American Dream by Rodgers and Hammerstein - Essay Example

Rodgers and Hammerstein: American Dream Introduction: ‘American dream’ -this term implies the life of rich and famous. This acquaints us with the fact that being rich is a gateway to happiness. Therefore, rich and happiness are every person’s dream. It concerns the economic background of the people and America would quench the thirst of the millions who are already seeing a dream of a better future and prospects in America. The rise of immigrants and also the in-migrants in America is an evident about the hopes of these people who have come to realize their respective dreams. The real dream lies in the realization of all the hurdles and breaking the bonds of inequality, racial discrimination, and unequal distribution of wealth. Richards Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II reflect upon the dream and keeping in mind the transition of American people and the nation, they worked together to make this dream come true in their musicals.  American Dream is a collective imagination that proves the existence of a world where the people’s identity would be finally realized and then the dreams would inspire each and everyone to live peacefully. In socio-cultural terms, Rodgers and Hammerstein could be said to have invented the American Dream. Background: The development of American identity by the musical theatre has been exemplary. American dream is something very intent but superficial because of the fact that it can only be assumed in this century.  In the year 1940, a new Theatre Guild musical produced Away We Go! This was Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s first work. Oscar Hammerstein II was a lyricist and together they created this musical that the audience found boring, serious and old-fashioned. But they made some changes in the same musical and also changed its name to Oklahoma! This development of the musical now found a new approach towards the audience and it was liked by all. The people were facing a difficult time because of the cold war and this musical provided relief and unburdened their problems with enchanting songs, like ‘ people will say we are in love,’ ‘the Surrey With the Fringe on Top,’ ‘Many a New Day,’ ‘Out of My Dreams,’ ‘Kansas City,’ ‘I Can’t Say No,’ ‘Oklahoma!’,etc. (Zinsser, 180). In socio-cultural terms, Rodgers and Hammerstein have invented the American dream because of their musical that had an awesome effect on the people living in 1940s. The musical had to be understood and felt by the audience in order to relate to the behavior of the characters that had a cultural context in the musical. This musical earned praises but no one could really understand the importance of it until later when scholars found out what it had done to the American musical. The American society is a large place where people of diverse culture live. The intermingling of all the races is prevalent. The urban chroniclers like Jane Jacobs and Paul Goodman said that the urban life in America with respective communities who have a distinct boundary will become extinct. This was said twenty years ago and this has happened. (Henslin, 251) Richard Rodgers was among the popular songwriters in America before the Depression but later moved into making film scripts. As he got an offer of making a musical on the play by Riggs, he then met Oscar Hammerstein II. Together they created a new history of musicals which enchanted the audience’s attention even in the gloomy days of cold war. Rodgers and Hammerstein were liberal with the issues regarding sexual politics. But this musical shows that a couple can fall in love and their togetherness at the end projects the unification of the world as a whole. The characters celebrate this occasion of uniting the couple and this celebration in the musical is a symbol of resolving the social conflicts of class and labor in the United States. This musical constantly interconnects social concerns like tolerance and love towards all. Rodgers and Hammerstein were heterosexuals. The importance of heterosexuality in the musical is not intentional but it is a matter of choice. In musicals, if values are assumed it may follow David Van Leer’s words, “cultural carelessness.”(Wolf, 31) Oklahoma! broke the conventions of musicals. The conventional musicals would begin with a chorus of dancing girls but in this musical, the curtain rises with the scene of a perch where a lady is churning butter and the hero singing the song “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning.” The beginning itself takes the audience to another imaginary world. Rodgers said “We didn’t want to begin with anything obvious, such as a barn dance with everyone a-whoopin’ and a-hollerin’.” (Carter, 80) This musical was based on a play by Lynn Riggs. This play deals with cowboys and farmers. So the language used is very much colloquial. This musical presents a completely new picture of America and it does not portray the indigenous Red Indians. The theme deals with the growth of Euro America and the life of cowboys is shown which takes the audience’s mind into the fantasy. Oklahoma is the name of a territory that later became a state. This musical takes this place as an example which would represent the whole nation. American dream is realized through the portrayal of the lives of the white men and the land is free from the clutches of terror and violence. This musical talks about living peacefully and happily even after a violent episode with a character portrayed in the musical. The disorder and tension arising out of the ongoing cold war in 1940s is not at all mentioned. The state Oklahoma was seen as a place for the western and Native Americans. It was officially known as ‘the Indian Territories.’ But the musical represented Oklahoma as a state only for the white people and there was a sudden surge of the white population that in 1989, President Benjamin Harrison, “announced [in violation of the treatise with the displaced eastern nations] that the ‘Unassigned Lands’ would be opened for public homesteading at noon on April 22.” (Shapiro, 82) This musical raises the curtain of immediate threat to the white community from the other races. In the play, there are a few characters that represent the other communities which pose a serious threat to the white people, like Ali Hakim, Jud Frye, the prostitutes and the dancehall women. The musical begins with a lyrical ode to the cowboy’s and farmers ‘daily life with the hero singing, ‘Oh! What a Beautiful Morning’ (Shapiro, 81) and (Block, 178), which is followed by a communal dance. In the background, folk songs are sung throughout the play. The Euro American nation is the main focus of this musical because the songs and dances are meant for the people living in Oklahoma and also to the new white immigrants. The cowboys and farmers are shown to be living peacefully and the inclusion of music and dance encourages the people to unite and maintain a peaceful society even in the brink of change. Oklahoma attaining the statehood is depicted in the musical with a choral song, ‘Many a New Day,’ (Shapiro, 82) and the people are shown to be arriving in Oklahoma with choreography. The significance of this dance is that it presents a movement which gradually culminates different individuals into a whole. The strength of unity is shown through this dance and representing the fact that USA is a nation of various states. It was in this musical that ballet was accepted and became commercially popular. The lyrics have been repeated with equally good music so as to give a detailed account of the surrounding territory. The American dream has been invented with this musical which shows the unreal part of American life. The absence of reality adds to its simple yet complex nature of the musical. It was a musical which had dialogues, lyrics, music, dance and all these depended on each other. In those days, dance was not at all related to the onstage plays. But in Oklahoma! Ballet was introduced and folk-songs and folk- dance were given importance. The book and the lyrics were written by Hammerstein keeping in mind that the original character of the play should not be changed. Rigg’s play has three acts and each act consists of three scenes. The first scene in the play portrays a beautiful summer morning, where the men are in the field with their cattle. And in the musical, the Indian Territory of Oklahoma is shown where a young girl lives with her widowed aunt Eller. The girl falls in love with a young cowboy named Curly. They get married but a certain circumstance makes Curly a murderer and he has to leave after the wedding night to go to jail. Hammerstein changed the second act and then wrote a new ending to the musical. The negative shade portrayed by Jud Fry who had a sign of being sinister and his writing of lyrics represented the darker side of Oklahoma. Rodger’s music increased the effect of the lyrics by Hammerstein. (Everett and Laird, 126) After Oklahoma! Hammerstein wrote the remake of State Fair, which was about remembering the rural America. In this work, a young girl learns about love between a man and a woman. Love, being a non-transient feeling, is a step towards respect and admiration for the fellow beings in a society. Rodgers and Hammerstein started a new show called ‘Carousel.’ This also has a social message and deals with the importance of societal norms. The ‘class’ difference is reflected in this musical. The fantasy of returning back to life after death is amazing. Their other works dealt with child issues and women characters were strong and had individualistic presence. ‘The Sound of Music’ was written and produced after the Second World War ended but the threat and fear of the rise of Nazism was at its height. This musical was the highest example of Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s musicals. It deals with the theme of love and there are child characters, which is very important to the musical and the role of strong women. The story is depicted by poetic lyrics. Here Hammerstein had written some heartfelt lyrics. According to some critics Rodgers and Hammerstein were regarded as, “the full ripening of these two extraordinary talents.” (Everett and Laird, 134) The film version in 1965 got five Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, Gold Record for the album and other awards also. The social theme that exists in the first musical continues to be in all the other works of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The importance of destroying racial and ethnic discriminations and eradicating cultural prejudices are dominant in their musicals. This was possible because of Hammerstein’s social thinking and his own moral values. “You’ve got to be carefully taught” a song from the musical, South Pacific became like an anthem for racial tolerance. This song is very controversial as it says that it is within the limits of the people to change and become a better person. While writing this musical, Hammerstein had to take help of a co-writer who had knowledge about military because Hammerstein hated military and he always ignored them. The character of Judd Fry in the musical Oklahoma! is able to provide a theme of racial discrimination. Though it stresses on the fact that this outsider cannot adjust himself in the community, the matter of choice is given importance as this particular character does not want to belong to this society of farmers and cowboys. Then there is another character that is also an outsider but is very different from Judd. This character is a peddler and is sympathetic towards others and is accepted by the community when he marries a local woman. The song that signifies the acceptance of the peddler into the community is “The Farmer and The Cowman.” “When the territory becomes a state, And jines the union just like all the others, The farmer and the cowman and the merchant, Must all behave theirsel‟s and act like brothers.” (Doneson, p 11) The social message that Oklahoma! gives is that American dream is possible only if the people forget about their ethnic and religious background and unite to form a peaceful place. In the musical, the hero Curly who is a cowman accepts the fact that he has to become a farmer. The transition also takes place in the musical so that there is an even end to the musical. ‘Allegro’ is another kind of musical though it deals with the perils of success, materialism, consumerism and the repercussions of the war. The story is about the life of a doctor. It highlights the various stages of life by using the ‘Greek chorus.’ (Everett and Laird, 130) With songs, choreography and different techniques, they presented this musical but it did not become popular. This musical was not based on any literary work and it was a different venture for Rodgers and Hammerstein. The theme was touching as it dealt about reality. Agnes de Mille, who had to direct the play, said that the play did not find this musical to be balanced. This musical was an artistic failure. The musicals try to portray the perfect American dream by dealing with the problems of society. It appeals to the mainstream culture. Rodgers and Hammerstein invented the American dream and this dream was lying dormant in the hearts of all the Americans and this concept is contemporary. They invented it years ago and now reflected the dream in their musicals which basically had social messages and concern for fellow beings. Improving the behavioral pattern and the attitude towards one another is the initial stage for developing and growing a feeling for humankind. The dream consists of all the positive changes in America and this idea is widespread and effective. American dream requires proper reckoning because it has many implications. Rodgers and Hammerstein were affluent and the realization of American dream through their works itself proves the difference between real and unreal. Yet it is not impossible to realize the American dream.  ‘American dream’ has a powerful meaning and it can be interpreted as a dream of the millions. To seek the American dream, many have immigrated to America and some of them have achieved their respective dreams on their own. (Hochschild, p 15) This dream means freedom in America and it has both types of reactions like satisfaction and disillusion. The anticipation of good things in life is reflected by this dream. But the most ironic situation turned out for the immigrants from Africa, who was coerced to accept this dream as theirs. Achieving success is the motto of American dream. As in the words of President Bill Clinton, “The American dream that we were all raised on is a simple but powerful one- if you work hard and play by the rules you should be given a chance to go as far as your God-given ability will take you”. (Hochschild, 18) Rodgers and Hammerstein popularized the topic of trans- racial adoption in 1949. (Klein, 160) In 1963, a biography about Rodgers and Hammerstein was written by Stanley Green who said that their musicals were filled “with warmth, understanding, a decent outlook on life, a respect for their fellow man, a fondness for simple pleasures, and a basic feeling of optimism for the world.” (The Community Player) Green also went on to say that these two men had a message in their musicals because they were concerned about the social problems. They explored the areas of different emotions and were candid in their approach to these emotional topics in their musicals. Green also stressed on the fact that Rodgers and Hammerstein tried to show the importance of faith in their works. This faith was not religious but they talked about the faith on their fellow beings and also in themselves.  Rodgers and Hammerstein became famous for their musicals but at the same time their works showed the true colors of reality on the American administration. Their first musical Oklahoma! points out the ill-effects of not being able to realize the boundaries respectively. The difference between farmer’s and cowboy’s thinking are highlighted in the musical and this is also very much evident in the real life. The main crux of the problem lies in the use of land. Cowboys would want an open space while farmers would like to use the land for cultivation. Thus, in the musical, a song is based on them, “Oh, the farmer and the cowman should be friends.” “One man likes to push the plough,” and “the other likes to chase a cow.” “There’s no reason why they can’t be friends.” (Kettl, 10) American musicals were of two types. One type focused on dealing with social topics and the other type tried to take the audience into the world of fantasy. These musicals criticized America and would do so by representing an identity from other races like the African- Americans who were excluded from America. It was so because these musicals were written by Jewish Americans. This tactic helped them to regain equality in America. The musical named Show Boat, produced in 1927, brought forth the idea of American community that excluded the African-Americans. (Doneson, 4) But after the Second World War, the musicals regained its position with the works of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The purpose of their musicals was to make awareness among the people about the power that a community holds. Their works celebrated the values of America and tried to reform and repair the American administration by giving suggestions through their musicals. The works are not personal and have a general view of the whole nation and they also carry a social message.   Rodgers and Hammerstein were Jewish but their work was basically American. In Oklahoma! the duty of an individual towards his society is shown. Stephen Whitfield observes this as the “tension between egalitarianism and individualism that is unsolvable on the plane of democratic theory.” (Doneson, 9) This musical was able to show the transition of a territory into a state based on laws. Hammerstein wrote beautiful songs for Oklahoma! which encouraged the country people and the soldiers who were in the frontier. The name of the song became popular and so, in 1953, it was declared as an official song of the state Oklahoma. (Doneson, 10) The musicals that were produced by Rodgers and Hammerstein had a larger than life scenario but they had a quality of making the audience escape from the world of reality. This was much needed in that era. The songs provided relief to the tortured minds and souls. Love and happiness being the dominant theme of the musicals, it had an aura of superficiality yet it had real emotions. The audience could relate to it and get distracted with the story and the dance performed in the musical. These musicals never reflected life as it was but it held a notion of making life as portrayed in the musical. With Oklahoma the Jewish writers could get their point across about the anti-Semitic Nazis. The Second World War opened the eyes of the Jewish Americans about being patriotic like the Americans and not to face a similar situation in America like the Holocaust in Europe. So, they had to adjust themselves into the American community. Rodgers and Hammerstein were involved in anti- Nazi organizations and took an active part in all the fund raising for the Jewish Federation. Several Acts were passed that prohibited discrimination in the United States of America like the Ives-Quinn anti-Discrimination Act in 1945, Fair Education Practices Act in 1948, and the Supreme Court ordered that the Jews could live anywhere in America. This reality was presented in the form of a musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein named South Pacific in 1949. (Doneson, 13) This musical highlighted the racial discriminations. Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s collaboration existed for nearly two decades. Their works clearly express the social message to the people with their uniformed songs and choreography. The story revolves around the human relationships and their struggles and happiness. The success of the musicals which presented the American dream was not just the work of Rodgers and Hammerstein but was a collaborative effort of the stage unit who worked hard to bring about the grand new image of musicals. The creativity of a group of talented people whose work of art comes to the foreground in the form of a musical which has quality and finesse is unimaginable, like the musical Oklahoma! The effect of this musical on the people was extraordinary and had a mass appeal. Rodgers and Hammerstein had an idea in their minds about elevating the cultural status of the musical to give some touch of reality. They had integrated dance, drama and music in their productions so well that it started a new format in the musicals. Rodgers and Hammerstein had written not just a drama about love or revenge or penance but it dealt with socio-cultural and political problems of America. There was a subtle mention of these problems in their musicals. The way of dealing with these topics in their musicals introduced them to be pivotal figures in the American society. It opened up the views of the people regarding social and political relevance in the future of America. After the death of Oscar Hammerstein on 23 August, 1960, he was memorialized in 1962 by Dore Schary, “Oscar Hammerstein was a rare man who wrote rare words and accomplished rare deeds. His legacy includes not only the hundreds of lyric words that are part of our lives but also the burning conviction that there can be a better future for us than the atomization of the world.” (Bloom, 212) The American dream hangs on to the hope and faith of the millions. So, to change the mindset of a person is not only difficult but sometimes it becomes impossible. Broadening one’s view about others and being emphatic would be considered as a step towards the American dream. The future as seen by these two writers in their works defines a wonderful place where everybody lives happily and accepts each other without any feelings of prejudice. The enlightenment of the united America would be the first goal of this dream. Rodgers and Hammerstein made a dream and gave life to it in their musicals and were successful. But the question lies in the actual American dream of the millions. Does it have similar features? Will it ever see the light of the day? The answer has to be searched and can be found within a person. It has to be analyzed, examined and put it into practical use so as to make it real.                                  Work Cited: 1. Block, Geoffrey. Enchanted Evenings: The Broadway Musical from Show Boat to Sondheim. New York: Oxford University Press US, 2004. 2. Bloom, Ken. Broadway: its history, people, and places: an encyclopedia. London: Taylor & Francis, 2004. 3. Carter, Tim. Oklahoma! : The making of an American musical. Yale University Press, 2007. 4. Doneson, Michael. Toward the Future From the Past. Available at: http://www.temple.edu/history/honors/archive/documents/MikeDoneson-HonorsThesis.pdf. n.d. (Assessed on 21/10/2009). 5. Everett William A and Laird Paul R. The Cambridge Companion to the musical. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. 6. Henslin, James M. Deviance in American Life. Transaction Publishers, 1989. 7. Hochschild, Jennifer L. Facing up to the American dream: race, class, and the soul of the nation. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1996. 8. Kettl, Donald F. Managing Boundaries in American Administration: The Collaborative Imperative. Available at: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/shulockn/Executive%20Fellows%20PDF%20readings/Kettl%20Managing%20Boundaries%20in%20Administration.pdf. n.d.(Assessed on 21/10/2009). 9. Klein, Christina. Cold War orientalism: Asia in the middlebrow imagination, 1945-1961. California: University of California Press, 2003. 10. Shapiro Michael J. Methods and Nations: cultural governance and the indigenous subject. London: Routledge, 2004. 11. The Community Player. Available at: http://www.thecommunityplayers.com/tcpshows/carousel08/communityplayer/tcpPLAYER2008.pdf n.d. (Assessed on 21/10/2009). 12. Wolf, Stacy Ellen. A problem like Maria: gender and sexuality in the American musical. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2002. 13. Zinsser, William. Easy to Remember: The Great American Songwriters and Their Songs. David R. Boston: Godline Publisher, 2006. Read More