Editing Carousel (musical) (section)

== Productions ==

=== Early productions ===
The original Broadway production opened at the [[Majestic Theatre (Broadway)|Majestic Theatre]] on April 19, 1945.  The [[dress rehearsal]] the day before had gone badly, and the pair feared the new work would not be well received.<ref name="r243" />  One successful last-minute change was to have de Mille choreograph the pantomime.  The movement of the carnival crowd in the pantomime had been entrusted to Mamoulian, and his version was not working.<ref name="agnes" />  Rodgers had injured his back the previous week, and he watched the opening from a stretcher propped in a box behind the curtain.  Sedated with morphine, he could see only part of the stage.  As he could not hear the audience's applause and laughter, he assumed the show was a failure.  It was not until friends congratulated him later that evening that he realized that the curtain had been met by wild applause.<ref name="r243">Rodgers, p. 243</ref>  [[Bambi Linn]], who played Louise, was so enthusiastically received by the audience during her ballet that she was forced to break character, when she next appeared, and bow.  Rodgers' daughter [[Mary Rodgers|Mary]] caught sight of her friend, [[Stephen Sondheim]], both teenagers then, across several rows; both had eyes wet with tears.<ref name="f233" />

The original production ran for 890 performances, closing on May 24, 1947.  The original cast included [[John Raitt]] (Billy), [[Jan Clayton]] (Julie), [[Jean Darling]] (Carrie), Eric Mattson (Enoch Snow), [[Christine Johnson (actress)|Christine Johnson]] (Nettie Fowler), [[Murvyn Vye]] (Jigger), Bambi Linn (Louise) and [[Russell Collins]] (Starkeeper).  In December 1945, Clayton left to star in the Broadway revival of ''[[Show Boat]]'' and was replaced by [[Iva Withers]]; Raitt was replaced by Henry Michel in January 1947; Darling was replaced by Margot Moser.<ref name="enc" /><ref>Hischak, p. 62</ref>

After closing on Broadway, the show went on a national tour for two years. It played for five months in Chicago alone, visited twenty states and two Canadian cities, covered {{convert|15000|mi}} and played to nearly two million people. The touring company had a four-week run at [[New York City Center]] in January 1949.<ref name="NYT/Calta 1949-01-25">Calta, Louis. [https://www.nytimes.com/1949/01/25/archives/carousel-opens-at-center-tonight-guilds-touring-unit-to-start.html?sq=carousel+city+center&scp=33&st=p "'Carousel' opens tonight at City Center"]. ''The New York Times'', January 25, 1949, p. 27. Retrieved on December 21, 2010.</ref>  Following the City Center run, the show was moved back to the Majestic Theatre starring [[Stephen Douglass]] (Billy) and Iva Withers (Julie), in the hopes of filling the theatre until ''[[South Pacific (musical)|South Pacific]]'' opened in early April. Ticket sales were mediocre, however, and the show closed almost a month early.<ref name="NYT/Calta 1949-02-28">Calta, Louis. [https://www.nytimes.com/1949/02/28/archives/carousel-to-end-run-on-saturday-rodgershammerstein-musical-fails-to.html?sq=carousel+city+center&scp=43&st=p "'Carousel' to end run on Saturday"]. ''The New York Times'', February 28, 1949, p. 15. Retrieved on December 21, 2010.</ref>

The musical premiered in the [[West End theatre|West End]], London, at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]], on June 7, 1950. The production was restaged by Jerome Whyte, with a cast that included Douglass and Withers reprising their roles as Billy and Julie, and Margot Moser as Carrie. ''Carousel'' ran in London for 566 performances, remaining there for over a year and a half.<ref name="enc">[[Stanley Green (historian)|Green, Stanley]].  [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZWIRAljCR7oC&dq=%22London%22+Carousel&pg=PA64 ''Encyclopedia of The Musical Theatre: An Updated Reference'']. Da Capo Press, 1980, pp. 63–64. {{ISBN|978-0-306-80113-6}}. Retrieved on December 21, 2010.</ref>

=== Subsequent productions ===
''Carousel'' was revived in 1954 and 1957 at City Center, presented by the New York City Center Light Opera Company.  Both times, the production featured [[Barbara Cook]], though she played Carrie in 1954 and Julie in 1957 (playing alongside [[Howard Keel]] as Billy).  The production was then taken to Belgium to be performed at the [[1958 Brussels World's Fair]], with [[David Atkinson (baritone)|David Atkinson]] as Billy, [[Ruth Kobart]] as Nettie, and Clayton reprising the role of Julie, which she had originated.<ref name="h40" />

In August 1965, Rodgers and the Music Theater of [[Lincoln Center]] produced ''Carousel'' for 47 performances. [[John Raitt]] reprised the role of Billy, with [[Jerry Orbach]] as Jigger and [[Reid Shelton]] as Enoch Snow. The roles of the Starkeeper and Dr. Seldon were played by [[Edward Everett Horton]] in his final stage appearance.<ref>Suskin, Steven. ''Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers''. Oxford University Press US, 2000, p. 106. {{ISBN|0-19-512599-1}}.</ref>  The following year, New York City Center Light Opera Company brought ''Carousel'' back to City Center for 22 performances, with [[Bruce Yarnell]] as Billy and [[Constance Towers]] as Julie.<ref name="h40" />

[[Nicholas Hytner]] directed a new production of ''Carousel'' in 1992, at London's [[Royal National Theatre]], with choreography by Sir [[Kenneth MacMillan]] and designs by [[Bob Crowley]]. In this staging, the story begins at the mill, where Julie and Carrie work, with the music slowed down to emphasize the drudgery. After work ends, they move to the shipyards and then to the carnival.<ref name="h40">Hischak, p. 40</ref> As they proceed on a revolving stage, carnival characters appear, and at last the carousel is assembled onstage for the girls to ride.<ref name="94review">Richards, David.  [https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/25/theater/review-theater-a-carousel-for-the-90-s-full-of-grit-and-passion.html?scp=10&sq=carousel+rodgers&st=nyt "A 'Carousel' for the 90s full of grit and passion"]. ''The New York Times'', March 25, 1994.  Retrieved on December 21, 2010.</ref><ref>Block, p. 175</ref> Louise is seduced by the ruffian boy during her Act 2 ballet, set around the ruins of a carousel.<ref name="94review" /> [[Michael Hayden (actor)|Michael Hayden]] played Billy not as a large, gruff man, but as a frustrated smaller one, a time bomb waiting to explode.<ref name="h40" />  [[Joanna Riding]] (Julie) and [[Janie Dee]] (Carrie) won [[Olivier Award]]s for their performances, the production won [[Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival|Best Musical Revival]], and Hytner won as director.<ref name="olive" /> [[Patricia Routledge]] played Nettie.<ref>Wolf, Matt. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-01-ca-3152-story.html "'Carousel' Gets Another Go-Around in London"]. ''Los Angeles Times'', January 1, 1993.</ref> [[Clive Rowe]], as Enoch, was nominated for an Olivier Award.<ref>Butler, Robert. [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/arts--show-people-a-star-waiting-to-happen-clive-rowe-1451077.html "Show People: A star waiting to happen: Clive Rowe"], ''The Independent'', September 25, 1994</ref> Enoch and Carrie were cast as an interracial couple whose eight children, according to the review in ''The New York Times'', looked like "a walking United Colors of Benetton ad".<ref name="94review" /> The production's limited run from December 1992 through March 1993 was a sellout.<ref>Wolf, Matt. "In London, the Shock of the New Found in Old Shows". Associated Press, March 11, 1993.</ref> It re-opened at the [[Shaftesbury Theatre]] in London in September 1993, presented by [[Cameron Mackintosh]], where it continued until May 1994.<ref>Wolf, Matt. "Stage frights; Dead on Revival". ''Variety'', May 23–29, 1994, p. 45.</ref>

The Hytner production moved to New York's [[Vivian Beaumont Theater]], where it opened on March 24, 1994, and ran for 322 performances.<ref name="h40" /><ref name="94review" /> This won five [[Tony Award]]s, including best musical revival, as well as awards for Hytner, MacMillan, Crowley and [[Audra McDonald]] (as Carrie).<ref name="tony" /> The cast also included Sally Murphy as Julie, [[Shirley Verrett]] as Nettie, [[Fisher Stevens]] as Jigger and [[Eddie Korbich]] as Enoch.<ref>Canby, Vincent. [https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/03/theater/sunday-view-carousel-a-soap-opera-no-longer.html "Sunday View; 'Carousel,' A Soap Opera No Longer"]. ''The New York Times'', April 3, 1994. Retrieved on December 26, 2010</ref> Replacements for Billy included [[Marcus Lovett]] and  [[James Barbour (singer)|James Barbour]].<ref>[https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/carousel-4598#Replacements "''Carousel''"], Replacements, 1994 Broadway revival, Internet Broadway Database</ref> One change made from the London to the New York production was to have Billy strike Louise across the face, rather than on the hand. According to Hayden, "He does the one unpardonable thing, the thing we can't forgive. It's a challenge for the audience to like him after that."<ref name="susan">Cheever, Susan. [https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/06/theater/a-lost-boy-makes-good.html?scp=7&sq=carousel+rodgers&st=nyt "A lost boy makes good"]. ''The New York Times'', March 6, 1994.  Retrieved on December 21, 2010.</ref> The Hytner ''Carousel'' was presented in Japan in May 1995.<ref>Krulwich, Sarah.  [https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/29/theater/carousel-comes-to-a-stop-as-its-cast-takes-a-final-bow.html?scp=1&sq=Carousel+AND+Hytner&st=nyt ''Carousel'' comes to a stop as its cast takes a final bow]. ''The New York Times'', January 29, 1995.  Retrieved on December 27, 2010.</ref>  A U.S. national tour with a scaled-down production began in February 1996 in Houston<ref name="hou">Evans, Everett.  "Catch ''Carousel'' for the ride of a lifetime".  Houston ''Chronicle'', February 12, 1996, p. 1 of Houston section.</ref> and closed in May 1997 in [[Providence, Rhode Island]].<ref>Gale, Bill. "PPAC is last turn for ''Carousel''". ''Providence Journal-Bulletin'' ([[Rhode Island]]), May 11, 1997, Arts Week, p. 3E.</ref> Producers sought to feature young talent on the tour,<ref name="hou" /> with [[Patrick Wilson]] as Billy and [[Sarah Uriarte Berry]],<ref>Miller, Daryl H. [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/POWERFUL+%60CAROUSEL'+LEAVES+AHMANSON+AUDIENCE+SPINNING-a083953057 "Powerful ''Carousel'' Leaves Ahmanson Audience Spinning"], ''Daily News'' (Los Angeles), July 12, 1996. Retrieved on December 26, 2010</ref> and later [[Jennifer Laura Thompson]], as Julie.<ref>Phillips, Michael. "Clambakes, Americana and ''Carousel''", ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'', December 26, 1996, p. 4.</ref>

A revival opened at London's [[Savoy Theatre]] on December 2, 2008, after a week of previews, starring Jeremiah James (Billy), [[Alexandra Silber]] (Julie) and [[Lesley Garrett]] (Nettie).<ref name="cov">Coveney, Michael. [https://web.archive.org/web/20081205101843/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/carousel-savoy-theatre-london-1050504.html "Carousel, Savoy Theatre, London"]. ''The Independent'', December 4, 2008.  Retrieved on December 21, 2010.</ref> The production received warm to mixed reviews.<ref>See, e.g., Spencer, Charles. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3563940/Carousel-at-the-Savoy-Theatre.html "''Carousel'' at the Savoy Theatre"]. ''The Telegraph'', December 3, 2008; Billington, Michael. [https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/dec/03/carousel-savoy-london-theatre-review ''Carousel'']. ''The Guardian'', December 3, 2008; and Smith, Sam. [http://www.musicomh.com/theatre/lon_carousel_1208.htm ''Carousel'']. MusicOMH.  All retrieved on December 27, 2010</ref>  It closed in June 2009, a month early.<ref>[http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/london/E8831244545378/Carousel+Posts+Closing+Notices+at+Savoy,+20+Jun.html "Carousel Posts Closing Notices at Savoy, 20 Jun"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615183432/http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/london/E8831244545378/Carousel+Posts+Closing+Notices+at+Savoy,+20+Jun.html |date=2011-06-15 }}. WhatsOnStage, June 9, 2009.  Retrieved on December 28, 2010</ref> Michael Coveney, writing in ''[[The Independent]]'', admired Rodgers' music but stated, "Lindsay Posner's efficient revival doesn't hold a candle to the National Theatre 1992 version".<ref name="cov" /> A production at [[Theater Basel]], Switzerland, in 2016 to 2017, with German dialogue, was directed by Alexander Charim and choreographed by Teresa Rotemberg. Bryony Dwyer, Christian Miedl and [[Cheryl Studer]] starred, respectively, as Julie Jordan, Billy Bigelow and Nettie Fowler.<ref>[http://operabase.com/diary.cgi?lang=en&code=wsba&date=20161215 "Richard Rodgers: ''Carousel''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308232520/http://operabase.com/diary.cgi?lang=en&code=wsba&date=20161215 |date=2018-03-08 }}, Diary: Theater Basel, Operabase.com. Retrieved on March 8, 2018</ref> A semi-staged revival by the [[English National Opera]] opened at the [[London Coliseum]] in 2017. The production was directed by [[Lonny Price]], conducted by [[David Charles Abell]], and starred [[Alfie Boe]] as Billy, [[Katherine Jenkins]] as Julie and [[Nicholas Lyndhurst]] as the Starkeeper. The production received mixed to positive reviews.<ref>Morgan, Fergus. [https://www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/2017/carousel-london-coliseum-alfie-boe-review-round-up "''Carousel'' starring Alfie Boe and Katherine Jenkins – review round-up"], ''[[The Stage]]'', April 18, 2017</ref>

The third Broadway revival began previews on February 28, 2018, at the [[Imperial Theatre]] and officially opened on April 12. It closed on September 16, 2018.<ref>McPhee, Ryan. [http://www.playbill.com/article/broadway-revival-of-carousel-closes-september-16 "Broadway Revival of ''Carousel'' Closes September 16"], ''Playbill'', September 16, 2018. Retrieved on January 9, 2021</ref> The production starred [[Jessie Mueller]], [[Joshua Henry]], [[Renée Fleming]], [[Lindsay Mendez]] and [[Alexander Gemignani]]. The production was directed by [[Jack O'Brien (director)|Jack O'Brien]] and choreographed by [[Justin Peck]].<ref>McPhee, Ryan. [http://www.playbill.com/article/carousel-starring-jessie-mueller-joshua-henry-and-renee-fleming-begins-on-broadway-february-28 "Carousel, Starring Jessie Mueller, Joshua Henry, and Renée Fleming, Begins on Broadway February 28"], ''Playbill'', February 28, 2018</ref> The songs "Geraniums in the Winder" and "There's Nothin' So Bad for a Woman" were cut from this revival.<ref>[http://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/carousel-515791/#songs "List of Songs"], Carousel Revival at the IBDB Database. Retrieved April 19, 2018</ref> [[Ben Brantley]] wrote in ''The New York Times'', "The tragic inevitability of ''Carousel'' has seldom come across as warmly or as chillingly as it does in this vividly reimagined revival. ... [W]ith thoughtful and powerful performances by Mr. Henry and Ms. Mueller, the love story at the show's center has never seemed quite as ill-starred or, at the same time, as sexy. ... [T]he Starkeeper ... assumes new visibility throughout, taking on the role of Billy's angelic supervisor." Brantley strongly praised the choreography, all the performances and the designers. He was unconvinced, however, by the "mother-daughter dialogue that falls so abrasively on contemporary ears", where Julie tries to justify loving an abusive man, and other scenes in Act 2, particularly those set in heaven, and the optimism of the final scene.<ref>[[Ben Brantley|Brantley, Ben]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/12/theater/carousel-review-broadway.html "A ''Carousel'' That Spins on a Romantically Charged Axis"], ''The New York Times'', April 12, 2018</ref> Most of the reviewers agreed that while the choreography and performances (especially the singing) were excellent, characterizing the production as sexy and sumptuous, O'Brien's direction did little to help the show deal with modern sensibilities about men's treatment of women, instead indulging in nostalgia.<ref>[https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Review-Roundup-Critics-Weigh-In-on-CAROUSEL-on-Broadway-Starring-Jessie-Mueller-and-Joshua-Henry-20180412 "Review Roundup: Critics Weigh In on ''Carousel'' on Broadway, Starring Jessie Mueller and Joshua Henry"], BroadwayWorld.com, April 18, 2018</ref>

From July to September 2021 the [[Regent's Park Open Air Theatre]] in London is presenting a staging by its artistic director [[Timothy Sheader]], with choreography by Drew McOnie. The cast included Carly Bawden as Julie, [[Declan Bennett]] as Billy and [[Joanna Riding]] as Nettie.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.playbill.com/article/carly-bawden-declan-bennett-john-pfumojena-more-star-in-regents-park-open-air-carousel|title=Carly Bawden, Declan Bennett, John Pfumojena, More Star in Regent's Park Open Air ''Carousel'' |work=Playbill|first=Andrew|last=Gans|date=July 31, 2021|access-date=August 2, 2021}}</ref>

=== Film, television and concert versions ===
[[File:Boothbay Harbor in Summer.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Boothbay Harbor, Maine]], where the location shots for ''Carousel'''s movie version were filmed]]
{{Main|Carousel (film)}}
A film version of the musical was made in 1956, starring [[Gordon MacRae]] and [[Shirley Jones]].  It follows the musical's story fairly closely, although a prologue, set in the Starkeeper's heaven, was added.  The film was released only a few months after the release of [[Oklahoma! (film)|the film version of ''Oklahoma!'']]  It garnered some good reviews,<ref>''The New York Times'' called the movie a "beautifully turned out film, crisply played and richly sung by a fine cast that is fully worthy of the original show".  Crowther, Bosley.  [https://www.nytimes.com/1956/02/17/archives/screen-carousel-is-worthy-of-stage-original-macrae-shirley-jones.html?sq=Carousel+AND+MacRae&scp=1&st=p "''Carousel'' is worthy of original show"].  ''The New York Times'', February 17, 1956, p. 13.  Retrieved on December 25, 2010.</ref> and the soundtrack recording was a best seller.  As the same stars appeared in both pictures, however, the two films were often compared, generally to the disadvantage of ''Carousel''.  Thomas Hischak, in ''The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia'', later wondered "if the smaller number of ''Carousel'' stage revivals is the product of this often-lumbering<nowiki> [film] </nowiki> musical".<ref name="film">Hischak, pp. 41–42</ref>

There was also an abridged (100 minute) 1967 [[American Broadcasting Company|network television]] version that starred [[Robert Goulet]], with choreography by [[Edward Villella]].<ref name="film" /> [[BBC Radio Theatre]] broadcast a concert of ''Carousel'' in July 1995 starring [[Mandy Patinkin]] as Billy.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/proginfo/2016/31/carousel "''Carousel''"], BBC Radio 2 (1995). Retrieved September 18, 2024</ref> In 2002, [[Carnegie Hall]] presented a concert of the musical starring [[Hugh Jackman]] and [[Audra McDonald]] as Billy and Julie, directed by [[Walter Bobbie]]. Other cast members included [[Jason Danieley]], [[Judy Kaye]], [[Lauren Ward]], [[Norbert Leo Butz]], [[Philip Bosco]] and [[Blythe Danner]].<ref>Gans, Andrew. [https://playbill.com/article/hugh-jackman-and-audra-mcdonald-ride-the-carnegie-hall-carousel-june-6-com-106311 "Hugh Jackman and Audra McDonald Ride the Carnegie Hall ''Carousel'' June 6"], ''Playbill'', June 6, 2002</ref>

The [[New York Philharmonic]] presented a staged concert version of the musical from February 28 to March 2, 2013, at [[Avery Fisher Hall]]. [[Kelli O'Hara]] played Julie, with [[Nathan Gunn]] as Billy, [[Stephanie Blythe]] as Nettie, [[Jessie Mueller]] as Carrie, Danieley as Enoch, [[Shuler Hensley]] as Jigger, [[John Cullum]] as the Starkeeper, and [[Kate Burton (actress)|Kate Burton]] as Mrs. Mullin. [[Tiler Peck]] danced the role of Louise to choreography by [[Warren Carlyle]]. The production was directed by [[John Rando]] and conducted by [[Rob Fisher (conductor)|Rob Fisher]]. [[Charles Isherwood]] of ''The New York Times'' wrote, "this is as gorgeously sung a production of this sublime 1945 Broadway musical as you are ever likely to hear."<ref>Isherwood, Charles. [http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/theater/reviews/carousel-with-new-york-philharmonic-at-avery-fisher-hall.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 "In a Sunny Setting, Lives Dappled by Shadow"], ''The New York Times'', February 28, 2013 (print version dated March 1, 2013, p. C13)</ref> It was broadcast as part of the [[PBS]] ''[[Live from Lincoln Center]]'' series, premiering on April 26, 2013.<ref>[http://broadwayworld.com/article/Kelli-OHara-Led-CAROUSEL-Concert-to-Air-426-on-PBS-20130425 "Kelli O'Hara-Led ''Carousel'' Concert Airs Tonight on PBS"], BroadwayWorld, April 26, 2013</ref>