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Ted Chapin: Reviving R&H's Ambitious 'Allegro'

Fresh Air

Published February 17, 2009 at 9:16 AM CST

The first full recording of Allegro, a 1947 musical by Rodgers & Hammerstein, has just been released on CD.

Allegro was Rodgers & Hammerstein's fourth collaboration, preceded by the Broadway musicals Oklahoma! and Carousel and the film State Fair.

Allegro debuted in 1947 and earned a few rave reviews, but it closed after only a season, in part because the musical relied on an unusual style of storytelling; legendary composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, who worked with Hammerstein early in his career, has called it "the first really good experimental show."

Ted Chapin, president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, joins Fresh Air to discuss the new recording of the almost-forgotten musical.