“MY FAVORITE THINGS:
THE RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN
80TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT”
TO AIR ON SKY ARTS ON 26 MAY 2024 AT 6 P.M.
Concord Originals and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization announced today that the star-studded My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert will be broadcast on Sky Arts on Sunday, 26 May 2024 at 6 p.m. Directed for the screen by five-time BAFTA® winner Julia Knowles. The concert was captured on12 December 2023 at London’s newly restored Theatre Royal Drury Lane – the same venue that premièred the original West End productions of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific and The King and I. More information about the concert can be found at RH80Concert.com.
Included in Sky Arts’ celebration of the 80th anniversary of the legendry songwriting partnership of Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II is the airing of three classic R&H films:
- Friday, 24 May at 6 p.m. – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1965 film)
- Saturday, 25 May at 6 p.m. – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (1955 film)
- Monday, 27 May at 6 p.m. – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific (1958 film)
Additionally, the 42-track live recording of My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert will be released on 31 May on double CD and digital platforms worldwide from Concord Theatricals Recordings. The new album is now available to preorder on CD HERE.
The full concert will also be released on DVD and Blu-ray on 4 June. It can be preordered HERE.
The landmark concert event was headlined by recent R&H leading lady Joanna Ampil (Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific);two-time Olivier Award® winner Michael Ball; television, film and stage actor Daniel Dae Kim; four-time Olivier Award winner Maria Friedman; Emmy®, two-time GRAMMY® and six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald; Olivier Award® nominee Julian Ovenden; West End sensation Lucy St. Louis; Tony Award winner Aaron Tveit; two-time Olivier Award nominee Marisha Wallace; and two-time Tony, two-time Golden Globe® and Emmy Awardnominee Patrick Wilson. The performance also featured Anna-Jane Casey, Lily Kerhoas and Jordan Shaw, along with special appearances by EGOT winners Andrew Lloyd Webber and Rita Moreno.
Completing the company were Jade Albertsen, Alex Louize Bird, Matthew Caputo, Dan Cooke, Barry Drummond, Harry Francis, Matt Gibson, Bethany Huckle, Jonny Labey, Brenda Newhouse, Emily Ann Potter, Sophie Pourret, Stephen Quildan and Rachel Wang-Hei Lau.
The celebration of the historic partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II featured the 40-piece Rodgers & Hammerstein Concert Orchestra, conducted by Simon Lee, with stage direction by Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Christopher Gattelli, and associate choreography by Simon Hardwick.
Presented by The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, the concert was produced by Concord Originals, Concord Theatricals, Kilimanjaro Live/JAS Theatricals, Austin Shaw and Rob Bagshaw.
BIOGRAPHIES
Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II
After long and highly distinguished careers with other collaborators, Richard Rodgers (Composer, 1902-79) and Oscar Hammerstein II (Librettist/Lyricist, 1895-1960) joined forces in 1943 to create the most successful partnership in American Musical Theatre. Prior to joining forces, Rodgers collaborated with lyricist Lorenz Hart on musical comedies that epitomized wit and sophistication (Pal Joey, On Your Toes, Babes In Arms and more), while Hammerstein brought new life to operetta and created the classic Show Boat with Jerome Kern. Oklahoma!, the first Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, introduced an integrated form that became known as “the musical play.” Their shows that followed included Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music. Collectively, the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals have earned Tony, Oscar, GRAMMY, Emmy, Pulitzer, and Olivier Awards. The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization is a Concord Company, www.concord.com.
Concord Originals is the narrative content creation division for Concord, the world’s leading independent music company and licensor of stage productions. Ready access to Concord’s vast well of iconic intellectual property and award-winning Concord-represented writers, along with robust in-house production capabilities, uniquely positions the Concord Originals team to swiftly develop and produce stories that satisfy the growing demand for fresh takes on beloved content. The division’s slate is comprised of feature films, series, documentaries and podcasts, including remakes and re-imaginings of properties from Concord’s legendary artists, music and theatrical works. Current projects include a multi-part docuseries about the culture-defining Stax Records for HBO which debuted May 20, 2024, and three feature documentaries: Let the Canary Sing about music icon Cyndi Lauper which streams on Paramount+ on June 4, 2024, and Shari & Lamb Chop and Pretty Ugly: The Story of the Lunachicks which both premiered at DOC NYC 2023. Concord Originals also has an active scripted slate, including a remake of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I with Temple Hill for Paramount Pictures, and a limited series adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella with Skydance TV and Jennifer Lopez’s Nuyorican Productions.
Concord Theatricals is the world’s most significant theatrical company, comprising the catalogues of R&H Theatricals, Samuel French and Tams-Witmark, plus dozens of new signings each year. Our unparalleled roster includes the work of Irving Berlin, Agatha Christie, George & Ira Gershwin, Marvin Hamlisch, Lorraine Hansberry, Kander & Ebb, Tom Kitt, Ken Ludwig, Marlow & Moss, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anaïs Mitchell, Dominique Morisseau, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Thornton Wilder and August Wilson. We are the only firm providing truly comprehensive services to the creators and producers of plays and musicals, including theatrical licensing, music publishing, script publishing, cast recording and first-class production. www.ConcordTheatricals.co.uk
Austin Shaw is the leading producer of live theatre capture, with award-winning productions of 42nd Street, An American in Paris, Anything Goes, From Here to Eternity, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King And I, Kinky Boots, Message in a Bottle, The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage!, Titanic and Wind in the Willows. For PBS, Austin staged and filmed “Great Performances: Chess in Concert” and “Andrew Lloyd Webber Celebration” (both at Royal Albert Hall), “Andrew Lloyd Webber: Masterpiece” (Great Hall of the People in Beijing), “Swan Lake 3D” (Live from Mariinsky Theater) and “Mick Fleetwood & Friends” (London Palladium). As MD of Really Useful Films, he produced stage captures of CATS, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, By Jeeves, Jesus Christ Superstar and the Academy Award-winning feature film The Phantom of the Opera.
Rob Bagshaw is a multiple Emmy Award winner with 25+ years of international production experience. Theatre trained, Rob is now one of the leading creatives in broadcast events. He has worked for all major platforms, producing 2000+ hours with UK daytime series “The Big Breakfast” and “This Morning”; US docu-series “Breaking Pointe” and “So Cosmo”; multi-cam location series “Castaway” and “Paradise Hotel,” and award-winning global competitions “Project Runway All Stars” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” A prolific format creator and showrunner, highlights include “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader,” “Australia’s Perfect Couple,” “The Crystal Maze,” “Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge” and “Top Chef Masters.” Formerly EVP, Kids & Family for Paramount Global (Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, TIME Kid of the Year, NFL Superbowl LV, The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage!); EVP, Creative at Dick Clark Productions (Academy of Country Music Awards, American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, The Golden Globes, “So You Think You Can Dance”) and East Coast head of Bunim Murray Productions (“Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “Project Runway,” “The Real World”). Currently SVP, Live Events & Specials with NBCUniversal, creating content across NBCU’s portfolio including “Barry Manilow’s A Very Barry Christmas,” “Christmas at Graceland LIVE,” “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” and “Wicked.”
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