Sydney Philharmonia Choirs to Honor Rodgers & Hammerstein With SHOWSTOPPERS Concert

Join Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for a rollicking celebration of the legendary musical partnership of composer Richard Rodgers (1902 – 1979) and librettist/lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895 – 1960), guaranteed to get toes tapping and hearts singing with a program packed with magical musical moments from some of Broadway’s greatest musicals.

For this 90-minute concert Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Artistic Director Brett Weymark OAM has curated an irresistible program of Rodgers & Hammerstein favourites including ‘Do-Re-Mi’, ‘Edelweiss’, ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ ‘I Whistle A Happy Tune’ and ‘Climb Ev’ry Mountain’; along with some rare treats from the pair’s backstage comedy Me and Juliet and 1945 film State Fair.

Himself a lifelong showtunes fan, fuelled by happy memories of family days spent singing along to the film versions on the tele, Weymark says, “I am thrilled to bring this cracker of a concert to Sydney Town Hall, where my favourite things by Rodgers and Hammerstein will get a symphonic workout.”

“From the classic opening of the film version of The Sound of Music to the lesser-known Flower Drum Song, Showstoppers is an opportunity for Broadway fans to indulge that guilty pleasure, let their hair down, and tap their toes a little … or a lot!”

Choristers from two of Sydney Philharmonia’s most highly acclaimed choirs come together for this special concert, bringing the full, rich sound of Symphony Chorus and precision of the Chamber Singers to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s irresistible works.

They’ll be joined by a brilliant cast of leading Australian musical theatre stars – Ashleigh Rubenach, direct from a season as Betty Shaefer in Opera Australia’s Sunset Boulevard at the Sydney Opera House; multi award-winning Johanna Allen, whose one woman show, Pop Culture Vulture, recently mesmerised audiences at the 2024 Adelaide Cabaret Festival; The Ten Tenors member Daniel Belle, renowned for his 100+ performances as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables throughout Australia and internationally; and Rob McDougall, whose stage credits include appearances at The Hayes Theatre, Sydney Opera House, New York’s famous Birdland Cabaret Club and Carnegie Hall.

And the full Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra: all brought together under Weymark’s winning baton.

When composer Richard Rodgers joined forces with librettist/lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II in the early 1940s, one of the most successful partnerships in musical history was born.

For almost 20 years – from their first musical, Oklahoma! which premiered at the St. James Theater in New York City in March 1943, to The Sound of Music, which opened at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in November 1959 (just nine months before Hammerstein passed away); Rodgers & Hammerstein ruled Broadway, with their monumental musical stories, typified by sophisticated orchestrations, witty lyrics, and infectious melodies.

Collectively, their musicals have earned 42 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy Awards and two Emmys. In 1998 Rodgers & Hammerstein were cited by Time Magazine and CBS News as among the 20 most influential artists of the 20th century, credited not only with defining a new musical genre, but also inspiring generations of creatives across music, theatre, dance and film, for decades to come.

Showstoppers is an encore to the Choirs’ sell-out 2023 Golden Age of Broadway concert – a centrepiece of Inside/Out at the House, part of the Sydney Opera House's 50th anniversary celebrations, which played to a jam-packed Concert Hall, and was also live broadcast to some 2,800 people watching outside on the Opera House Forecourt big screen.

These two concerts promise nothing less, so book your seats early. Step out in style at the evening concert at 7pm on Saturday 16 November, or put on your Sunday best for the Sunday 17 November matinee at 2pm. Tickets from $40 ($36 concession and $30 for the under 30’s), at sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/concerts/2024season/showstoppers/

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs’ two Showstoppers concerts are dedicated to the memory of Brett Weymark’s mother, Judith Weymark, who passed away on 13 September 2024.

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