Carousel

Authors

Alvin Community College

Files

Description

Carousel is the second musical by the team of Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics). The 1945 work was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline. The story revolves around carousel barker Billy Bigelow, whose romance with millworker Julie Jordan comes at the price of both their jobs. He participates in a robbery to provide for Julie and their unborn child; after it goes tragically wrong, he is given a chance to make things right. A secondary plot line deals with millworker Carrie Pipperidge and her romance with ambitious fisherman Enoch Snow. The show includes the songs "If I Loved You", "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" and "You'll Never Walk Alone". Richard Rodgers later wrote that Carousel was his favorite of all his musicals.

Publication Date

Fall 1987

Document Type

Playbill

City

Alvin

Keywords

musical, Rodger and Hammerstein, Liliom

Disciplines

Theatre and Performance Studies

Comments

Carousel follows the golden rule for producing iconic American musicals: If you’re going to take on a musical with a fabulous history, you better go all out. And they do.

This production has everything going for it. The Rodgers and Hammerstein’s storyline and music are still mesmerizing. The performers have great chemistry together, all 20 plus of them. The leads have strong voices. The choreography is surprisingly contemporary. The costumes are completely fitting for the individual characters, creating just the right mood. The set designs are magical, especially the techniques employed for switching from one scene to another. And the 17-piece orchestra is a real treat.

Recommended Citation

Alvin Community College, "Carousel" (1987). Season 1986-1987. 1.
https://archives.alvincollege.edu/productions_1986-1987/1