This Was A Thing: The Retro Podcast

Aug 27 2024 55 mins 7

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This past week, on August 23rd, the world (A.K.A. musical theater nerds) recognized the anniversary of the passing of Oscar Hammerstein II, one of Broadway's most renowned contributors. So to honor Mr. Hammerstein in our own, special ThWAT way, here's Rob's episode all about the age in which Hammerstein ruled supreme: the Golden Age of Musical Theater. Enjoy!

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Long before the barricades of Les Mis arose, before Adele Dazeem defied gravity, and before Mr. Alexander Hamilton took his shot, musical theatre in America had already emerged from one of the most formative and productive periods in theatre history. It only lasted 21 years, but those years gave the public such an expansive slate of shows and groundbreaking performances that it would take a professional historian to summarize in a single podcast episode. Lucky for you, one of our hosts has a career teaching and lecturing about the history of musical theatre!

Penn State's very own Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre, Mr. Rob W. Schneider, teaches Ray all about the Golden Age of American Musical Theater which spanned from 1943 to 1964; how Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma pushed the musical comedy into brand new territory; which musical accomplished the rare feat of winning the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; why Cole Porter had to be on his game when writing for Ethel; Rex Harrison’s backstage drama; and whether the current state of musical theatre qualifies as a “second” Golden Age.

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