RODGERS and Hammerstein go together like Gilbert and Sullivan, Punch and Judy and ham and eggs, or do they?

Their chemistry and the unusual coming together of the two writers, who had known each other for years but never worked together, will be explored in a day school organised by the York branch of the Workers' Educational Association on Saturday, April 1.

The musical partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein only began in their mid-careers as both men suffered anxieties about their futures, and it was meant to be a one-off experiment. Yet it lasted for nearly 20 years, producing the evergreen masterpieces of Oklahoma!, The King And I, The Sound Of Music, South Pacific and Carousel.

"They were both major songwriters but in mid-career each suffered a change in circumstances which made them apprehensive about what the future would hold," says tutor Brian Billcliff. "They joined forces 'under rather unusual circumstances' as a one-off but were more successful than anyone dared hope. Their first show was the staggeringly successful Oklahoma!, produced on Broadway in 1943 and made into a film in 1955, and their partnership lasted until Oscar Hammerstein's death in 1960."

Towards Oklahoma: The Coming Together Of Rodgers And Hamerstein will be held at the Quaker Meeting House, Friargate, York, from 10am to 3.30pm. Any questions, phone 01904 York 627791; for enrolments, phone 0113 245 3304.