Journalist Todd S. Purdum has landed a deal with Henry Holt. Purdum will write a biography profiling musical theater icons Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.
The publisher has set the release date for Spring 2018. It was chosen to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the opening of their acclaimed Broadway show, Oklahoma!.
Purdum had this statement in the press release: “These are the songs and stories I grew up with, the original cast albums that my parents played till they were worn thin, and I could sing the scores in in my sleep. In watching the joy with which my own children have discovered Rodgers and Hammerstein, and the enormous worldwide commercial and critical success their work still enjoys, I became certain that the fascinating story of their collaboration was ripe for a fresh telling, not only to the Baby Boomers who love The Sound of Music, but to even younger generations who will appreciate the pioneering contributions this team made to one of America’s most important native arts.”