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Rodgers Hammerstein
A celebration of the legendary partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, filled with original performance photographs, set and costume designs and lively anecdotes. The book covers the team's complete works, including "Oklahoma", "South Pacific" and "The Sound of Music".
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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February 1, 2025"A great score is what makes a show a classic for the ages, but a solid book is what makes a show a hit in its season." - p. 20
"By the rules of its day 'Oklahoma!' was bizarre: bit 'Oklahoma!' changed the rules. These now read: one, Don't start with a star; start with a story; two, Don't paste fun onto the show; find the fun within the action; and three, The songs and dances define the characters or further the narrative." - p. 30
"To euphemize [sic] history would be to forgive it." - p. 34
"European art is honest: Italian art is about faith, English art is about class, and German art is about power. American art is dishonest - which explains why our major narrative invention is the musical, a fantasy form. R&H not only rationalized that fantasy but realized it, brought it close not to what life is like but what life is about. Like opera, the musical will always of necessity be a stylized form, but it has become realistic in its outlook." - pp. 213-14
"By the rules of its day 'Oklahoma!' was bizarre: bit 'Oklahoma!' changed the rules. These now read: one, Don't start with a star; start with a story; two, Don't paste fun onto the show; find the fun within the action; and three, The songs and dances define the characters or further the narrative." - p. 30
"To euphemize [sic] history would be to forgive it." - p. 34
"European art is honest: Italian art is about faith, English art is about class, and German art is about power. American art is dishonest - which explains why our major narrative invention is the musical, a fantasy form. R&H not only rationalized that fantasy but realized it, brought it close not to what life is like but what life is about. Like opera, the musical will always of necessity be a stylized form, but it has become realistic in its outlook." - pp. 213-14
October 28, 2023
Excellent photographs and an overall beautiful book with behind the scenes anecdotes and commentary.
March 5, 2014
Rodgers and Hammerstein is perhaps the best known partnership of the American musical theater. That is in large part because of the popular movie version of "The Sound of Music." I suspect that most people are also familiar with some of their other musicals such as "Oklahoma!" "Carousel" or "South Pacific." For that reason, even if you don't love the Broadway musical as much as I do, you will find much to enjoy in this book.
Mordden traces the career of Rodgers and Hammerstein by providing an in depth look at each of the musicals on which they collaborated. Although the chapters are relatively short, Mordden manages to pack an amazing amount of detail into each one. We learn about the plots, yes, but also about many other aspects of each show. We come to understand why many of the shows are considered to be groundbreaking and how the work of these two geniuses impacted their contemporaries and those who followed in their footsteps. Along the way, we hear wonderful stories about each show and we learn about casting, directing and many other aspects of getting a musical on Broadway.
If you love the American musical as much as I do, this short book is a must for your reference shelf. But even if you have only a passing interest in the topic, give this one a try. I suspect you'll come away with a deeper appreciation of the shows you already know and will want to hear the scores of lesser known works such as "Allegro" and "Me and Juliet." IF this book causes that to happen, it is worth every minute you'll spend with it.
Mordden traces the career of Rodgers and Hammerstein by providing an in depth look at each of the musicals on which they collaborated. Although the chapters are relatively short, Mordden manages to pack an amazing amount of detail into each one. We learn about the plots, yes, but also about many other aspects of each show. We come to understand why many of the shows are considered to be groundbreaking and how the work of these two geniuses impacted their contemporaries and those who followed in their footsteps. Along the way, we hear wonderful stories about each show and we learn about casting, directing and many other aspects of getting a musical on Broadway.
If you love the American musical as much as I do, this short book is a must for your reference shelf. But even if you have only a passing interest in the topic, give this one a try. I suspect you'll come away with a deeper appreciation of the shows you already know and will want to hear the scores of lesser known works such as "Allegro" and "Me and Juliet." IF this book causes that to happen, it is worth every minute you'll spend with it.
January 12, 2016
Essential reading for the serious Rodgers and Hammerstein fan. This book is full of theatre jargon that might perplex non-theatre folks, but for those who have studied theatre and/or participated in live theatre, it is a fascinating read. I could hardly put it down. It was excellent and I am pleased that it is part of my permanent collection.
October 11, 2016
Excellent, lavishly illustrated and highly informative coffee table book on the famous theatrical duo.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews