The legendary Broadway writing duo of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II is celebrated with a special pair of concerts at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane December 12. The concerts mark the 80th anniversary of the landmark collaboration, which began in 1943 with Broadway's Oklahoma!
My Favorite Things: The Rodgers and Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert is directed and staged by Christopher Gattelli and features a 40-piece orchestra conducted by Simon Lee.
A starry list of Broadway and West End favorites is on hand to celebrate the duo, including Audra McDonald, Marisha Wallace, Daniel Dae Kim, Patrick Wilson, Aaron Tveit, Julian Ovenden, Maria Friedman, Michael Ball, Lucy St. Louis, and Joanna Ampil. (Ashley Park, previously announced for the event, had to withdraw due to scheduling conflicts.) The performances also feature Anna-Jane Casey, Lily Kerhoas, and Jordan Shaw, along with a chamber choir, a dance ensemble, and some "surprise guest appearances."
The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization is presenting, with Concord Originals, Concord Theatricals, Killimanjaro Live/JAS Theatricals, and Trafalgar Entertainment producing.
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II began collaborating with 1943's Oklahoma!, a landmark musical that is considered the genre's first to fully integrate the book, lyrics, and choreography as agents of forwarding the plot. They would go on to dominate Broadway over the next two decades as both a writing and producing team, writing a string of classic musicals including Carousel, South Pacific, Allegro, The King and I, and The Sound of Music; and producing I Remember Mama and Annie Get Your Gun.
Tickets are available at RH80Concert.com.
