Who is oscar hammerstein ii

Upon his return to New York he re-set Bizet's opera Carmen into modern times, with an all-black cast. Carmen Jones opened to enthusiastic reviews. That year Hammerstein also joined Richard Rogers in what was to be an year exclusive partnership, which resulted in such blockbuster hits as Oklahoma , Carousel , South Pacific , The King and I , Flower Drum Song , and The Sound of Music , their last show together before Hammerstein's death.

Altogether they produced eight musical plays of their own, plus numerous productions by other composers, revivals of their own previous hits, and transferred most of their successful shows to Hollywood film productions. The partnership garnered 15 Oscars, 24 Tony's, two Pulitzer prizes, and two Grammy awards. Hammerstein also served as a mentor to Alan Jay Lerner, and to Steven Sondheim, who met Hammerstein when he was still very young.

Sondheim credits his success with the lyrics to West Side Story to Hammerstein's influence and guidance. Reserve Tickets. His father, William, managed a vaudeville theater, while his grandfather, Oscar Hammerstein I, was a famed opera impresario.

Hammerstein's uncle Arthur was a successful producer of Broadway musicals. While Hammerstein was studying law at Columbia University, he began acting in the school's Varsity Show revues. As his passion for theater began to eclipse his interest in law, Hammerstein talked his Uncle Arthur into employing him as an assistant stage manager.

Two years later, he married his first wife, Myra Finn. The couple had two children, named William and Alice. In , Arthur promoted his nephew to production stage manager, affording young Hammerstein the opportunity to rewrite scripts in need of improvement.

Also in , Hammerstein wrote his own play, called The Light , which his uncle produced. Despite the play's relative failure, Hammerstein forged ahead with his writing. Not long after, Hammerstein dropped out of grad school at Columbia to concentrate his efforts entirely on musical theater.

Hammerstein first found success as a librettist with Wildflower , a collaboration with Otto Harbach produced in He achieved even greater success with 's Rose Marie , which he created in collaboration with Harbach as well as Herbert Stothart and Rudolf Friml. In the duo teamed up to write Show Boat. The successful musical put Hammerstein on the map as a writer and lyricist.

His uncle, Arthur, was a well known producer. All were famous in their own right, but all would be eclipsed by the success of Oscar II, the third generation theater Hammerstein. Oscar went to Columbia University in preparation for a career in law.

It was at Columbia that Oscar first met the young man who would later collaborate with him and with Lorenz Hart, another Columbia alumnus: Richard Rodgers. In his position as production stage manager Oscar was able to do some writing and re-writing on scripts in development.

Eventually he was writing musical comedies of his own.