Classical music has taken hold of many mediums, including movies, the Internet, and radio. However, one of the biggest proponents is Broadway. Samples of classical compositions by Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, and Edvard Grieg are sprinkled with the modern take of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein (The Sound of Music, Show Boat), Andrew Lloyd Webber (Phantom of the Opera, Cats), and Stephen Sondheim (Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street) to create a magical world of song and dance.

Here’s a snippet of the brief history between Broadway and classical music:

• 1931: American composer Rodgers’ first musical was Oklahoma! He partnered with director Hammerstein to bring Lynn Riggs’ play, Green Grow the Lilacs, to the big stage. The musical told of a cowboy’s romance with a farm girl in the Oklahoma Territory. It was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, 11 Drama Desk Awards, 9 Olivier Awards, and 3 Theatre World Awards.
• 1935: American composer Gershwin developed Porgy and Bess, one of the first “folk operas” composed of an all-African American cast, based on the novel Porgy about a street beggar in Charleston, South Carolina. This bold casting decision at the height of society’s racial tensions paid off after more than 40 years when the Houston Grand Opera re-did it, leading to a Tony Award and a Grammy.
• 1944: Norwegian composer Grieg’s best melodies, including Ich Liebe Dich, Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, and Paino Concerto in A were used in the biographical operetta Song of Norway by Robert Wright and George Forrest.
• 1956: American composer Bernstein produced Candide, an operetta based on the satirical French novella of the same name. The musical originally ran for only two months, but became a staple in modern opera repertoire. It was nominated for 16 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical.
• 1957: Bernstein hit another homerun with West Side Story, which revamped Romeo and Juliet as star-crossed lovers in New York street gangs. It had 700 performances, 6 Tony Award nominations, and a Theatre World Award. The musical became a “culturally significant” movie in 1961 and won ten Academy Awards, making it the most Academy Award-winning musical in history.
• 1964: American composer Jerry Bock brought music to a story of a Jewish father of five daughters who tries to maintain his religious roots as outside influences encroach. Fiddler on the Roof spawned five revivals and a highly successful film adaption in 1971. After nine Tony Awards for score, book, direction, and choreography, this musical has been a mainstay.
• 1977: American composer Charles Strouse was responsible for hits like Tomorrow and It’s the Hard Knock Life in the popular musical, Annie. The play won a Tony Award for Best Original Score and a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Music. Since Annie, Strouse did Annie 2: Miss Hannigan’s Revenge and Annie Warbucks.
• 1993: Rent, a play about a group of impoverished young artists trying to make it in the East Village under the shadow of HIV/AIDS, opened in a New York workshop production. It was loosely based on La Boheme by Belgian composer Giacomo Puccini, and became one of the most world-renowned musicals of all time, recently celebrating its 20^th anniversary tour.
• 2001: American composer Mel Brooks proved his musical genius again with The Producers, based on his movie of the same name. Leo and Max try to trick investors into making a flop named Springtime for Hitler. When the fictional show gets rave reviews, the duo scrambles for a solution. Brooks’ sharp and entertaining compositions made this play an obvious standout.
• 2003: Wicked took a new angle at The Wizard of Oz, as Elphaba (later known as the Wicked Witch of the West) struggles to fit in as her green skin, mean roommate, and misunderstood powers make her the negative talk of the town. Stephen Schwartz’s compositions, including Popular, Defying Gravity, and For Good have earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame.
• 2007: It’s no wonder that a Harvard alum composed the pitch-perfect music for Legally Blonde. American composer Laurence O’Keefe and co-writer, Nell Benjamin, were responsible for putting pep-in-your-step music and lyrics to the Broadway musical based on the movie of the same name. The show tackles the social issues of feminism as bubbly sorority girl Elle Woods makes her way through Harvard Law School to defend a fitness star accused of murder.
• 2011: No one expected The Book of Mormon to be exceptionally witty. Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park created the story and music behind the slightly offensive Broadway smash about two Mormon missionaries sent to Uganda to share their message.

  From songs celebrating youth and freedom to compositions that make you weep, the blend of established classical music with the vivacious stage presence of Broadway is a combination that will forever succeed. For more fun information like this, subscribe to the Frederick Symphony Orchestra’s weekly blog: