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Cotuit Center for the Arts presents “Rodgers, Hart, and Hammerstein” September 7 through 24. Performances are 7:30 PM Thursday through Saturday and 2 PM on Sunday in the Black Box Theater. From the “Garrick Gaieties” to “Pal Joey” with lyricist Lorenz Hart and from “Oklahoma” to “The Sound of Music” with lyricist Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers wrote some of the nation’s most cherished music. Vocalist Stephanie Miele, pianist Glenn Starner-Tate, and bassist John Wall present some of their best-known and less frequently performed gems, along with illuminating historical information and anecdotes. “The concert is a sojourn through the career of Richard Rodgers,” said Miele. “The wealth of his ability and output was enormous, both with Hart and with Hammerstein, his two longest-lasting partners.” Rodgers partnered with Hart from 1919 until 1943. They produced their first hit, “Garrick Gaieties,” in 1925 and subsequently wrote music and lyrics for 26 Broadway musicals and several films. Many of their songs have become standard repertoire for singers and jazz instrumentalists. In 1943, when Hart was too ill to work, Rodgers teamed up with Hammerstein to write “Oklahoma!” The show introduced new storytelling elements and techniques, using song and dance to convey plot and character. In “Carousel” (1945), Rodgers and Hammerstein went even further to integrate music and plot, which was revolutionary for its time, including an extended ballet sequence and a tragic plot about an antihero. “These musicals were the beginning of the Golden Age of Broadway,” said Miele. “It was a whole new ballgame.’ “Stephanie has chosen a lovely cross-section of the RHH Songbook—which includes over 900 songs and 43 musicals,” said Starner-Tate. “I love ‘Bewitched’ and ‘My Funny Valentine,’ as well as some of the ‘forgotten’ selections in this repertoire, like ‘My Heart Stood Still’ from ‘A Connecticut Yankee’ or ‘My Romance,’ in which I am happy to have a piano solo.” The team of Rodgers and Hammerstein was one of the most successful in American musical theater history, winning a total of 35 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy Awards, and two Emmy Awards. Miele, of Falmouth, has been praised for her mellow, powerful voice and her knowledge of the music. “Stephanie sings with the charisma and delight of an artist in love with her music,” said Starner-Tate. Miele is an avid fan of Broadway musicals and has given solo concerts interpreting the music of composers Jerry Herman and Richard Rodgers and the songs made famous by Ethel Merman, Mary Martin, and Judy Garland. She has been a guest soloist with the Falmouth Chorale and has appeared at the Cahoon Museum, Highfield Hall, Cape Cod Cultural Center, Falmouth Historical Society, and other organizations throughout the Cape. Starner-Tate recently presented his solo show, “My Music and Me,” at CCftA’s Black Box Theater. He has served as music director and/or performance pianist for or performed onstage roles at Chatham Drama Guild, Eventide Theater Company, CCftA, Falmouth Theatre Guild, Harwich Junior Theater and Cape Cod Community College. He has released three CDs. John Wall has performed with many local orchestras, as well as productions at The Company Theatre in Norwell, Emerson College, and Lyric Stage in Boston. He has accompanied Andrea Bocelli, Sandy Duncan, and Steven Tyler, and has played with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra under Arthur Fielder. Tickets are $18, $15 for members. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit artsonthecape.org, or call 508-428-0669. Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit. # # # What: “Rodgers, Hart, and Hammerstein” Where: Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit When: September 7 to 24, Thursday through Saturday, 7:30 PM, Sunday 2 PM Admission: $18, $15 for members