A Rodgers & Hammerstein concert is coming to London
For one night only...
Last updated 12th Sep 2023
The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization have announced My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert. Featuring a 40-piece orchestra and international stars of the stage and screen, the gala will be presented on Tuesday, 12th December 2023 at London’s newly restored Theatre Royal Drury Lane – the same venue that premièred the original West End production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Directed and staged by Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Christopher Gattelli (Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I, South Pacific), the celebration of the historic partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II will showcase original arrangements of the most iconic songs from Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, Cinderella and The Sound of Music. In addition, treasures from Allegro, Flower Drum Song, Pipe Dream and State Fair will be performed, some making their UK premiere.
With Headline artists to be announced shortly, and the landmark event will feature the 40-piece Rodgers & Hammerstein Concert Orchestra, conducted by Simon Lee, along with a West End chamber choir, dance ensemble and surprise guest appearances.
Christopher Gattelli said today, ‘I am thrilled to unite stars across the film, television, theatre and music communities to honour Rodgers & Hammerstein’s incredible legacy. As the first composers to infuse storytelling into song and dance on stage, their work is always a joy to be a part of. With so many beloved classics and rarely heard gems, there is truly something for all ages to enjoy, and we have some exciting surprises planned for what is set to be a once-in-a-lifetime theatrical event.’
Tickets for the event go on sale on Friday 22nd September at 11am and you can buy them from the Rodgers & Hammerstein concert website.
Have a look at more Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals:
Oklahoma!
The first musical the legendary writing duo worked on was Oklahoma! which was based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. The musical first opened on 31st October 1943 at the St. James Theatre and went on for 2,212 performances which was unprecedented at the time.
Oklahoma! continues to be revived to this day with the most recent UK revival being the 2022 revival at the Young Vic.
Carousel
The second musical that Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote was Carousel. The musical was based on the 1909 play Liliom by Ferenc Molnár and told the story of carousel barker Billy Bigelow 's romance with millworker Julie Jordan. Carousel premiered at the Majestic Theatre on 19th April 1945.
Carousel features the song 'You'll Never Walk Alone' which has become a football anthem with Liverpool F.C. fans since the 1960s.
The most recent UK production of Carousel was Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's revival which ran in the summer of 2021. Their version of the show moved the story's setting from the American state of Maine in the 1870s to the UK in the mid-20th century.
South Pacific
Based on James A. Michener Pulitzer Prize-winning novel 'Tales of the South Pacific', South Pacific opened at the Majestic Theatre on 7th April 1949.
The most recent revival seen in the UK was the Chichester Festival Theatre's 2021 production which returns in 2022 for a West End run and UK tour.
The King and I
Based on Margaret Landon's novel Anna and the King of Siam, The King and I tells the story originally inspired by Anna Leonowens' memoirs of her time as the governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam (now Thailand) in the 1860s.
The musical first opened on Broadway in 1951 at the St James Theatre and first arrived in the West End two years later with a run at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The musical hit the big screen in 1956 with Deborah Kerr as Anna and Yul Brynner reprised his role as King Mongkut of Siam which he originated on Broadway.
Cinderella
Rodgers and Hammerstein took on the classic fairy tale of Cinderella for a musical that first went to the small screen instead of the stage. Cinderella was originally broadcast live on CBS in the United States in 1957 and starred Julie Andrews in the titular role.
Two more television films were made in 1965 and 1997 with the latter starring Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother.
The musical finally got the Broadway treatment decades later when it ran at The Broadway Theatre in 2013 with an updated book by Douglas Carter Beane. The production is set to get its UK premiere in late 2022 when it runs at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester.
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is one of the most beloved musicals written by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Based on Maria Von Trapp's memoirs The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.
The musical opened at the Shubert Theatre with Mary Martin as Maria, the musical opened in London two year later at the Palace Theatre.
The 1965 film adaptation starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer is regarded as one of the most beloved movie musicals of all time.
Oscar Hammerstein II passed away nine months after the musical premiered on Broadway making The Sound of Musical the last musical written by the pair.
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