No Strings Broke New Ground on Broadway
Rodger’s production of No Strings broke barriers by depicting an interracial relationship. When the show debuted in 1962, interracial marriage was still illegal in many states. It wouldn’t become legal throughout the country until it went before the Supreme Court in the Loving v. Virginia case in 1967.
The show also broke ground in another way. Carroll’s role as Barbara Woodruff won her the Tony Award for best actress is a musical production, the first African American woman to win the award. In this image, Carroll rehearses the musical numbers with Richard Kiley, who played her love David Jordan. Richard Rodgers accompanies them on the piano, while other members of the production team look on.