Carousel

Summary of the musical Carousel :

Billy Bigelow (barker at the merry-go-round) and Julie Jordan (who works at the mill), both loners, meet and fall in love. Their marriage ends up costing both of their jobs, and things go downhill. Billy's desperation makes him violent against those he loves most and drives him to commit crimes to support his family. When Billy and con man Jigger Craigin get caught in the middle of an armed robbery, Billy commits suicide.
Fifteen years later, Billy is allowed to return to earth for a day. He meets his daughter, Louise, whom he has never known. Louise is a lonely, friendless teenager, her father's reputation having haunted her throughout her life.

Carousel explores human frailty, resilience and the power of forgiveness.

Watch the performance of "Blow High, Blow Low" at the 2018 Tony Awards:

General information
  • Style : Tragedy, Romance
  • Theme : Love, United States, Violence, Money
  • year of creation : 1945
Music
  • Composer :Richard Rodgers
  • Lyricist : Oscar Hammerstein II
  • Librettist : Oscar Hammerstein II
  • Author (other) : Choreography by Agnes de Mille.
  • famous songs : "The Carousel Waltz" "You're a Queer One, Julie Jordan" "(When I Marry) Mister Snow" "If I Loved You" "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" "When the Children Are Asleep" "Blow High, Blow Low" "Soliloquy" "This Was a Real Nice Clambake" "What's the Use of Wond'rin'?" "You'll Never Walk Alone" "The Highest Judge of All"
  • Famous performers : Barbara Cook, Katherine Jenkins, Jessie Mueller, Audra McDonald, Reid Shelton, Janie Dee, Howard Keel, Patrick Wilson, Alfie Boe, Joshua Henry, Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Cameron Mitchell
kinships
  • Inspired by another work : Inspired by Ferenc Molnár's play Liliom (1909).
  • Exists in film : A film was made in 1956 by Henry King with Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones and Cameron Mitchell.
Awards
  • Appointments and Awards : The 1994 revival received 5 Tony Awards and 4 Drama Desk Awards.
  • Number of years on display : 2
  • Number of performances : 890
  • anecdotes : The original production dates from 1945, 2 years before the first Tony Awards. Time Magazine named Carousel the best musical comedy of the XNUMXth century.
Currently on stage