The most successful partnership in American musical theatre began 80 years ago when composer Richard Rodgers and writer Oscar Hammerstein II joined forces to create Oklahoma! – the first of a new kind of musical, in which drama, music and dance were given equal importance in telling a thought-provoking story and the inspiration of the music matched the wit of the lyrics.

The concert features highlights from five of the duo’s best-loved musicals from the 1940s and ’50s: Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music. The mood ranges from the exuberant – ‘June is Bustin’ Out All Over’ to the positive – ‘I Whistle A Happy Tune’, the uplifting – ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, the defiant – ‘I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair’ and the romantic – ‘Some Enchanted Evening’.