Richard Rodgers, the legendary composer best known for his collaborations with lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, was born on this date in 1902. To celebrate his birthday, we're taking a look back at original musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein, from 1943's Oklahoma! (currently running on Broadway in a radically reimagined, Tony-winning revival) to 1959's iconic The Sound of Music.
The original Broadway cast of Oklahoma!
The Library of Congress
A scene from the original Broadway production of Carousel
Vandamm Studio/New York Public Library
A scene from Allegro.
Mary Martin and the Cast of South Pacific
Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner in the original 1951 Broadway production of The King and I.
Photo courtesy of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization
Joan McCracken, Bob Fortier, and Cast
Guy Raymond, Annabelle Gold, Keith Kaldenberg, Nicolas Orloff, Don Weissmuller, Mike Kellin, G.D. Wallace, Gene Kevin, Jenny Workman, Hobe Streiford, and Warren Kemmerling in Pipe Dream (1955)
Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana in Cinderella (originally written in 1957)
Miyoshi Umeki, Ed Kenney, Juanita Hall, Keye Luke, and the Cast of Flower Drum Song (1958)
A scene from the original 1959 Broadway production of The Sound of Music.