Bøger af Oscar Hammerstein

The timeless enchantment of a magical fairy tale is reborn with the Rodgers & Hammerstein hallmarks of originality, charm and elegance. Originally presented on television in 1957 starring Julie Andrews, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was the most widely viewed program in the history of the medium. Its recreation in 1965 starring Lesley Ann Warren was no less successful in transporting a new generation to the miraculous kingdom of dreams-come-true, and so was a second remake in 1997, which starred Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as her Fairy Godmother. As adapted for the stage, with great warmth and more than a touch of hilarity, this romantic fairy tale still warms the hearts of children and adults alike. This Enchanted Edition is inspired by the 1997 teleplay.Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella premiered in a live television broadcast on March 31, 1957, starring Julie Andrews, a sparkling new star who had just triumphed in My Fair Lady. Richard Lewine, a distant cousin and close friend of Rodgers, produced and Ralph Nelson directed. Real-life spouses Howard Lindsay and Dorothy Stickney played the King and Queen; Jon Cypher played the Prince; Ilka Chase, Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley played the comical Stepmother and Stepsisters; and Edi Adams played the Fairy Godmother.Rodgers and Hammerstein approached the story with the honesty and simplicity that characterized all their work, and Cinderella was a smash hit. The live broadcast was viewed by more people than any other program in the history of television.In 1997, Cinderella was remade for television in a production adapted by Robert L. Freedman and directed by Robert Iscove, with choreography by Rob Marshall. Produced by Whitney Houston and Debra Martin Chase for Walt Disney Television, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella aired on November 2, 1997. This version featured a diverse cast, with Brandy Norwood as Cinderella, Whitney Houston as her fairy godmother, Bernadette Peters as Cinderella's stepmother, Paolo Montalbán as the prince, Whoopi Goldberg as the queen, Victor Garber as the king and Jason Alexander as Lionel, the herald. Several songs were added, including "The Sweetest Sounds" from No Strings, sung by Cinderella and the Prince, and "There's Music in You," written for the 1953 film Main Street to Broadway, sung as the finale by the Fairy Godmother. Sixty million viewers watched the broadcast, making it the most-watched television musical in decades, and earning ABC its highest Sunday-night ratings in 10 years.

Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella is the new Broadway adaptation of the classic musical. This contemporary take on the classic tale features Rodgers & Hammerstein's most beloved songs, including "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible/It's Possible" and "Ten Minutes Ago," alongside an up-to-date, hilarious and romantic libretto by Tony Award-nominee Douglas Carter Beane.Originally presented on television in 1957 starring Julie Andrews, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was twice remade for television, first in 1965 for Lesley Ann Warren and again in 1997, featuring Brandy and Whitney Houston. The original Broadway production of Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella opened in 2013 and starred Laura Osnes, Santino Fontana, Victoria Clark and Harriet Harris.Nominee: Nine 2013 Tony Awards, including Best Book of a Musical and Best Revival of a MusicalWinner! 2014 Tony Award for Best Costume Design for a MusicalWinner! Three 2013 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Orchestrations

The timeless enchantment of a magical fairy tale is reborn with the Rodgers & Hammerstein hallmarks of originality, charm, and elegance. Originally presented on television in 1957 starring Julie Andrews, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was the most widely viewed program in the history of the medium. Its re-creation in 1965 starring Lesley Ann Warren was no less successful in transporting a new generation to the miraculous kingdom of dreams-come-true, and so was a second remake in 1997, which starred Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as her Fairy Godmother.In 1956 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were indisputably the world's most successful writers of musicals. Julie Andrews was a sparkling new star, having just triumphed in My Fair Lady. When her agent approached Rodgers and Hammerstein and suggested that the television audience would welcome a musical version of "Cinderella," it was an irresistible temptation for all.Everything about the project was right from the start. The CBS production team was quickly assembled. Richard Lewine, a distant cousin of Rodgers and a close friend, was the producer, Ralph Nelson the director. Howard Lindsay and his wife, Dorothy Stickney, were signed for the King and Queen; Jon Cypher played the Prince; the Stepmother and Stepsisters were made less frightening and more comic by Ilka Chase, Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley; rather than the standard old crone, the beautiful Edie Adams played the Godmother.Rodgers and Hammerstein approached the story with the honesty and simplicity that characterized all their work. They purposely did not seek to improve a story they felt was dramatically sound, as many writers are prone to do, instead concentrating on bringing the characters to life. Rodgers wrote in his autobiography Musical Stages, "In writing the story and the songs, Oscar and I felt that it was important to keep everything as traditional as possible, without any 'modernizing' or reaching for psychological significance." When Hammerstein was asked where he found the version of Cinderella story he based his adaptation upon, he answered, "I looked it up in the encyclopedia."The marriage of music, lyrics and story in Cinderella exemplified their artistic philosophy; all elements held together integrally to illuminate the characters. As Rodgers explained, "Although a few of its songs have become popular, our score for Cinderella is another example of what theatre music is really about. No matter what the medium, a score is more than a collection of individual songs. It is, or should be, a cohesive entity whose word and music are believable expressions of the characters singing them...Like a symphony, concerto or opera, some portions have greater appeal than others, but it is the work as a whole that makes the overall impression."Cinderella succeeded. When it was broadcast on March 31, 1957, it was viewed by more people than any other program in the history of television.

"On a South Pacific island during World War II, Ensign Nellie Forbush, a spunky nurse from Arkansas, falls in love with French planter Emile de Becque. When Nellie learns that the mother of Emile's children was an island native, she refuses Emile's proposal of marriage, unable to overcome the prejudices with which she was raised. Meanwhile, the strapping Lt. Joe Cable falls in love with a Tonkinese girl named Liat, but he, too, denies himself a future due to the same fears that haunt Nellie. When Emile accompanies Joe on a dangerous mission that claims Joe's life, Nellie chooses to embrace a future with Emile and his children, thus confronting and conquering her prejudices"--

Rodgers and Hammerstein's first collaboration remains, in many ways, their most innovative, setting the standards and rules of modern musical theatre. In a Western territory just after the turn of the 20th century, a high-spirited rivalry between local farmers and cowboys provides a colorful background for Curly, a charming cowboy, and Laurey, a feisty farm girl, to play out their love story. Their romantic journey, as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road, contrasts with the comic exploits of brazen Ado Annie and hapless Will Parker in a musical adventure embracing hope, determination and the promise of a new land.Oklahoma! opened at the St. James Theatre on Broadway on March 31, 1943. At that time, the longest-running show in Broadway history had run for three years. Oklahoma! surpassed that record by two more years, running for a marathon 2,212 performances. The US national tour played for an unprecedented ten and a half years, visiting every single state and playing before a combined audience of more than 10 million people. In 1947, Oklahoma! opened at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, where it ran for 1,548 performances, the longest run of any show up to that time in the 267-year history of the theatre. In 1953, the Oklahoma State Legislature named "Oklahoma" the official state song. In 1955, the motion picture version of Oklahoma!, starring Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones and produced by Rodgers and Hammerstein, was released to great success.

The final collaboration between Rodgers & Hammerstein was destined to become the world's most beloved musical. Featuring a trove of cherished songs, including "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," "My Favorite Things," "Do Re Mi," "Sixteeen Going on Seventeen" and the title number, The Sound of Music won the hearts of audiences worldwide, earning five Tony Awards and five Oscars. The inspirational story, based on the memoir of Maria Augusta Trapp, follows an ebullient postulate who serves as governess to the seven children of the imperious Captain Von Trapp, bringing music and joy to the household. But as the forces of Nazism take hold of Austria, Maria and the entire Von Trapp family must make a moral decision.The Sound of Music opened at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 16, 1959, and Rodgers & Hammerstein's last musical was a triumph. It ran for 1,443 performances and earned five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. In addition, the cast album earned a Gold Record and the Grammy Award. Florence Henderson starred in the first national tour, which played for over two years. Jean Bayless created the role of Maria in the original London production, which ran for over six years, long holding the record as the longest-running American musical in London.