Sunday, June 28, 2009
Reprise Announces Richard Rodgers Celebration
Reprise Theatre Company will host a series of special events across Los Angeles October 2 - November 2 celebrating one of musical theatre's greatest composers, Richard Rodgers.
Few, if any, have had more influence on the modern American musical than Richard Rodgers. His work and reputation are far-reaching. The scope and diversity of Rodgers’ music, from his earliest works to his final offerings, encompass the history not only of the American Musical but of the American Songbook as well.
Together with Oscar Hammerstein II, he created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of musical theatre. With Rodgers composing the music and Hammerstein adding the lyrics, five of their shows, Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music, were outstanding successes. Prior to their partnership, Rodgers had worked with Lorenz Hart. Among their Broadway hits were the shows Babes in Arms, Pal Joey, By Jupiter, and A Connecticut Yankee.
Through a series of concerts, staged readings, symposiums, screenings and cabarets in multiple venues around the city, Reprise will honor and celebrate the breadth and depth of one of our most treasured musical legends. Tickets go on sale in August. www.reprise.org/.
