Photo FeaturesCelebrate 100 Years of Rodgers and Hart on Broadway
By
Marc J. Franklin
July 28, 2020
In honor of the Broadway debut of their collaboration, revisit highlights from the duo's prolific partnership.
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart
Courtesy of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, A Concord Company
Poor Little Ritz Girl, featuring music by Richard Rodgers and Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Herbert Fields, Alex Gerber, and Lorenz Hart, opened at the Central Theatre July 28, 1920. After meeting at Columbia University and writing for the school's varsity shows and charity, the production marked the Broadway debut collaboration for Rodgers and Hart, ushering in a prolific two-decade partnership.
Known for their musical comedies, Rodgers and Hart brought classics such as Pal Joey, Babes in Arms, and more to Broadway, working with luminaries including Gene Kelly, Vivienne Segal, and Ray Bolger.
After a pause in their working relationship (during which Rodgers wrote Oklahoma! with Oscar Hammerstein II), the duo reunited one final time in 1943, revising their 1927 musical A Connecticut Yankee. The return to the musical resulted in six new songs including "To Keep My Love Alive." Hart would pass away later that year.
In celebration of the anniversary of Rodgers and Hart’s partnership, revisit highlights of the duo's collaborations for the stage.
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Celebrate 100 Years of Rodgers and Hart on Broadway
Celebrate 100 Years of Rodgers and Hart on Broadway
31 PHOTOS
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart
Courtesy of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, A Concord Company
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart
Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers
A Connecticut Yankee Playbill - November 1927
A Connecticut Yankee
Mark Plat, Vera Ella, and Chester Stratton in A Connecticut Yankee
Anita Alverez and Chester Stratton in A Connecticut Yankee
On Your Toes Playbill - Jan 1937
Tamara Geva, Basil Galahoff, and cast in On Your Toes
Tamara Geva, George Church, Ray Bolger, and Basil Galahoff in On Your Toes
Babes in Arms Playbill - April 1937
Babes in Arms
Mitzi Green, Ray Heatherton, and Alfred Drake in Babes In Arms
Cast of Babes in Arms
Cast of Babes in Arms
I Married an Angel
I Married An Angel
Vera Zorina and Charles Laskey in I Married an Angel
Vivienne Segal and Vera Zorina
The Boys from Syracuse Playbill - Dec 1938
Eddie Albert and Muriel Angelus in The Boys From Syracuse
Jimmy Savo and Heidi Vosseler in The Boys From Syracuse
Theatre illustrator Justin “Squigs” Robertson worked with FlyingOverSunset designer Beowulf Boritt to bring the Brown Derby to the stage with some hidden Easter eggs.
