Pen-and-ink drawing of Ethel Merman, as Reno Sweeney, by Ellen Graham Anderson. No date.

From the Papers of Ellen Graham Anderson.

Musicals II

Anything Goes

From a book by Guy Bolton, P. G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay, and Russel Crouse and with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, Anything Goes (1934) survives as one of the most outstanding musicals of the 1930s. 

Pen-and-ink drawing of William Gaxton, as Billy Crocker, by Ellen Graham Anderson. No date.

From the Papers of Ellen Graham Anderson.

Ethel Merman, William Gaxton, and Victor Moore composed the original cast for this lively musical, set on an ocean liner bound for Europe. Cole Porter’s score is considered to be rivaled only by his later Kiss Me, Kate (1948) and included such songs as “Anything Goes,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” and “You’re the Top.”

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein 2nd…Present… “ South Pacific.” Souvenir book. [New York]: Al Greenstone, [1952].

Gift of Margaret Hrabe.

South Pacific

Composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II became the quintessential collaborative team behind America’s modern musicals. The success of their first two creative attempts, Oklahoma! (1943) and Carousel (1945), left them unprepared for the commercial failure of their third collaboration, Allegro (1947). Eager to recapture their winning streak, the two decided to produce a show based on James A. Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Tales of the South Pacific. The final product, South Pacific, set on a Pacific island during World War II, dealt with the sensitive issues of racial injustice and interracial romance.

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein 2nd…Present… “South Pacific.” Playbill for the Majestic Theatre. [New York]: Playbill, [1952].

Gift of Margaret Hrabe.

Opening on April 7, 1949, in the Majestic Theatre, the musical garnered nine Tony Awards, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize, only the second to be awarded to a musical. Coinciding with the popularity of the musical itself was the introduction of the cast recording that brought the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein into the homes of countless Americans, many of whom had never seen the show. This dynamic creative team went on to produce many other memorable musicals, including The King and I (1951) and The Sound of Music (1959).

Tony Award for Best Musical of 1977 for Annie. Produced by Lewis Allen, Mike Nichols, Irwin Meyer, and Stephen R. Friedman.

Courtesy of Lewis Allen.

Annie

In 1977, Harold Gray’s comic-strip character of Little Orphan Annie found her way onto the stage in an adaptation by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse, and Martin Charnin. The result was the Tony Award-winning musical Annie. Contributing songs such as “Tomorrow” and “Easy Street” to the American musical repertoire, the show opened on April 21, 1977, starring Andrea McArdle in the title role, and ran for 2,377 performances. The lively story of a poor orphan girl adopted by millionaire Daddy Warbucks touched the hearts of theatre-goers of all ages, speaking especially to children. Revived in 1997 for the twentieth anniversary of the original show, Annie has found a new generation of fans.