Playbill Mixtape: Musical Theatre 101, 1940s Edition | Playbill

Playbill Playlist Playbill Mixtape: Musical Theatre 101, 1940s Edition This week’s playlist features 23 must-know songs from musicals of the 1940s.
Musical Theatre 101, 1940s Edition Graphic by Felicia Fitzpatrick

This week marks our second installment of Playbill Mixtape’s “required listening.” As we move decade-by-decade, starting with the 1930s, these are the songs from the musicals of the 1940s every musical theatre fan should know. From Rodgers & Hammerstein classics like Oklahoma! to Rodgers & Hart’s Pal Joey, from Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate to Lane & Harburg’s Finian’s Rainbow, the ’40s are known as Broadway’s Golden Age for a reason. Here, we pair down the shows that built the tradition of musical storytelling to 23 must-know songs.

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As an historical guide to accompany your listening:
“Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” — Oklahoma!, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
“New York, New York” — On The Town, Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green
“Another Op’nin, Another Show” — Kiss Me, Kate, Cole Porter
“Some Enchanted Evening” — South Pacific, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
“Bewitched” — Pal Joey, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart
“Come Home” — Allegro, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
“Almost Like Being in Love” — Brigadoon, Frederick Lowe and Alan Jay Lerner
“Cabin in the Sky” — Cabin in the Sky, Vernon Duke and John Latouche
“Old Devil Moon” — Finian’s Rainbow, Burton Lane and E.Y. Harburg
“June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” — Carousel, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
“Anything You Can Do” — Annie Get Your Gun, Irving Berlin
“Once In Love With Amy” — Where’s Charley?, Frank Loesser
“Lost In The Stars” — Lost In The Stars, Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson
“People Will Say We’re In Love” — Oklahoma!, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
“Always True to You (In My Fashion)” — Kiss Me, Kate, Cole Porter
“Soliloquy” — Carousel, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
“My Ship” — Lady in the Dark, Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin
“I’m A Stranger Here Myself” — One Touch of Venus, Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash
“Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friends” — Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Jule Styne and Leo Robin
“There’s No Business Like Show Business” — Annie Get Your Gun, Irving Berlin

MUSICAL THEATRE 101, 1940s Edition
Think “Oh What a Beautiful Morning.” Think “Old Devil Moon.” Think “Bewitched.” (And if you don’t know any of those references, get listening tout suite.)

And for some showtune trivia, tune in to Playbill’s Name That Tune video below!

 
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