Allegro (musical)

Allegro is a musical by Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II

Allegro
(book and lyrics), their third collaboration for the stage. Opening on Broadway
on October 10, 1947, the musical centers on the life of Joseph Taylor, Jr., who
follows in the footsteps of his father as a doctor, but is tempted by fortune and
fame at a big-city hospital.

After the immense successes of the first two Rodgers and Hammerstein
musicals, Oklahoma! and Carousel, the pair sought a subject for their next play.
Hammerstein had long contemplated a serious work which would deal with the
problems of the ordinary man in the fast-moving modern world. He and Rodgers
sought to create a work which would be as innovative as their first two-stage
musicals. To that end, they created a play with a large cast, including a Greek
chorus. The production would have no sets; props and projections served to
suggest locations.

After a disastrous tryout in New Haven, Connecticut, the musical opened on

Broadway to a large advance sale of tickets, and very mixed reviews. Agnes de
Mille, the choreographer of Rodgers and Hammerstein's previous Broadway
productions, both directed and choreographed the work. The show was viewed
as too moralistic, and the Broadway run ended after nine months; it was
followed by a short national tour. It had no West End production and has rarely
been revived. There are two recordings of Allegro, the original cast album and a Original Broadway poster (1947)
studio recording released in 2009. Music Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Oscar Hammerstein II
Book Oscar Hammerstein II

Contents Productions 1947 Broadway

Inception
Rehearsals and tryouts
Synopsis
Act 1
Act 2
Musical numbers
Production history
Music and recordings
Musical treatment
Recordings
Critical reception
Aftermath
Awards and nominations
Original Broadway production
References
Bibliography
External links
Inception
Oscar Hammerstein II had always wanted to write a serious drama, one which would address
the problems of life confronting ordinary people. By early 1946, three years after his
partnership with Richard Rodgers commenced, the duo had two hits (Oklahoma! and
Carousel) on Broadway, and success as producers of musicals others had written. In March,
Hammerstein approached Rodgers with the idea for a play with two men as the central
characters, rather than the usual "boy and girl" format. Over the following weeks, the two
discussed it, and the concept evolved into a musical about one man, a doctor's son, which
appealed to Rodgers, the son and brother of doctors. By September, the general theme for the
story had been established: the struggle of the main character to avoid compromising his
principles as he progresses in life.[1]

Hammerstein had thought of writing a play about a man, from birth to death. However, having
Oscar Hammerstein II
just killed his leading male character, Billy Bigelow, onstage in Carousel, he was reluctant to
kill off another.[2] In the end, he took his protagonist from birth to age 35.[1] He envisioned a
simply staged work like Our Town which after its initial run would lend itself to college productions.[3] Allegro was conceived as
taking place in an open space, using props and projections to convey scenery to the audience.[4] In addition to the usual singing
chorus, there would be a speaking chorus, in the manner of a Greek chorus, which would comment on the action, and speak to both
characters and audience.[4]

As background research about the medical profession, Hammerstein interviewed his own doctor.[5] He wrote a few pages of the book
before embarking with his wife for Australia to visit his mother-in-law; when his ship arrived in Brisbane he mailed Rodgers part of
the remainder. On receiving the packet, Rodgers, who generally did not compose until Hammerstein supplied him with a lyric,
immediately sat down and composed three songs.[1] Hammerstein put a good deal of his own experiences into the play. According to
his son, William, "Most of the first act was based on his own memories of his own childhood. He had always been intrigued by it,
."[6]
you know; his mother died when he was twelve. I always felt his songs came out of his feelings about her

Hammerstein spent a year writing and polishing the first act, taking infinite pains over the wording. The second act was more rushed;
[7] Hammerstein's protegeeStephen Sondheim, who
under a deadline, Hammerstein completed it only a week before rehearsals began.
served as a $25-a-weekgofer on the production, stated,

Years later, in talking over the show with Oscar—I don't think I recognized it at the time—I realized he was trying to
tell the story of his life ... Oscar meant it as a metaphor for what had happened to him. He had become so successful
with Oklahoma! and Carousel that he was suddenly in demand all over the place. What he was talking about was the
[8]
trappings, not so much of success, but of losing sight of what your goal is.

Rehearsals and tryouts

The duo hired choreographer Agnes de Mille to direct—a move between two theatre functions which was unusual at the time.[4] De
Mille had been the choreographer for the dances in Oklahoma! and Carousel, designing ballets which disclosed the characters'
psychological states to the audience.[9] She had been concerned about the cohesion of the script as she received it from Hammerstein.
When a few days before rehearsals began, she asked Hammerstein what the show was about, the lyricist replied, "It's about a man not
being allowed to do his own work because of worldly pressures."[7] De Mille answered, "That's not the play you've written. You
haven't written your second act."[7] Hammerstein replied, "But we're already committed to the theatre in New ork."
Y [7]

De Mille faced an immense task. Instead of conventional sets, locations were suggested by platforms, images projected onto
backdrops, and lighting—there were 500 lighting cues, at the time a Broadway record. There were forty stagehands, needed to shift
sixty partial sets, with objects moved onto the stage by a semicircular track hidden by an elaborate series of curtains. According to de
[10]
Mille biographer Carol Easton, "Allegro was a leviathan of a show, on a scale exceeding the grasp of any individual."
Rehearsals took place in three New York locations, for principals, singers, and dancers. The production contained 41 principals and
over a hundred dancers.[10] De Mille also choreographed the dances, which were both extremely complicated and provided the
framework for the scenes which made up the show. During the dances, Joe learns to walk, falls in love, goes astray, and then gets
back on the proper track. De Mille used adults in children's clothes for the dances when Joe is a child; since there were no actual
children on stage to provide scale, the illusion worked.[11] The dance which accompanied "One Foot, Other Foot" was based on de
[11]
Mille's own experiences in watching her own son Jonathan learn to walk.

Sondheim later expressed his view of de Mille's directing, calling her "a horror. She
treated the actors and singers like dirt and treated the dancers like gods ...[she was,] I
think, an extremely insensitive woman, an excellent writer, and a terrible director, in
terms of morale, anyway. That was my first experience of bad behavior in the
theatre."[12] However, Rufus Smith, who played the minor role of the football coach,
stated, "Never again in my life will I experience what it is like to stop a show cold,
by doing exactly what she taught me".[13] The immense job of directing the play
finally proved too big for de Mille, who stated "I can't do the new dances and the
new songs and the new book," and Hammerstein stepped in to direct the dialogue.[7]
According to Rodgers biographer Meryle Secrest, at this point the cast was up in
arms over de Mille's treatment of them.[14] James Mitchell, one of the dancers in the
production, later stated that de Mille was better at directing dancers than actors, as
actors come to the stage with preconceived notions about how to play a part, and
Rodgers (nearest to camera) and dancers do not.[13]
others at a rehearsal forAllegro
The first tryout, in New Haven, Connecticut, did not go to plan. During the first act,
William Ching, playing Joseph Taylor, Sr., was singing "A Fellow Needs a Girl"
when the scenery wall began to collapse, forcing him to hold it up until the stagehands noticed. Dancer Ray Harrison caught his tap
in a track in the stage, tore the ligaments in his knee and was carried from the stage, screaming. Lisa Kirk, the first Emily, fell into the
orchestra while singing "The Gentleman Is a Dope". She was catapulted back onto the stage with no pause in her singing, to great
applause by the audience.[15] Sondheim remembered,

Next day in the New York Herald Tribune ... Billy Rose, of all people was saying, "A star is born." Next night she
comes back, came to the same point in the song, and starts to fall, and the entire audience gasps because they'd all
read the Herald Tribune. She recovers quickly, they all sigh, and she gets another ovation. Oscar came backstage at
the end and said, "You do that a third time and you're fired."[15]

The disasters of the New Haven opener concluded during "Come Home", a song near the end of the play—the quiet urgings of the
chorus and Joe's mother to entice him to return to his small town. A false fire alarm went off, and the audience began to push towards
the exit. Joshua Logan, who was in attendance, loudly ordered the crowd to sit down, which it did.[15] One of the Boston tryouts that
followed New Haven was marked by boisterous behavior by conventioneers, until Hammerstein yelled, "Shut up!" and the audience
subsided.[16]

Synopsis

Act 1
The play opens with Marjorie Taylor in bed, in 1905. Wife of small town doctor Joseph Taylor, she has just had a son. The people of
the town predict great things for Joseph Taylor, Jr., or Joe as he will come to be called (Musical number: "Joseph Taylor, Jr."). Joe
learns what a baby learns: the comforting presence of his mother, the presence of another figure, who does not smell as nice, and who
always leaves as soon as he picks up his black bag. Joe is seen as a baby and then not again as a child; the audience takes his
perspective. Joe's Grandma notices him trying to walk, calls for Marjorie to witness the first steps, and once he takes them, as the
chorus states, "the world belongs to Joe" ("One Foot, Other
Foot"). Joe grows to school age, and loses his beloved
Grandma. He is comforted by Jennie Brinker, a businessman's
daughter. The two grow to high school age and date, though Joe
lacks the nerve to kiss her, to Jennie's frustration. As Joe
prepares to leave for college, Dr. Taylor hopes that his son will
help him in his medical practice, and he and Marjorie wonder if "Joseph Taylor, Jr.": the townsfolk assemble o
t celebrate
Joe's birth. From the original Broadway production;
Joe will marry Jennie ("A Fellow Needs a Girl").
William Ching as Dr. Taylor, with Muriel O'Malley as
Grandma and Annamary Dickey as Marjorie (in bed), all
at right.

At the freshman mixer ("Freshman Dance"), the audience finally sees Joe onstage. He marvels
at his new world, in which he is a loner ("A Darn Nice Campus"). Joe serves ineffectively as a
cheerleader ("The Purple and the Brown"), rooting for the Wildcats, whose star player is Joe's
freshman classmate Charlie Townsend. Both are pre-medical students and soon become close
friends. The friendship helps both; Joe gains entrance to Charlie's fraternity and social circles,
while Charlie is allowed to copy Joe's conscientious schoolwork.

While Joe is at college, Jennie remains at home, and her wealthy father, Ned Brinker, who
disapproves of Joe for spending so many years in school before earning a living, encourages
her to find other boyfriends. Jennie does not bother to conceal these romances in her letters;
Joe is finally fed up, and goes on a double date with Charlie and two girls. Beulah, Joe's date,
is initially enthusiastic about the budding romance ("So Far") but walks away in disgust when
Joe, who is unable to keep thoughts of Jennie from his mind, falls asleep after a passionate
William Ching as Joe's
father kiss. Jennie breaks up with the boy that Joe was afraid would marry her, and she is waiting for
Joe when he returns home ("You Are Never Away"). Marjorie Taylor is convinced that Jennie
is the wrong girl for Joe, and after a confrontation with Jennie when she tells her this,
Marjorie dies of a heart attack. Despite the disapproval of both families ("What a Lovely Day for a Wedding"), Joe and Jennie marry,
a wedding observed by the unhappy ghosts of Marjorie and Grandma ("W
ish Them Well").

Act 2
It is the Depression. Joe makes a bare living as assistant to his father. Mr. Brinker's
business has failed, and he lives with the couple, who are experiencing poverty for
the first time in their lives. The poverty affects Jennie more than Joe—the new Mrs.
Taylor dislikes life as an impoverished housewife ("Money Isn't Everything"). When
she learns that Joe turned down a lucrative offer from a prominent Chicago
physician, who is Charlie's uncle, Jennie at first rages. When she finds that is not
effective, she gets him to change his mind through guilt—if he accepts Dr. Denby's
offer, he can earn the money to start the small hospital of which his father dreams
and they will have the money to bring up a child properly
.

Joe accepts the job, and sadly leaves his father. He soon finds himself ministering to
hypochondriacs; he is required to spend time at cocktail parties marked by useless
conversation ("Yatata, Yatata, Yatata"). Charlie is also part of the practice, but the
former football star has turned to drink. Joe himself is becoming careless due to the
distractions; one mistake is caught by his nurse, Emily, who greatly admires the Roberta Jonay as Jennie
physician Joe could be ("The Gentleman Is a Dope"). Denby congratulates Joe on
his skills, both medical and social. The elder doctor has less time for a nurse, Carrie
Middleton, who has worked at his hospital for thirty years and once dated him, but who is involved in a labor protest—Denby orders
her fired at the request of Lansdale, an influential trustee and soap manufacturer. Charlie, Joe and Emily comment on the frenetic
pace of the Chicago world in which they live ("Allegro").

Joe has become increasingly disillusioned by his life in the city, and worries about his former patients in his home town. He learns
that Jennie is having an affair with Lansdale. As Joe sits, head in hands, his late mother and a chorus of the friends he left behind
appeal to him to return ("Come Home"). Joe has been offered the position of physician-in-chief at the Chicago hospital, replacing
Denby, who is taking an executive position, or as the elder doctor terms it, being "kicked upstairs". At a dedication of a new pavilion
at the hospital, Joe has a revelation and shifts the path of his life; as he does so, Grandma appears and calls for Marjorie to come
watch, an echo of the scene in which he learned to walk. Joe refuses the position, and will return to his small town to assist his father,
accompanied by Emily and Charlie, but not by Jennie (Finale: "One Foot, Other Foot" (reprise)).

Musical numbers
Act I[17] Act II[17]

"Overture" - Orchestra "Entr'acte" - Orchestra

"Joseph Taylor, Jr." – Ensemble "Money Isn't Everything" – Jennie Brinker and Other
"I Know It Can Happen Again" – Grandma T aylor Wives
"Pudgy Legs" - Ensemble "Dance: Money Isn't Everything" - Orchestra
"One Foot, Other Foot" – Ensemble "Poor Joe (Reprise)" - Ensemble
"Children's Dance" - Orchestra with Children "You Are Never Away (Reprise)" - Joe Taylor
"Grandmother's Death: I Know It Can Happen Again "A Fellow Needs a Girl (Reprise)" - Majorie T
aylor
(Reprise)" - Grandma Taylor "Ya-ta-ta" – Charlie Townsend and Ensemble
"Winters Go By" - Ensemble "The Gentleman Is a Dope" – Emily
"Poor Joe" - Ensemble "Allegro" – Charlie Townsend, Joe Taylor, Emily and
"Diploma" - Ensemble Ensemble
"A Fellow Needs a Girl" – Dr. Taylor and Marjorie Taylor "Allegro" Ballet - Orchestra with Ensemble
"Dance: Freshmen Get Together" – Orchestra with "Come Home" – Marjorie Taylor and Ensemble
Ensemble "Finale Ultimo: Ya-ta-ta/Come Home/One Foot, Other
"A Darn Nice Campus" – Joe Taylor Foot" – Ensemble
"Wildcats" – Ensemble and Joe Taylor
"Jennie Reads Letter: A Darn Nice Campus (Reprise)" -
Jennie Brinker
"Scene of Professors" - Professors, Joe Taylor, Jennie
Brinker, and Ensemble
"So Far" – Beulah
"You Are Never Away" – Joe Taylor and Ensemble
"You Are Never Away (Encore)" - Joe Taylor and
Ensemble
"Poor Joe (Reprise)" - Ensemble
"What a Lovely Day for a Wedding" – Ensemble and
Mr. Brinker
"It May Be a Good Idea for Joe" – Charlie T
ownsend
"Finale Act I: I Know It Can Happen Again/To Have and
To Hold/Wish Them Well" - Ensemble

Production history
Given the outstanding success of Oklahoma! and Carousel, Allegro was anticipated with close interest by the theatre community and
public.[18] The musical attracted$750,000 in advance sales, at a time when the top price ticket for a Broadway musical was $6.
[19]

Allegro opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on October 10, 1947. It starred John Battles as Joseph Taylor, Jr., Annamary
Dickey as Majorie Taylor, William Ching as Dr. Joseph Taylor, Roberta Jonay as Jennie Brinker, Lisa Kirk as Emily, and John Conte
as Charlie Townsend.[20] A special performance the afternoon of the opening for friends and associates generated wild applause; the
audience at the official opening that evening clapped little. As de Mille's husband,
Walter Prude, put it, Allegro went over "like a wet firecracker".[19]

The mixed reviews prompted ongoing discussions of the play's merit, continuing
well after the first night.[21] Some of the news that the show generated had nothing
to do with its worth—de Mille had dancer Francis Rainer fired, and Rainer alleged
that the dismissal was due to her union activism. After Actors Equity became
involved, Rainer was rehired. More bad publicity came when the producers
proposed to dismiss several orchestra and chorus members to cut costs so the show
might continue through the summer of 1948, and the fired performers also alleged
dismissal for union involvement.[22] The show closed before the summer, and in the
fall, a national tour began.[23] The national tour ran eight months, much shorter than
that of Oklahoma! or Carousel. No London production was mounted. According to
Thomas Hischak in his The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia, the show
made a small profit;[24] other sources state that the show lost money
.[16][25]

The show was popular in the 1950s among amateur drama societies, because of the
large cast with no star and the bare stage. It has rarely been revived professionally: Program for Allegro's US tour, April
the St. Louis Municipal Opera presented it in 1955; Goodspeed Musicals presented 1949 (Davidson Theatre,Milwaukee)
it in Connecticut in 1968. An abridged version was presented Off-Off-Broadway in
1978 by Equity Library Theatre.[24]

In March 1994 a staged concert version was presented by New York City Center Encores!, with a cast that included Stephen
Bogardus (Joseph Taylor, Jr.), Karen Ziemba and Jonathan Hadary. Christopher Reeve was the narrator, and the concert was directed
by Susan H. Schulman.[26] A revised version of Allegro, re-written by Joe DiPietro, who was a protege of Oscar's son James
Hammerstein, was produced at the Signature Theatre (Arlington, Virginia) in January 2004. This version cut the musical in size and
[27]
scale. The cast was cut with some characters being combined; the original, lavish orchestrations were simplified.

The Canadian premiere of Allegro took place in 2004, staged by the Toronto Civic Light-Opera Company. With full orchestra and a
cast of 30, the production was designed and directed by Joe Cascone, and became one of the inspirations for the all-star 2009
recording. It was attended by Ted Chapin, Bruce Pomahac andDena Hammerstein, respectively, CEO of the Rodgers & Hammerstein
organization, director of music for R&H, and Hammerstein's daughter-in-law. The production was a major success, both artistically
and financially for the company.

The Astoria Performing Arts Center in cooperation with Actor's Equity mounted a production from May 1–17, 2014 in Astoria,
Queens, New York, Tom Wojtunik director. APAC has offices in the historic Kaufman Astoria Studios; APAC's performance space is
located within the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church.

A 90-minute edited version directed by John Doyle was presented by the Classic Stage Company in New York City in November
2014.

The show received its European première in a revival that took place at the Southwark Playhouse, London UK, running from August
to September 2016 to positive reviews.

Music and recordings

Musical treatment
Although Allegro is filled with music, the music is fragmented, as the characters often break into song briefly. The character of Joe
was unusual for a male lead of the time in having relatively little to sing;[28] Joe has only one solo number ("A Darn Nice Campus").
Important songs are given to minor characters, such as "So Far", given to Beulah, who only appears on the one date with Joe.[29]
Author and composer Ethan Mordden calls Rodgers's technique "the deconstruction of theatre
[28]
music, to match the show's deconstruction of traditional theatre design".

Rodgers's music is more subtle than in his previous musicals, and his melodies more muted.
The key changes are less dramatic than in other musicals of that time.[4] Rodgers did not
intend for the songs to become hits; instead they were designed to draw the audience into the
[29]
action, as onstage events were described subjectively in song.

Recordings
An original cast recording was released in 1947, heavily abridged. According to Hischak, only
Lisa Kirk as Emily shines on the recording, which he calls "sad evidences of a very ambitious
undertaking".[24] Originally issued by RCA Victor Records on five 78s, sales were poor; Richard Rodgers
Victor did not reissue it on LP during the rapid transition from 78s to long-playing records in
1949–1950, when most record companies were hastily transferring their entire catalogues onto
the new medium. The recording was made available briefly in simulated stereo in the 1960s, and was reissued in the 1970s in the
original mono.[30] The original cast recording was released on compact disc in 1993.
[31]

A studio recording of the complete score was made in 2008, with an all-star cast featuring Patrick Wilson as Joe, Nathan Gunn and
Audra McDonald as his parents, Marni Nixon as Grandma, Laura Benanti as Jennie, Liz Callaway as Emily, Judy Kuhn as Beluh,
Norbert Leo Butz as Charlie, with special appearances by Stephen Sondheim, Schuyler Chapin and, through archival audio
recordings, Oscar Hammerstein. The album, produced by Sony Masterworks Broadway, was released on February 3, 2009.[32]
According to musical theatre author John Kenrick, "this all star studio cast glorifies all that is right with this melodious and
sometimes adventurous score".[33]

Vocalist Jo Stafford had a pop hit with 'The Gentleman Is A Dope' in 1947.

Frank Sinatra took 'A Fellow Needs A Girl' to Number 24 in 1947. Another song from the musical, 'So Far', was the B-Side of the 78
rpm record.[34]

Critical reception
The musical received mixed reviews following its opening night. The New York Times critic Brooks Atkinson opined that Rodgers
and Hammerstein had "just missed the final splendor of a perfect work of art".[20] Robert Coleman of the New York Daily Mirror
stated that "Allegro is perfection",[19] and added that it was "a stunning blending of beauty, integrity, intelligence, imagination, taste
and skill ... it lends new stature to the American musical stage".[24] Ward Morehouse of The Sun wrote that Allegro was
"distinguished and tumultuous. It takes its place alongside of Oklahoma! and Carousel as a theatrical piece of taste, imagination, and
showmanship."[19]

However, Wolcott Gibbs of The New Yorker called the musical "a shocking disappointment".[19] Robert Garland, in the New York
Journal American suggested that Rodgers and Hammerstein "had confused allegro [which means at a fast pace] with, say, lento,
which means 'slow', 'unhurried', and even downright 'serious'".[19] Critic George Jean Nathan, in a special piece in the Journal
American, decried "such hokum mush as the familiar wedding scene and the ghost of a mother who returns at intervals to keep her
son from error, but a cocktail party chatterbox number paraphrased from an old Noël Coward movie, a college number dittoed from
an earlier George Abbott one, and various other elements hardly rivaling the daisy in freshness".[35] In Theatre Arts, Cecil Smith
called Allegro "acceptable only as an exercise in stagecraft, not as a work of art ... Allegro fails where Our Town succeeded ... Joseph
Taylor, Jr.'s life has little or nothing to tell us about our own lives."[36] Louis Kronenberger of New York P.M. called the show "an out-
and-out failure."[37]

De Mille's direction and choreography were reviewed generally positively; Cecil Smith applauded her for the "ease and flawless
design with which Miss de Mille brings mobility to these non-dancing [singing and speaking choruses] ... no previous musical has
approached Allegro in consistency of movement, expertness of timing and shapeliness of visual patterns.[38] Times dance critic John
Martin stated, "Allegro has definitely made history" for de Mille's giving "form and substance to material with little of either".[37]
[37]
Dance Magazine praised her for creating "the illusion of space and depth far beyond the confines of the proscenium".

As the disagreement continued past the opening night, Wayne Abrams wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "Nobody is neutral about
Allegro. The Hammerstein-Rodgers-deMille musical play is either nigh unto perfection or a dismal flop. There's that much room for
disagreement."[21]

Aftermath
Hammerstein was embittered by audience and critical reaction to his book, and felt
they misunderstood it. Public perception was that Hammerstein had implied that
small-town folk were good while their big-city cousins were neurotic and venal. The
lyricist objected, pointing out that the worst character in the musical was a small-
town girl, but according to Hammerstein biographer Hugh Fordin, "he knew it was
his fault that the message was not clear."[16] In a preface to the published script,
issued in 1948, Hammerstein tried again to make his point:

It is a law of our civilization, that as soon as a man proves he can

contribute to the well-being of the world, there be created an
immediate conspiracy to destroy his usefulness, a conspiracy in
Rodgers (left) and Hammerstein
which he is usually a willing collaborator. Sometimes he awakens to
his danger and does something about it.[39]

According to Frederick Nolan, in his book about the pair's music, "Reexamined today, Allegro's main fault seems to have been that it
was ahead of its time, the integration of story and music far too advanced even for audiences now becoming accustomed to musicals
which actually had stories."[15] Sondheim noted, "Allegro was an attempt to use epic theatre in contemporary musical theatre. It used
a Greek chorus, and tried to tell the story of a life, not through events but through generalities. This is now what would be called a
Brechtian approach."[40]

A decade after Allegro's premiere, after learning of his fatal cancer, Hammerstein returned to the musical, hoping to correct its flaws,
but he did not complete the project.[41] While recording an oral history tape for Columbia University, Hammerstein stated, "I
intended Dick to write music for it [the chorus in Allegro] but we wound up reciting the chorus instead ... I'm not blaming anyone,
[42] Rodgers later stated that the show was "too preachy
because we all accepted it, we all collaborated ... but it was a mistake." , which
was the one fault that Oscar had, if any,"[29] and "[n]othing to be ashamed of, certainly".[43] Rodgers further defended the play, "The
comments we made on the compromises demanded by success, as well as some of the satiric side issues—hypochondria, the empty
cocktail party—still hold."[40]

The relative failure of Allegro reinforced the team's determination to have another hit. Author James Michener recalled his meeting
with the duo over the possibility of converting his book Tales of the South Pacific into a musical. "They were inwardly burning
because of the reception accorded toAllegro. Those fellows were so mad I was fairly certain that they could make a great musical out
of the Bronx telephone directory."[40] That project would becomeSouth Pacific and be a tremendous hit.[44]

Hischak ties the failure ofAllegro to a change in the pair's style:

The failure of Allegro only partially tarnished the reputation of Rodgers and Hammerstein; after all, it was a very
respectable flop. Yet the long-term repercussions were more serious. Never again would R&H experiment so boldly
and risk losing their audience. They would continue to come up with surprising and wonderful things, but the days of
radical and foolhardy innovation were over. From then on they would stick to the tried and true. Allegro marked the
end of the R&H revolution.[24]
Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result Ref

Best Book of a Musical Oscar Hammerstein won
1947 Donaldson Award Best Lyrics II won [45]

Best Score Richard Rodgers won

References
1. Hyland, p. 167.
2. Secrest, p. 280.
3. Fordin, p. 252.
4. Hischak, p. 6.
5. Hammerstein, p. 182.
6. Nolan, p. 170.
7. Fordin, p. 254.
8. Nolan, pp. 171–172.
9. Hischak, p. 64.
10. Easton, p. 266.
11. Easton, p. 267.
12. Hammerstein, p. 183.
13. Easton, p. 268.
14. Secrest, p. 282.
15. Nolan, p. 172.
16. Fordin, p. 255.
17. Hischak, pp. 6–7.
18. Mordden, Rodgers & Hammerstein, p. 98.
19. Mordden, Rodgers & Hammerstein, p. 99.
20. Atkinson.
21. Mordden, Rodgers & Hammerstein, p. 100.
22. Mordden, Rodgers & Hammerstein, p. 102.
23. Mordden, Rodgers & Hammerstein, p. 103.
24. Hischak, p. 7.
25. Hyland, p. 171.
26. Holden.
27. Toscano.
28. Mordden, Rodgers & Hammerstein, p. 97.
29. Fordin, p. 256.
30. Mordden, Broadway Babies, p. 288 (https://books.google.com/?id=WFyJdLgYlikC&lpg=P
A228&dq=allegro%20origin
al%20cast%20recording&pg=PA228#v=onepage&q=allegro%20original%20cast%20recording&f=false)
31. Metcalf.
32. Hetrick & Gans.
33. Kenrick.
34. http://sinatrafamily.com/single-list/original-issue/
35. Mordden, Rodgers & Hammerstein, pp. 99–100.
36. Easton, p. 270.
37. Easton, p. 271.
38. Easton, pp. 270–271.
39. Hyland, pp. 171–172.
40. Nolan, p. 173.
41. Mordden, Rodgers & Hammerstein, p. 105.
42. Fordin, p. 257.
43. Hyland, p. 173.
44. Hischak, pp. 262–263.
45. Hischak, p. 331.

Bibliography
Easton, Carol (2000) [1996].No Intermissions: The Life of Agnes de Mille(illustrated, reprint ed.). Da Capo Press.
ISBN 978-0-306-80975-0.
Fordin, Hugh (1995) [1977].Getting to Know Him: A Biography of Oscar Hammerstein II(reprint, illustrated ed.).
Jefferson, N.C.: Da Capo Press.ISBN 978-0-306-80668-1.
Hammerstein, Oscar Andrew (2010).The Hammersteins: A Musical Theatre Family(illustrated ed.). New York: Black
Dog & Leventhal Publishers.ISBN 978-1-57912-846-3.
Hischak, Thomas S. (2007).The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia(illustrated ed.). Westport, Conn.:
Greenwood Publishing Group.ISBN 978-0-313-34140-3.
Hyland, William G. (1998). Richard Rodgers (illustrated ed.). New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-
300-07115-3.
Mordden, Ethan (1992). Rodgers & Hammerstein(illustrated ed.). New York: Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-0-8109-
1567-1.
Mordden, Ethan (1988) [1983].Broadway Babies: The People Who Made the American Musical(reprint ed.). New
York: Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0-19-505425-5.
Nolan, Frederick (2002) [1979]. The Sound of Their Music: The Story of Rodgers and Hammerstein(reprint ed.).
Cambridge, Mass.: Applause Theatre and Cinema Books.ISBN 978-1-55783-473-7.
Secrest, Meryle (2001). Somewhere for Me: A Biography of Richard Rodgers(illustrated ed.). Cambridge, Mass.:
Applause Theatre and Cinema Books.ISBN 978-1-55783-581-9.

Online sources

Atkinson, Brooks (October 11, 1947). "The New Play In Review". The New York Times. p. 10. Retrieved January 21,
2011.
Hetrick, Adam; Gans, Andrew. "Complete Allegro Recording, with McDonald, Gunn and Wilson, to Arrive In Stores
Feb. 3". playbill.com, February 3, 2009. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
Holden, Steven (March 5, 1994)."Allegro; Revival of a Famous Pair's First Flop"
. The New York Times. Retrieved
January 21, 2011.
Kenrick, John. "CD Reviews 2009". Musicals101.com. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
Metcalf, Steve (February 7, 1993)."Torrent of CD releases showcases Broadway classics and obscurities". Hartford
Courant. p. G1. Retrieved January 30, 2011. (subscription required)
Toscano, Michael (January 13, 2004)."Allegro: Review". TheatreMania.com. Retrieved January 21, 2011.

External links
Allegro at the Internet Broadway Database
Allegro info page on StageAgent.com– Allegro plot summary & character descriptions
1946 radio adaptation onTheater Guild on the Airat Internet Archive
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