Some of the more critical of you may have noticed in my discussion of rental houses in the music preparation article that of the large houses listed, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization was the only link-less one. As you can see from the fact that the name now has the appearance of being linked that that situation has been rectified. Yes, the RHO now has a site of its own. Drop by and visit one of the three main areas: The Theatre Library, the rental division; Williamson Music, the publishing arm; and The Concert Library, the concert music publishing and rental division.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatre Library -- don't for a moment let that moniker lead you to think that the RHTL is exclusively for the work of Rodgers and Hammerstein -- the Theatre Library section lists more than 100 authors (from Abbott, George to Zolotow, Charlotte) and dozens of works (from the R&H review All Kinds of People, or the R&H musical Allegro, to the Enid Futterman/Michael Cohen Yours, Anne). Each listed show links to a page with a brief synopsis and some quotes from reviews and contains further links to authors bios, production info, a list of numbers, and discography. There's also the all important link to the application for performance rights where you can begin your negotiations for rental and royalty fees.
Relatively early in his career, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein realized that any division of the royalty pie meant less control and income for the authors. Williamson Music was created in part to handle that problem. Not only does Williamson Music publish the works of R&H, but also a large number of more recent writers, plus admistering the catalogues of Irving Berlin and Sheldon (Fiddler on the Roof) Harnick. This area features a killer search engine, allowing you to search by writer (more than 200), title, show or film, category (like "animals," "children," "loneliness," "places," "weather"), or year. Or you can browse the thousands of titles.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein Concert Library is home of concert and "pops" arrangements of the works of R&H, arranged and orchestrated by (among others) Johnny Green and Robert Russell Bennett. Sixty-two other composers are also listed. Charts all link to an application for performance.
You'll find that nearly every name mentioned at the site is linked to a biography. There are also areas devoted to RHO news (currently a long article about the recent Disney TV version of Cinderella) and a brief R&H trivia quiz. And everywhere you turn are more and more glorious images of the works of R&H and photos of the many, many writers represented by the RHO.
This is another terrifically designed site produced by T3 Media (the group that brought us the Stagebill, Tony Awards Online, The Really Useful Company, and the Les Misérables sites -- among many others) is an incredible resource for those interested in the works represented by the RHO.
The Links to the Reviews concept of the last few weeks has proven to be successful enough to have become a distraction. It has been moved to its own area, where it will have room to breathe and grow. This week features a complete overhaul, links to many of the missing reviews, and some new links to reviews of Street Corner Symphony.
Hey -- go see a show!
Bad reviews got you down? Cheer up at Two Pianos, Four Hands. This brilliant tour de force, splendidly performed by its creators, filled with glorious music and pathos, just arrived in New York after a successful Canadian run. Directed by Gloria Muzio. Don't miss it!
Originally published at Suite101.com Theatre, 12/2/97
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