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As you read, underline important facts and circle the vocabulary words. Then answer the questions.
Rodgers & Hammerstein
After long and highly positive careers with others, Richard Rodgers
(composer) and Oscar Hammerstein II (librettist/lyricist) joined forces to create the
most consistently successful partnership in the American musical theatre. Musical
theater is a type of performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and
dance.
Prior to his work with Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) worked
with lyricist Lorenz Hart on a series of musical comedies. As his lyricist Lorenz wrote
the words to the music Richard Rogers composed. From the '20s into the early '40s, Rodgers & Hart wrote more than 40
shows and film scores. Among their greatest were ON YOUR TOES, BABES IN ARMS, THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE, I
MARRIED AN ANGEL and PAL JOEY.
Throughout the same era Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960) brought new life to a declining artform: the
operetta. Operettas combined parts of opera and musical theater, usually shorter than operas. His work included such
operetta classics as THE DESERT SONG, ROSE-MARIE, and THE NEW MOON. With Jerome Kern he wrote SHOW BOAT,
the 1927 operetta that changed the course of modern musical theatre. His last musical before embarking on an
exclusive partnership with Richard Rodgers was CARMEN JONES, the highly-acclaimed 1943 all-black revision of Georges
Bizet's tragic opera CARMEN.
OKLAHOMA!, the first Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, was also the first of a new genre, the musical play,
representing a unique fusion of Rodgers' musical comedy and Hammerstein's operetta. A milestone in the development
of the American musical, it also marked the beginning of the most successful partnership in Broadway musical history,
and was followed by CAROUSEL, ALLEGRO, SOUTH PACIFIC, THE KING AND I, ME AND JULIET, PIPE DREAM, FLOWER
DRUM SONG and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Rodgers & Hammerstein wrote one musical specifically for the big screen,
STATE FAIR, and one for television, CINDERELLA.
Despite Hammerstein's death in 1960, Rodgers continued to write for the Broadway stage. His first solo entry,
NO STRINGS, earned him two Tony Awards for music and lyrics, and was followed by DO I HEAR A WALTZ?, TWO BY
TWO, REX and I REMEMBER MAMA. Richard Rodgers died on December 30, 1979, less than eight months after his last
musical opened on Broadway. In March of 1990, Broadway's 46th Street Theatre was renamed The Richard Rodgers
Theatre in his honor.
Vocabulary:
Musical Theater: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Librettist: _________________________________________________________________________________________
Operetta: _________________________________________________________________________________________
SOUTH PACIFIC
As the 1940s ended, New York was the definite center of the theatrical
world, and Broadway's last musical hit of the decade was one of the biggest
ever. Broadway is a street in Manhattan where over 40 theaters have both
plays and musicals popular around the world. Rodgers and Hammerstein
wrote a musical based on two stories in James Michener's Tales of the South
Pacific. Set in an island paradise during World War II, two love stories are
threatened by the dangers of prejudice and war. Nellie, a spunky nurse from
Arkansas, falls in love with a mature French planter, Emile. Nellie learns that
the mother of his children was an island native and, unable to turn her back on
the prejudices with which she was raised, refuses Emile's proposal of marriage. Meanwhile, the strapping Lt. Joe Cable
denies himself the fulfillment of a future with an innocent Polynesian girl with whom he's fallen in love out of the same
fears that haunt Nellie. When Emile is recruited to accompany Joe on a dangerous mission that claims Joe's life, Nellie
realizes that life is too short not to seize her own chance for happiness, thus confronting and conquering her prejudices.
These two American characters are forced to confront the bigotry they were raised with. Set amid the life and
death tensions of wartime, it was a world away from the musical comedy that had reigned on Broadway less than ten
years before. With powerhouse stars Ezio Pinza and Mary Martin, and a score that included "Some Enchanted Evening,"
"Younger Than Springtime," "Bali Hai," and "I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy," South Pacific proved to be a sensation,
creating an unprecedented demand for tickets.
South Pacific was unusual in many ways. There was almost no
dance, two equally important love stories, and the dramatic tension was
not provided by any single antagonist (a.k.a. - a "bad guy") or "silly
misunderstanding." Both love stories were let down by racial prejudices.
These reflex hatreds drive key characters to push away from the people
they love. In the case of a young Lieutenant and his native girl, the results
are tragic, but Nellie and Emile are finally reunited.
South Pacific confirmed Rodgers and Hammerstein's command of
the genre. Along with worshipful reviews, it won the Tony for Best Musical
and became the second musical to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Vocabulary
Prejudice: _________________________________________________________________________________________
Broadway: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Information for these articles taken from excerpts of: http://www.musicals101.com/1940bway4.htm#South and http://www.rnh.com/show/97/South-Pacific and
http://www.rnh.com/rodgersandhammerstein
Imagine:
You are writing a musical or play about an important issue or conflict teens worry about today. What would be the
message of the play? Why do you think it is important to discuss this issue? Who would star as your main
actors/characters in your play?
Musical/Play title:
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Main Issue or conflict in your play/musical:
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__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Setting or location of your play/musical: _________________________________________________________________
Actors/Characters who will participate in your musical/play: (ie – Selena Gomez, Ryan Gosling, etc. )
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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What message or theme do you want the audience to have after attending your musical/play?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Do you think Rogers and Hammerstein’s message of prejudice and racism is still an issue today?____________________
Why or Why Not?
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How could you as an individual be less prejudiced and show equality and kindness to your classmates and teachers?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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In Class with Mrs. Cross – Listening Examples:
1. ____________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________