Chapter 8: Broadway and Musical Theater
One of the most prolific and influential teams to master the book musical was the songwriting duo of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart. They began collaborating as teenagers and sustained their partnership while attending Columbia University. Their early work, including contributions to The Poor Little Ritz Girl (1920), showcased their clever, emotionally nuanced style on the Broadway stage. Although many of their initial shows struggled commercially, they still created enduring songs such as “With a Song in My Heart,” which have become lasting classics.
Rodgers and Hart came into their own in the late 1930s, writing critically and commercially successful book musicals that integrated music and narrative more seamlessly than earlier revues. Two of their most famous works from this period were Babes in Arms (1937), which introduced the hit songs “My Funny Valentine” and “Where or When,” and Pal Joey (1940), which was one of the first musicals to feature a morally ambiguous lead character—a significant development in the evolution of musical theater storytelling.
Throughout their 25-year collaboration, Rodgers and Hart composed nearly 1,000 songs, many of which are now standards in both the Broadway and jazz repertoires.