Richard Charles Rodgers was born June 28, 1902. To celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday, a host of Broadway stars will gather June 28, 2002, to offer a Richard Rodgers concert at the Gershwin Theatre (222 W. 51st Street).
Aptly titled "Something Good: A Broadway Salute to Richard Rodgers on His 100th Birthday," the concert will feature stars from current Broadway musicals singing songs from the Rodgers canon. Previously announced participants include Sutton Foster, Hunter Foster, Lea Salonga, Patrick Wilson, Shuler Hensley, Laura Benanti, John Bucchino, Barbara Cook, John Cullum, Toni DiBuono, Erin Dilly, Marin Mazzie (accompanied by Stephen Flaherty), Howard McGillin, Lauren Mitchell, Louise Pitre, Billy Stritch, Mary Testa and the chorus of Oklahoma!. Concertgoers can expect to hear tunes from such classic shows as South Pacific, The Sound of Music, Carousel, Pal Joey, Oklahoma!, The Boys From Syracuse and Flower Drum Song. Playbill On-Line will feature a full concert report after the event.
Presented by ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers) and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, the concert is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 11:30 AM for the noon concert, which will run one hour. For more information, go to www.RR2002.com.
During his lifetime, Richard Rodgers penned over 900 songs. His partnerships with Lorenz Hart and later with Oscar Hammerstein II produced some of the most successful musicals in Broadway history. His works with Hart included On Your Toes, Babes in Arms, I Married an Angel, The Boys from Syracuse, Pal Joey and By Jupiter, and the Rodgers-Hammerstein collaboration spawned Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, Flower Drum Song and The Sound of Music. The hit revival of Oklahoma! currently plays Broadway's Gershwin Theatre.
—By Andrew Gans