children against Captain Georg Johannes Ritter von Trapp. In the film, being it a musical, Julie Andrews shows off her stunning vocal abilities with her intense 5 octave range. She transitions from song to song with such ease that it makes you believe that you could sing it as she can. Andrews shows her “acting chops” with her apparent onscreen chemistry with the other actors. In such scenes as when she confesses her feelings for Captain von Trapp to Mother Abbess; you can practically see the chemistry between the two actresses as well as the chemistry between Julie Andrews and the children, along with Captain von Trapp himself all throughout the movie.
The CD hit number one on Billboard charts almost immediately. This album reminds me of my childhood because I watched the movie over and over. All of the songs have a magical feeling to them. The orchestra in the background of the songs is absolutely beautiful. Some of the songs are just the orchestra and it's amazing that you can tell exactly what emotion is happening in the movie without seeing it. I love every track but my favorites are “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” by Walt Disney Records and “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” by Walt Disney Records which are both Disney
Musical theatre is a type of theatrical performance combining music, dance, acting and spoken dialogue. Written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, ‘West Side Story’ is a classic American musical based on William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The through-composed score and lyrics are used to portray different characters and their cultures, the rivalry between the Jets and Sharks, and the emotions felt as the story progresses. This essay will be exploring the music and how effective the score is in realising the world and characters of the musical. Furthermore, it will discuss how Bernstein and Sondheim relate characters’ diverse ethnicities to particular musical ideas and motifs.
The play I went to see was The Music Man performed by the Mesa Encore Theatre at the Mesa Community College. I saw this performance on November 20th. The main performers in this play were Zac Bushman as Harold Hill and Lauren Koeritzer as Marian Paroo. Alongside them, a mix of both adults and children as young as 8 acted in this production. The cast and crew used appropriate clothing to match the time and place. Lights were utilized scarcely, with not much more than spotlights or front and back lights. The set was extravagant, cute, and fitting for the setting and time. Overall, this musical was vibrantly performed and left me with positive impressions regarding presentation and production.
The Oriental Theatre brought the streets of Hollywood Boulevard to Chicago in its Production of Pretty Woman. This Musical was a Nerlander presentation and was written by Gary Marshal and J.F. Lawton, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, and music by Will Van Dyke. I enjoyed this musical rendition of the story, which is originally based on the original film Pretty Woman from 1990, a “Cinderella-like” story about a businessman who falls in love with a prostitute.
...with variations on the main melody. There were some parts that were removed in the performance, just like in the Pirates of the Caribbean performance. The purpose of this looked like the song had to be shortened because it was part of an awards ceremony and the full second movement may have been too long.
The criteria for this list is that the soundtrack cannot be a lyrical song, original or otherwise, only orchestras and musical
The musical selections and songs that were sung told a story and narrated the almost the entire film, as is expected in...
Neher, Erick. "Movie Music At The Philharmonic." Hudson Review 64.4 (2012): 668-674. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.