“[Rodgers and Hammerstein] changed the texture of the American musical theater forever. . . And to change that means not only to change musical theater all over the world, but to change all American theater as well, because musical theater has affected playwriting profoundly and permanently.” —Stephen Sondheim
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Rodgers and Hammerstein lead musical theatre from the night that Oklahoma! opened. Everyone loved how different it was. Because of this success, Rodgers and Hammerstein were able to write more plays that were not like variety shows of the time. When their next show opened, it was also successful. This was the case for most of Rodgers and Hammerstein's shows. People loved them because they were different, the lyrics were well written, and the tune was catchy.
“I’d like the show to be a hit, but it has to be creatively new, not just chronologically new.” —Richard Rodgers
“I’d like the show to be a hit, but it has to be creatively new, not just chronologically new.” —Richard Rodgers
"When a show works perfectly, it's because all the individual parts complement each other and fit together. No single element overshadows any other. In a great musical, the orchestrations sound the way the costumes look. That's what made Oklahoma! work. All the components dovetailed. There was nothing extraneous or foreign, nothing that pushed itself into the spotlight yelling 'Look at me!' It was a work created by many that gave the impression of having been created by one." -—Richard Rodgers
Hammerstein wrote lyrics based off of things he loved and believed in. Rodgers wrote memorable music with unexpected notes. When Rodgers and Hammerstein came together, the outcome was sure to be unique. History and time has shown that a new era of American musical theatre was born.
“Once you have learned the rules, you then have the need to break them.” —Richard Rodgers
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Rodgers and Hammerstein earned numerous awards for their shows including: Pulitzer Prizes, Tonys, Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, and others.
Rodgers and Hammerstein set new rules for musical theatre by:
“Their musicals brought a new form of theatre into existence in which story, lines, dialogue, songs, and dances were fully integrated to create the vibrant and cohesive new American Musical.” —Dorie Lawson
Rodgers and Hammerstein set new rules for musical theatre by:
- Combining dance, dialogue, and music to continuously tell the story.
- Creating a play based on a book or another work.
- Talking about controversial topics, like showing the world the reality of racial prejudice.
“Their musicals brought a new form of theatre into existence in which story, lines, dialogue, songs, and dances were fully integrated to create the vibrant and cohesive new American Musical.” —Dorie Lawson
"The idea that you could talk about things that really matter in a musical was something that was ground-breaking, and that is an enormous legacy." —Megan Sanborn Jones |
“They believed firmly in what they were doing. They did not say, “Look How different and clever we are” or “Aren’t we brave to do things no one ever tried before?” What they did say was “This has never been done before, but it works and we like it. Why shouldn’t we do it?’”
—Stanley Green |