Rodgers and Hammerstein

Rodgers and Hammerstein were an American songwriting duo consisting of Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960). They are most famous for creating a string of immensely popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s, in what is considered the golden age of their medium, including five shows that were legendary successes: Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music. Over the course of their collaboration, their work and its adaptations garnered 34 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy Awards, and two Emmy Awards, among other theater accolades.

South Pacific

South Pacific opened on Broadway on April 7, 1949, and ran for more than five years. A number of its songs, such as Bali Ha'i, Younger than Springtime, and Some Enchanted Evening, have become worldwide standards. For their adaptation, Rodgers and Hammerstein, along with co-writer Joshua Logan, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950. The play is based upon two short stories by James A. Michener from his book Tales of the South Pacific, which itself was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948. The original cast starred Mary Martin as the heroine Nellie Forbush and opera star Ezio Pinza as Emile de Becque, the French plantation owner. Also in the cast were Juanita Hall, Myron McCormick, Betta St. John, and William Tabbert.

Related Topics:
1949 - Joshua Logan - Pulitzer Prize for Drama - 1950 - James A. Michener - Tales of the South Pacific - Pulitzer Prize for Fiction - 1948 - Mary Martin - Ezio Pinza - Juanita Hall - Myron McCormick - Betta St. John - William Tabbert

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Musical Numbers

Act I

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• La vie est belle
• A Cockeyed Optimist
• Twin Soliloquies
• Some Enchanted Evening
• Bloody Mary
• There's Nothing Like a Dame
• Bali Ha'i
• I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair
• I'm In Love With a Wonderful Guy
• Younger Than Springtime
• This is How it Feels
• Younger Than Springtime

Act II

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• Happy Talk
• Honey Bun
• Carefully Taught
• This Nearly Was Mine