Rodgers’ and
Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! in a sense
marks the start of what we can term the Golden Age of musical theater
(approximately 1940–1966). It was during the Golden Age that the musical became
what we know it as today: a book or script with songs and dances inserted between
dialogue. The goal with Oklahoma was
to move between dialogue and song seamlessly, the audience unaware of the
transition. The songs acted as an add-on to speech rather than a segment broken
away from the story. Rodgers and Hammerstein partnered for 18 years, moving
from musical comedies to musical theater over the course of their career. With
this change came more serious subject matter. Some of their hits include State Fair, Cinderella, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound
of Music. Many of their works were later turned into major films, helping
to preserve them for generations.
You may be
familiar with other teams from this era including Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick
Loewe, known for My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, and Camelot. Composers Kurt
Weill and Leonard Bernstein sought to create musical plays with operatic
proportions using more technical virtuosity, weighty themes, and popular
American subjects. You can read about Bernstein’s work on West Side Story here.
Are you a fan of the Golden Age musical? If so, join me
next time as I present a playlist with some of my favorite Golden Age musical
hits!
