THE RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN ORGANIZATION RELEASES ITS 3RD VIDEO FOR “R&H GOES POP!”
Press Contact:
Rick Miramontez / Alana Karpoff
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
THE RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN ORGANIZATION
RELEASES MUSIC VIDEO OF THE CLASSIC SONG
“WE KISS IN A SHADOW”
STARRING
JELANI ALLADIN AND MATT DOYLE FOR
“R&H GOES POP!”
ITS NEW YOUTUBE SERIES
New York, NY (March 11, 2019) – The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization announced today the release of the third music video for its new YouTube Series, “R&H Goes Pop!”. The video features Jelani Alladin (Frozen) and Matt Doyle (The Book of Mormon, Spring Awakening), performing a stirring duet of “We Kiss In A Shadow” from the classic musical, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I, featuring music direction and arrangements by Will Van Dyke. The video series is hosted by Laura Osnes (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella; South Pacific).
The new video on the Rodgers & Hammerstein YouTube channel can be seen here. There is also a special introduction by Alladin and Doyle, which can be seen here. The song is sung in the show by the characters “Tuptim” and “Lun Tha”, who declare their love for each other while also fearing they can’t ultimately be together and have to hide their relationship from The King of Siam. Similarly, this new video shows how even in today’s times, this world does not accept all kinds of love between two people.
“One of the reasons I was so excited about doing this song, in this context, is how universal these words are,” Doyle said. “Anyone who has felt like they weren’t able to express who they are or how they love can listen to this song and find a connection.”
“Unfortunately, we are living in a world, in a space, that doesn’t value love of all kinds,” Alladin said. “This song is our way of understanding how we can begin to accept love of all kinds, to embrace the ugliness, the beautifulness of all of it and understand that we are all human.”
The YouTube series launched in January of 2019 with the premiere of a music video featuring Jeremy Jordan (Newsies) singing “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” with arrangements created by Jordan and Benjamin Rauhala. Last month’s video featured Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan performing “The Next Ten Minutes Ago” – a mashup of “Ten Minutes Ago” from Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella and “The Next Ten Minutes” from Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years with arrangements by Benjamin Rauhala and Kurt Crowley.
“R&H Goes Pop!” aims to preserve the legacy of Rodgers & Hammerstein by inspiring artists to interpret the R&H classics in a contemporary light. The launch of this YouTube series celebrated and coincided with the 75th Anniversary of the team’s first collaboration, Oklahoma!.
The video series features the brightest Broadway stars performing and honoring the classic canon of Rodgers & Hammerstein in unique and inventive styles ranging from Pop, Rock, R&B, Soul, and Country. Upcoming videos will feature: Lilli Cooper (Spongebob Squarepants The Broadway Musical), Gavin Creel (Hello, Dolly!), Ariana DeBose (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), Derek Klena (Anastasia), Katrine Lenk (The Band’s Visit), Ryan McCartan (Wicked), Andy Mientus (“Smash”), Ashley Park (Mean Girls, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I), Anthony Rapp (“Star Trek: Discovery”, Rent), Kyle Selig (Mean Girls), and many more performers will be announced and featured in the series.
RICHARD RODGERS AND OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II: After long and highly distinguished careers with other collaborators, Richard Rodgers (Composer, 1902-79) and Oscar Hammerstein II (Librettist/Lyricist, 1895-1960) joined forces in 1943 to create the most successful partnership in American Musical Theatre. Prior to joining forces, Rodgers collaborated with lyricist Lorenz Hart on musical comedies that epitomized wit and sophistication (Pal Joey, On Your Toes, Babes In Arms, and more), while Hammerstein brought new life to operetta and created the classic Show Boat with Jerome Kern. Oklahoma!, the first Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, introduced an integrated form that became known as “the musical play.” Their shows that followed included Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. Collectively, the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals have earned Tony, Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Pulitzer, and Olivier Awards. The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization is a Concord Company, www.concord.com.
Facebook / @RodgersAndHammerstein
Twitter / @RnH_Org
Instagram / @rodgershammerstein
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