Carousel (musical)

Carousel is a 1945 stage musical by Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics) that was adapted from Ferenc Molnar's play Liliom. The original production, which was directed by Rouben Mamoulian, opened at Broadway's Majestic Theatre on April 19 1945 and closed on May 24 1947 after playing 890 performances. The original cast included John Raitt, Jan Clayton, Jean Darling, Eric Mattson, Christine Johnson, Murvyn Vye, Bambi Linn, and Russell Collins.

History

Both Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II said that Carousel was the favorite of their works together. They broke new ground in musical theater storytelling with their extended music/dialogue scenes, such as "If I Loved You" and, hauntingly, the "Soliloquy" (where Billy imagines his future child). The final anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" has taken on a life of its own; a graduation standard, it is also customarily sung by fans at English football matches, especially those of Liverpool F.C.

Related Topics:
Richard Rodgers - Oscar Hammerstein II - You'll Never Walk Alone - Liverpool F.C.

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A 1956 movie version starred Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae. This movie also had an appearance by a young Cheryl Holdridge, who would later gain fame on the Mickey Mouse Club.

Related Topics:
1956 - Shirley Jones - Gordon MacRae - Cheryl Holdridge - Mickey Mouse Club

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