Full List of Musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were a successful musical theatre writing duo in the 1940s and 50s. Their Broadway shows brought in a whopping 34 Tony Awards!
The duo met at college, but wouldn’t start working together for another couple of decades. Prior to their partnership, Richard Rodgers wrote over 30 musicals with Lorenz Hart (Here’s the full list of musicals by Rodgers and Hart). And below is a full list of the classic and ground-breaking musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein, sorted chronologically.
* Scroll down for a list of musicals written by Richard Rodgers after Hammerstein’s death.
To enhance your experience, pop on Theatre Trip’s Spotify playlist – “The Best of R&H”➝.
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Musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1943)
Oklahoma! was the first private collaboration between Rodgers and Hammerstein as a duo. (To see the actual first collaborations between R&H, scroll down to the “lesser-known musicals” below!) The show was a huge hit on Broadway, running for over 2000 performances! It later received multiple revivals and an Oscar-winning film adaptation.
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1945)
Carousel was another immediate hit, running for 890 performances on Broadway. It has been revived, made into a film, and it was a personal favorite of Richard Rodgers.
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1947)
Unlike the previous two musicals, Allegro opened on Broadway to mixed reviews. It has also rarely been revived since.
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II Book: Joshua Logan
Musical Type: Golden Age (1949)
South Pacific was another immediate hit on Broadway, running for over 1900 performances and winning a Tony for Best Musical! It still receives regular revivals today.
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1951)
The King and I was another enormous and immediate Broadway success for the duo. The show also won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1952.
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1953)
Me and Juliet was considered a moderate success after a year-run on Broadway. It has rarely been revived since.
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Type: Golden Age (1955)
Pipe Dream was Rodgers and Hammerstein’s seventh collaboration. And although the show wasn’t a flop, it was not a financial success for the duo.
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II Book: David Henry Hwang, Joseph Fields
Musical Type: Golden Age (1958)
After Flower Drum Song’s run on Broadway, it went on to the West End in 1960. It was then followed by a film adaptation in 1961.
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Book: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
One of the most popular musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein, The Sound of Music won five Tony Awards and was later adapted into an Academy-Award-winning film!
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Book: Tom Briggs, Louis Mattioli
Musical Type: 1945 Film/Pre-Contemporary Musical (1996)
State Fair was written for the screen in 1945 and later adapted for the stage. It had its premiere on Broadway in 1996, but the response was underwhelming.
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II Book: Douglas Carter Beane
Musical Type: 1957 Film/Contemporary Musical (2013)
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella was written for television in 1957 and adapted for Broadway in 2013. It was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning one.
Lesser-Known Rodgers and Hammerstein Musicals
These musicals were written by Rodgers and Hammerstein II, but don’t have cast albums or a large amount of information available online. The following shows are listed in our Musical Archive.
1919: Up Stage and Down * Technically the first collaboration between Rodgers and Hammerstein!
1920: Fly With Me
1920: You’d Be Surprised
1921: Say It With Jazz
1922: Jazz a la Carte
Musicals by Richard Rodgers
These musicals were written by Rodgers with others after Hammerstein’s death in 1960.
Music/Lyrics: Richard Rodgers Book: Samuel Taylor
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1962)
No Strings is the only Broadway score that Richard Rodgers wrote both the music and lyrics for. It was also the first musical he composed after the death of Oscar Hammerstein II.
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Arthur Laurents
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
Do I Hear a Waltz was the first and only collaboration between Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim. The production received mixed reviews.
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Martin Charnin Book: Peter Stone
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1970)
Another show with mixed reviews, Two by Two opened in 1970 on Broadway and ran for ten months.
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Book: Sherman Yellen
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Unfortunately, Rex was an underwhelming last Broadway premiere for Richard Rodgers. However, six months before his death in 1979, he was awarded with the Lawrence Langner Memorial Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in the American Theatre for his work as a whole.
Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Martin Charnin, Raymond Jessel Book: Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1979)
I Remember Mama premiered in 1979, but unfortunately was not received well by the public, who deemed the show to be too old-fashioned for their taste.
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Suggested Rodgers and Hammerstein Resources
The Rodgers and Hammerstein Sheet Music Collection➝
Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution➝
The Rodgers and Hammerstein Piano Duet Book➝
Which of these musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein is your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in one of them? Feel free to share in the comments below. And if you like these types of lists, check out the musical database. That’s where you’ll find musicals sorted by composer, theme, setting, and more!
Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip, author of The Thespian’s Bucket List, and creator of The Cast Album List. She has a TESOL drama certificate, a BA in theatre, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.
I’m looking for a performance script for “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”. Please advise ordering details. Thank you.
Hey Fred! If you’re just looking to give the musical a read, you might be able to find it on Scribd.
But if you’re looking to put on a performance, here is the link for licensing!
Hope this helps! 🙂
Definitely Cinderella Stacy. The 2015 Live Actioner with Lily James is, officially, my Favourite Movie of All time. I saw it 18 times at the Movies which beats out Star Wars in 1977 (17 times at the Movies). There is also the R & H 1965 Cinderella with Stuart Damon and Lesley Ann Warren which is a ripper as well. Thank you.
Wow, 18 times! That’s incredible! I think my movie theatre record still goes to Titanic back when I was a teen. But agreed – you can’t go wrong with Cinderella. Such a classic. 🙂