Carousel, through its snazzy choreography and catchy songs, touches upon the power of forgiveness and love. Their romance cost them both their jobs and we see their lives begin to un-ravel with unfortunate choices and events. Rogers wrote that Carousel was of his favorite musicals to write. The plot takes place along the New England coastline revolving around a carnival barker named Billy Bigelow and a mill worker named Julie Jordan who fall in love. This show dives into true human emotions with a beautiful score featuring the songs “If I Loved You,” “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” and “Mister Snow.” This was Rogers and Hammerstein’s second collaboration, following on the success of Oklahoma! . Recently put on by NYFA’s Musical Theatre department, Carousel is a classic and iconic American Musical that opened in 1945 at the Majestic Theater. If you are looking for a show that is a perfect slice of Americana, this is it. They were awarded a special Pulitzer Award for Oklahoma! in 1944 and the show was considered the first blockbuster Broadway show.
“ Rogers and Hammerstein were praised for their sophistication and creative collaboration. We are introduced to these characters as Curly the cowboy looks into the beautiful blue morning sky and encounters Laurey the farm girl where he sings “Oh What a Beautiful Morning. The backdrop is the 1906 picturesque Oklahoma territory and the main characters include Curly McLain the handsome cowboy, Laurey the lovely farm girl, Will Parker the cowboy, and his fiancée Ado Annie. Set in the West Indian Territory, Oklahoma! is the story of rivalry, love, cowboys, and farmers. James Theater and it turned out to be a Broadway smash.
#Broadway s like that 1930 full
Oklahoma!Ĭue up the title song from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first collaboration and you’re likely to have a room full of people singing along with its iconic lyrics: “Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain and the waving wheat can sure smell sweet when the wind comes right before the rain.” Oklahoma! opened on March 31st, 1943 at the St. Here are some of the best Broadway Shows from the 1940’s. In a time of war, musical theater was an escape from the everyday issues that our country was facing. The style and unique sound of the Golden Age shows often captured a true sense of Americana. It was a time where Broadway featured hits from Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, and Americans were introduced to the influential and successful collaborations of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The 1940s marked the start of the Golden Age of American Musical theater.