Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution - Hardcover

Purdum, S., Todd

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 162779834X ISBN 13: 9781627798341

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co, 2018

Synopsis

They stand at the apex of the great age of song writing, the creators of the classic Broadway musicals Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music, whose songs have never lost their popularity or emotional power. Even before they joined forces, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had written dozens of Broadway shows, but together they pioneered a new art form: the serious musical play. Their songs and dance numbers served to advance the drama and reveal character, a sharp break from the past and the template on which all future musicals would be built. Though different in personality and often emotionally distant from each other, Rodgers and Hammerstein presented an unbroken front to the world and forged much more than a song writing team; their partnership was also one of the most profitable and powerful entertainment businesses of their era. They were cultural powerhouses whose work came to define post war America on stage, screen, television, and radio. But they also had their failures and flops, and more than once they feared they had lost their touch. Todd S. Purdum’s portrait of these two men, their creative process, and their ground breaking innovations will captivate lovers of musical theatre, lovers of the classic American songbook, and lovers in general. He shows that what Rodgers and Hammerstein wrought was truly something wonderful.

About this title

About the Author

Todd S. Purdum is the author of An Idea Whose Time Has Come and b. He is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and a senior writer at Politico, having previously worked at The New York Times for more than twenty years, where he served as White House correspondent, diplomatic correspondent, and Los Angeles bureau chief. A graduate of Princeton University, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Dee Dee Myers, and their two children, Kate and Stephen.

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 162779834X
• ISBN 13: 9781627798341
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 400