London's recent Rodgers and Hammerstein 80th anniversary concert streams on demand in North America beginning March 24, and Playbill has an exclusive sneak peek at the performance. See current Olivier nominee and Broadway vet Marisha Wallace sing "The Gentleman Is a Dope" from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's Allegro above.
Wallace, whose Broadway credits include Aladdin and Something Rotten!, has found a home on London stages since making a last-minute West End debut in Dreamgirls in 2016, flying in from the U.S. to step in for an ailing Amber Riley as Effie. Since then, she's appeared in West End runs of Waitress, Hairspray, and Guys and Dolls—her performance as Miss Adelaide in the latter is currently up for a 2024 Olivier Award. Wallace also played Ado Annie in the West End transfer of the Tony-winning Daniel Fish-helmed revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
The on-demand stream of My Favorite Things: The Rodgers and Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert, capturing a live 2023 performance from London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane, will launch with an interactive watch party March 24 at 7 PM ET. Fans will be able to comment and connect as they stream the concert in sync online. The stream, which will be available through March 31, will include the full-length concert with every performance and segment included.
Along with Wallace, the concert features a starry cast of Broadway and West End favorites to celebrate the iconic musical theatre writing duo, including Audra McDonald, Daniel Dae Kim, Patrick Wilson, Aaron Tveit, Julian Ovenden, Maria Friedman, Michael Ball, Lucy St. Louis, and Joanna Ampil, along with Anna-Jane Casey, Lily Kerhoas, Jonny Labey, and Jordan Shaw. Special guests include Rita Moreno and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The performance also features Jade Albertsen, Alex Louize Bird, Matthew Caputo, Dan Cooke, Barry Drummond, Harry Francis, Matt Gibson, Bethany Huckle, Brenda Newhouse, Emily Ann Potter, Sophie Pourret, Stephen Quildan, and Rachel Wang-Hei Lau.
The event was directed and staged by Christopher Gattelli and features a 40-piece orchestra conducted by Simon Lee. The film of the concert, which screened in U.K. movie theatres in February, is directed by five-time BAFTA winner Julia Knowles. A PBS broadcast is scheduled to air via Great Performances May 31 (check local listings).
The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization is presenting, with Concord Originals, Concord Theatricals, Killimanjaro Live/JAS Theatricals, and Trafalgar Entertainment producing.
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II began collaborating with 1943's Oklahoma!, a landmark musical that is considered the genre's first to fully integrate the book, lyrics, and choreography as agents of forwarding the plot. They would go on to dominate Broadway over the next two decades as both a writing and producing team, writing a string of classic musicals including Carousel, South Pacific, Allegro, The King and I, and The Sound of Music; and producing I Remember Mama and Annie Get Your Gun.
The stream will be hosted on the Kiswe platform. Learn more about what's needed to stream the concert on your computer or device here. Kiswe also has instructions for getting streams to your TV via AirPlay or Chromecast.
Streaming tickets are now on sale at RH80Concert.com.