Performance Musicals

• Composer - Jerome Kern
• Lyricist - Oscar Hammerstein II
• Book - Oscar Hammerstein II
• Choreographer - Sammy Lee

Characters

• Cap'n Andy Hawks, the owner and captain of the Cotton Blossom show boat. He is the husband of Parthy Ann, and the father of Magnolia.
• Magnolia Hawks, the daughter of Parthy and Cap'n Andy. She marries Gaylord Ravenal and becomes the mother of Kim.
• Gaylord Ravenal, a handsome river boat gambler. Later, the husband of Magnolia and father of Kim.
• Julie La Verne, the leading lady of the troupe and the wife of Steve.
• Steve Baker, the leading man of the Cotton Blossom and protective husband of Julie.
• Parthy Ann Hawks, the stern wife of Cap'n Andy
• Joe, a dock worker on the boat, and the husband of Queenie.
• Queenie, the ship's cook and the wife of Joe.

• Composer - Richard Rodgers
• Lyricist - Oscar Hammerstein II
• Book - Oscar Hammerstein
• Choreographer - Agnes DeMille 

Context

• Oklahoma! is the first musical written by the team of composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II
• It tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams.
• A fifteen-minute "dream ballet" reflects Laurey's struggle with her feelings about two men, Curley and Jud.

Characters 

• Curly - a cowboy, in love with Laurey, but refuses to admit it.
• Laurey - innocence yet an air of knowledge about her, is in love with Curly.
• Jud - doesn't fit in with society, misunderstood, has feelings for Laurey.
• Ado Annie - she "Can't Say No", a comic, romantic lead.

• Choreographer - Jerome Robbins
• Composer - Richard Rodgers 
• Lyricist - Oscar Hammerstein II
• Book - Oscar Hammerstein II

Context 

• The relationship between the King and Anna is marked by conflict through much of the piece, as well as by a love that neither can admit.

Characters

• Anna Leonowens - a widowed Briton, in Siam to teach the royal children.
• The King of Siam - a fictionalised version of the historical King Mongkut.
  
• Lun Tha - a Burmese scholar and envoy, in love with Tuptim.
• Tuptim - a slave brought from Burma to be one of the King's junior wives.

• Composer - Frederick Loewe
• Lyricist - Alan Jay Lerner
• Book - Alan Jay Lerner

Context 

• The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist, so that she may pass as a lady.

Characters

• Henry Higgins - a professor of phonetics.
  
• Eliza Doolittle - a young cockney flowerseller.
• Alfred P. Doolittle - Eliza's father, a dustman.
• Freddy Eynsford-Hill - a young aristorcrat and Eliza's suitor.

• Composer - Leonard Bernstein
• Lyricist - Stephen Sondheim 
• Choreography - Jerome Robbins

Context

• Inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.

The Jets

• Riff - the leader
• Tony - his friend
• The Jet Girls - Graziella, Velma, Minnie, Clarice and Pauline

The Sharks

• Bernardo - the leader
• Maria - his sister
• Anita - his girl
• Chino - his friend 
• Doc

• Playwrights - Galt Macdermot, Gerome Ragni, James Rado
• Lyricists - Gerome Ragni, James Rado

Context 

• a rock musical
• hippie counterculture and sexual revolution of the 1960s

Themes

• Race and the tribe
• Nudity, sexual freedom and drug use
• Pacifism and environmentalism
• Religion and astrology

Characters

• Claude Hooper Bukowski
• George Berger
• Sheila Franklin
• Jeannie Ryan

*First performed on Broadway in 1972

• Music, Lyrics and Book - Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

Context

• The "Burger Palace Boys" and the "Pink Ladies"
• Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski have a secret summer romance but peer-pressure and cliques makes their love a bit more difficult

Characters

• Danny Zuko
• Sandy Dumbrowski 
• Betty Rizzo
• Kenickie 

• Composer - John Kander
• Lyricist - Fred Ebb
• Book - Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb
• Choreographer = Bob Fosse

Context 

• sexual nature
• based on the 1924 trials of accused murderers

Characters

• Roxie Hart -A wannabe vaudevillian and murderess who kills her lover after a spat and is sent to jail.
• Velma Kelly -A vaudevillian and murderess who is on trial for killing her cheating husband and sister. She is represented by Billy Flynn and competes with Roxie Hart over him.
• Billy Flynn -Velma and Roxie's lawyer who has a perfect track record and makes celebrities of his clients to win sympathy and sway public opinion.

• Composer, Lyricist and Book - Jonathan Larson
• Basis - La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini

Context 

• true love
• poverty 
• sexuality 
• aids

Characters

• Mark Cohen
• Rodger Davis
• Mimi Marquez
• Tom Collins
• Angel Dumott Schunard
• Maureen Johnson
• Joanne Jefferson
• Benjamin Coffin III