Rodgers and Hammerstein

Composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the musicals that defined Broadway's Golden Age, beginning with Oklahoma! in 1943. Six of their shows are in our library, from Carousel and South Pacific to The Sound of Music and the 2013 Broadway version of Cinderella.

Who were Rodgers and Hammerstein?

Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) wrote the music and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960) wrote the lyrics and most of the books. Both were established stars before they teamed up. Rodgers had spent more than twenty years writing with lyricist Lorenz Hart, on shows such as A Connecticut Yankee and Pal Joey, while Hammerstein had written Show Boat (1927) with Jerome Kern.

Together they perfected the integrated book musical, in which every song and dance moves the story forward or reveals character. Their shows took on serious subjects: a doomed marriage and life after death in Carousel, racial prejudice in South Pacific, and a clash of cultures in The King and I. Rodgers wrote warm, singable melodies, from sweeping waltzes to long musical scenes such as Billy Bigelow's Soliloquy, and Hammerstein's lyrics favored plain, sincere language over clever wordplay.

Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals in order

Oklahoma! (1943) ran 2,212 performances and changed what audiences expected from a musical. Carousel (1945) followed, along with State Fair (1945), their one musical written directly for film. Allegro (1947) was an experimental story of a doctor's life and their first relative disappointment. Then came two giant hits, South Pacific (1949) and The King and I (1951).

The mid-1950s were rockier: Me and Juliet (1953), a backstage comedy, and Pipe Dream (1955), based on John Steinbeck, both fell short. Cinderella (1957), their only musical written for television, starred Julie Andrews in a live CBS broadcast seen by more than 100 million people. Flower Drum Song (1958) restored their fortunes, and The Sound of Music (1959) became their final collaboration. Hammerstein died in August 1960, nine months after it opened.

Rodgers kept working, writing his own lyrics for No Strings (1962) and teaming with Stephen Sondheim on Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965). Cinderella finally reached Broadway in 2013 with a new book by Douglas Carter Beane.

Legacy, awards, and where to start

Oklahoma! received a special Pulitzer Prize in 1944, and South Pacific won the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Their first two shows opened before the Tony Awards existed, but South Pacific won ten Tonys including Best Musical, The King and I won Best Musical, and The Sound of Music tied with Fiorello! for the top prize. Hollywood filmed nearly all of their big hits, and the 1965 film of The Sound of Music won the Oscar for Best Picture.

Newcomers can start with The Sound of Music, which most people already half know from the film. Next, try Oklahoma! to hear where the Golden Age began, then South Pacific or Carousel to see how far the team pushed the form into serious drama.

Rodgers and Hammerstein: frequently asked questions

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