Rodgers After Hammerstein
When one thinks of the classic musical, two names come to mind as the forefathers of musical theatre; Rodgers and Hammerstein. ... Yet, Oscar Hammerstein II, died and left Rodgers without his acclaimed lyricist. What happened when Rodgers and Hammerstein was left as just Rodgers? Richard Rodgers had many struggles dealing with the death of his friend and business partner. ... Many partnering opportunities came his way yet none of the music ever compared to the magic by which the team Rodgers and Hammerstein captivated their audiences. Richard Rodgers had dealt with the loss of a collaborator when his first lyricist Lorenz Hart died. Rodgers new that Hammerstein was sick when they started writing “The Sound of Music”. Just before rehearsals began for it, Rodgers got word from the doctor that Hammerstein had cancer and there was a slim chance he would make it. ... Hammerstein did not find out about his condition until after “The Sound of Music” had been running on Broadway for over a year. ... Hammerstein decided to stop working and go “down to Doylestown and stay on the farm until I die”. ... He told Rodgers to find a younger man to work with and that it would be rewarding to work with someone who was just beginning. Hammerstein spent the remaining days of his life on his farm with his family out on the countryside. ... Though Rodgers was left without a partner, his determination to continue was never a question. ... He felt that after working with both Hart and Hammerstein that “something must have rubbed off on me”. ... After sending them three new songs they were very pleased because they asked Rodgers to write two more. After this, Rodgers had the confidence that he needed to write an entire show himself.