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The Jewish musicals that Oscar Hammerstein never got to do

JL;DR SUMMARY Oscar Hammerstein II, known for pioneering the modern Broadway musical alongside Jewish composers like Richard Rodgers, had a complex relationship with his Jewish heritage. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish CultureFiddler On The RoofBroadwaySholem AleichemJewish ComposersMusical TheaterRichard RodgersOscar Hammerstein IiThe Sound Of MusicTevye's Daughters

Places mentioned

New York, United States
"Around 1926, Hammerstein saw two productions of S. An-skys play The Dybbuk as potential material for musical adaptation at New Yorks Neighborhood Playhouse and Yiddish Art Theatre."
Bronx, New York, United States
"In 1931 Hammerstein proposed a radio program to NBC as a musical dramatic-comedy about residents in a Bronx apartment building."
New York, United States
"Hammersteins memorial service in August 1960 at Ferncliff Cemetery, New York, featured plenty of Yiddishkeit, including a hymn, A Noble Life, a Simple Faith by Abram S. Isaacs."

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Cairo Item ID 62757
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2025-09-30 05:31:31 UTC
Curated 2025-09-30 08:33:21 UTC