A study of Rodgers and Hammerstein's role in challenging prejudice and defining post-war American identity in their musical South Pacific

TL;DRAbstract

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II are known by musical theatre fans to have dominated the post-war era of the 20th Century. Their hugely popular musicals are still being shown today, and over 50 years on they often are regarded as some of the greatest theatre pieces of all time. The pair are infamous for finding a perfect balance between entertainment and underlying socio-political comment, 'Rodgers and Hammerstein demonstrated that musicals could be "idea-bearing", socially conscious, and socially responsible, yet still entertain audiences and make money.' (Bush-Jones, 2003, p. 141). We will question to what extent they challenge social problems in America, and whether their work is actually as socially responsible as it is known to be. The study interrogates these issues by closely examining the 1949 war musical, South Pacific.

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