Who Framed Rodgers and Hammerstein? Quiz

Answer: Carousel

Based off of the 1909 play "Liliom" by Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár, the Rodgers and Hammerstein adaptation "Carousel" opened on Broadway in April of 1945. It was their second collaboration after the success of "Oklahoma!" in 1943.

When carousel barker Billy meets millworker Julie for the first time, they both end up losing their jobs by choosing to have a relationship together. They end up marrying, but things are not easy. Billy ends up being talked into participating in a robbery to try to provide for Julie and their expected child, but everything goes awry, and Billy commits suicide.

But that's not the end, as Billy has a chance after 15 years in purgatory has passed to return and earn his way to heaven. He steals a star to give to his daughter, who has grown up lonely and bitter without her father.

The overheard lyrics from the question are from song "You'll Never Walk Alone", first sung in the second act by Julie's cousin Nettie after Billy dies, then sung again as a reprise for the finale.

"Carousel" had 890 shows on its initial Broadway run, and has had multiple revivals since then, as well as a film adaptation in 1956.

Answer: The King and I

Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I" was adapted from Margaret Landon's 1944 novel "Anna and the King of Siam", which was itself created from the memoirs of real-life governess and teacher Anna Leonowens, who was employed by King Mongkut in the 1860s. This was the duo's fifth collaboration.

In the musical, the king is never actually named, but his relationship with Anna and her Western sensibilities provides for the tension in the storyline. Of particular note is the side-story of the king's new slave girl Tuptim, who is intended to be a new 'junior wife' among his many wives, yet Tuptim is already in love with Lun Tha, a Burmese scholar. Anna's disapproval of slavery is highlighted through Tuptim writing and performing a play based on Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin".

The overheard lyrics from the question are from Tiptum and her lover Lun Tha's duet, "We Kiss in a Shadow". Unfortunately, their story does not have a happy ending.

Beginning in March of 1951, "The King and I" had an initial Broadway run of 1,246 shows, and it won the Tony for Best Musical, Best Actress (Gertrude Lawrence), and Best Featured Actor (Yul Brynner). Brynner would go on to reprise his role in the 1956 film adaptation.

Answer: Pipe Dream

John Steinbeck wrote "Sweet Thursday" (1954), a short sequel to "Cannery Row" in the hopes that it would be adapted into a musical, which Rodgers and Hammerstein did. "Pipe Dream" was the pair's seventh collaboration, but not one that would be a great success for them.

Doc, who runs the Western Biological Laboratory in Cannery Row (Monterey, CA), has returned from the war to find the docks nearly empty and many of his old friends gone or moved on. Even the madam of the Bear Flag whorehouse (never actually named such in the musical - merely alluded to) has died and her sister Fauna now runs the place. When Doc meets a 'new girl' (Suzy) staying at the Bear Flag, they are smitten by each other, but their different social statuses get in the way of their relationship, and they need to learn to let love remove those barriers. There *is* a fixed raffle in the show, when the residents of a flophouse whose ownership is in question raffle the building off and ensure that Doc is the winner, since he wouldn't think of evicting them.

The overheard lyrics are from the song "Sweet Thursday", which was written as a nod to the title of the original short novel.

"Pipe Dream" was highly anticipated, but did poorly overall, running for only 245 shows on Broadway including its November 1955 open.

Answer: The Sound of Music

Baroness Maria Augusta von Trapp published a memoir in 1949 called "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers" and it is from this account that the story of "The Sound of Music" was drawn. There were even two German films made in 1956 and 1958 about the family.

In the musical, Maria is a postulant to become a nun at the Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg when she is sent to be a governess to the seven children of a widower and military man, Captain Georg von Trapp. While there, Maria changes the militaristic discipline of the children to an approach of joy and exploration (and music!). An attraction grows between Maria and Georg, but the Captain is betrothed to the Baroness Elsa Schräder.

The backdrop to all of this action is the impending Anschluss (annexation) of Austria by the German Reich. Captain von Trapp's unwillingness to join the Nazis prompts Elsa to break off their engagement, allowing for a relationship with Maria.

The original Broadway production opened in November of 1959 and had a run of 1,443 performances. There have been an overwhelming number of further productions and revivals in subsequent years, as well as a Best Picture Oscar-winning film released in 1965.

The overheard lyrics are from the song "Climb Every Mountain", which ends the first act and has a reprise for the finale.

This was the last musical written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, as Hammerstein would die of stomach cancer just nine months after the show opened.

Answer: Allegro

"Allegro" was not adapted from another work, but was penned by Oscar Hammerstein II. With songs by Richard Rodgers, it became their third collaboration after the successes of "Oklahoma!" and "Carousel".

The story is focused on Joseph Taylor, Jr. and his life right from birth up until the age of 35. The name 'Allegro' refers not just to the musical aspect of the medium, but to the pace of life for Joe, as he moves from the small town to the big city and achieves success as a doctor. But these successes have consequences, and his marriage to Jennie suffers as a result. In the end, it comes down to a choice - keep the frenetic pace going (with the sacrifices that come with it), or return to a simpler, more fulfilling existence.

The overheard lyrics in question are from the song "A Fellow Needs a Girl" midway through the first act when Joe's parents are wondering whether Joe and Jennie will marry.

"Allegro" did not see the same astounding success as its two predecessors, and only had an initial Broadway show run of 315 performances after opening in October of 1947.

Answer: Oklahoma!

"Oklahoma!" was the first collaboration between Rodgers and Hammerstein, and they continued the tradition of "Show Boat" (Kern & Hammerstein) in producing a musical based on an existing work. In this case, the source material was Lynn Riggs' play, "Green Grow the Lilacs" (1931).

The action in this musical takes place in the days before Oklahoma became a state, and was still part of Indian Territory. Laurey Williams is a farm girl that has caught the eye of two men - cowboy Curly McLain and farmhand Jud Fry. As these things go, Laurey plays the men off of each other, but in truth, Jud frightens her. In the end, Curly wins Laurey's hand in marriage, but danger still strikes when a drunken Jud shows up at their wedding, causes a ruckus, and is killed in the resulting fight.

The overheard lyrics are from the title song "Oklahoma", which is sung just before the finale after Curly and Laurey are married and everyone is celebrating the impending creation of the new state.

"Oklahoma!" was a resounding success, making an unprecedented initial Broadway run of 2,212 performances after its opening in March of 1943. It has remained popular in further productions and revivals, and has been made into a movie more than once.

Answer: Flower Drum Song

"Flower Drum Song" was adapted from C. Y. Lee's 1957 novel of the same name and became Rodgers and Hammerstein's eighth collaboration.

Mei Li is brought to America as a 'picture bride' for Sammy Fong, a San Francisco nightclub owner. But he already has a love interest, who he much prefers, so he offers the young woman to Master Wang as a possible match for his son, Ta. Wang Ta, in the meantime, has a blind date with a woman (Linda Low) who turns out to be Sammy's girlfriend... Linda just happens to be casting a wider net, since Sammy is not willing to tie the knot (yet). With misunderstandings and contracts and Chinese traditions all in conflict, it eventually comes down to Mei Li admitting that she has come to the country illegally that makes any contract void, thus freeing her to get together with the man she has come to love... Wang Ta.

The overheard lyrics were sung by Mei Lei after arriving in America, early in the first act. The song was "I am Going to Like it Here".

"Flower Drum Song" opened on Broadway in December of 1958 and went on to have 600 performances, and a film was made in 1961 that would make a mark for being the first American feature film to have a majority Asian cast.

Answer: Me and Juliet

Another original work by Rodgers and Hammerstein, this time approaching things from a different perspective - a musical that takes place in the musical theatre backstage, with a 'show within the show' happening as well. This was the sixth collaboration for the duo.

"Me and Juliet" is actually the name of the production that is the 'show within the show', but the primary characters of the backstage drama are Jeanie (a chorus singer), Larry (the assistant stage manager), and Bob (an electrician). Larry is interested in Jeanie, but she is already in a relationship with Bob. And thus, the proverbial stage is set for the drama behind the drama. Bob learns that Jeanie and Larry have begun a relationship in secret, and his tendencies towards jealousy and violence get the better of him and he sabotages the show in the middle of a performance, then follows up with an assault on Larry. The question is, how can they solve the issue without ruining everything around them?

The overheard lyrics are from "No Other Love", a duet sung between Larry and Jeanie in the first act as Jeanie is practising to audition for the "Me and Juliet" musical, with Larry encouraging her.

"Me and Juliet" opened on Broadway in May of 1953 and had a run of just 358 performances.

Answer: Cinderella

Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" was based on the original story by Charles Perrault "Cendrillon, ou la Petite Pantoufle de Verre" rather than on another, previously existing adaptation. This was a first for the duo as they wrote the musical specifically for television as a vehicle to feature the talents of Julie Andrews.

The story of "Cinderella" is as you expect it to be, with Cinderella being abused by her stepmother and two stepsisters after her father passes away. Outside the home, the King and Queen have announced an upcoming celebration of the prince's 21st birthday. Cinderella is left behind as her stepsisters go to the ball, but then her fairy godmother arrives and transforms her with a beautiful gown and glass slippers (plus the requisite carriage made from a pumpkin with footmen and horses created from mice). Cinderella dances with the prince at the ball, but departs in a hurry to make the midnight deadline before the magic wears off, and inadvertently leaves one of the glass slippers behind. Thus begin's the prince's search for the mystery woman who captured his heart.

The overheard lyrics are from "In My Own Little Corner" as Cinderella dreams of bigger things early in the first act.

"Cinderella" originally aired live on CBS on March 31st, 1957, and more than 107 million watched the broadcast. It was later staged for the theatre, and played in many venues, but the adaptation did not make its way to Broadway until 2013, where it had a run of 770 shows.

Answer: South Pacific

For their fourth collaboration, Rodgers and Hammerstein turned to the James Michener work "Tales of the South Pacific". Published in 1947, the Pulitzer Prize-winning book would return pair to prominence after the less-than-stellar response to "Allegro".

The setting of "South Pacific" is an unnamed island in... you guessed it, the South Pacific... during World War II. Ensign Nellie Forbush is a US Navy nurse stationed at a local hospital who becomes enamored of a local plantation owner, Emile de Becque. They begin a relationship, but when she discovers that he has two half-Polynesian children from a previous marriage, her racial prejudices force her to leave him. Emile, now without the prospect of Nellie, agrees to go on a dangerous mission with a US Marine (Lt. Cable), and when Cable is killed and Emile goes missing, Nellie takes care of Emile's children, eventually overcoming her prejudices and learning to love them.

The overheard lyrics are from "Some Enchanted Evening" as Emile expresses his love for Nellie in the first act.

"South Pacific" opened on Broadway in February of 1949 and would have an extensive run of 1,925 performances, while earning Tony's for Best Musical and in all four acting categories (the first to do so). Film adaptations followed in 1958 and 2001.