Arts Express鈥 next offering is Rodgers and Hammerstein鈥檚 Tony Award-winning musical 鈥淐arousel.鈥
Named the best musical of the 20th century by Time magazine, 鈥淐arousel鈥 follows brash carousel barker Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan, a quiet girl who works in the mill.
They fall in love, marry and have a stormy relationship that leads to tragedy and an attempt at mending old wounds from beyond the grave 鈥 a journey of love, loss and hope.
Arts Express鈥 Ben Wiese gives us four reasons to see the classic:
- Director Nancy Davis Booth has a strong vision of how to deliver this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical with prowess, veracity and compassion, using the sweeping score to shed light on the underlying story of intergenerational domestic violence. 鈥淗ow does one mount such a monumental production?,鈥 Booth remarked, 鈥淲ith awe of the power of a dynamic cast and live orchestra to tell the story and with humility, striving to let the message shine out brightly and compassionately.鈥 To raise awareness of domestic violence in our community, Arts Express is partnering with Emerge Center Against Domestic Violence on this production and sponsoring a 鈥渟tuff-the-wagon鈥 campaign, encouraging audience members to bring unused personal care and baby items to the show as a donation to Emerge clients.
- The cast of 34 is led by Andrew Gray, making his Arts Express debut, and Brianna Barnhart. Other returning AE favorites include Kayleah Wilson, Susan Stokes and Christopher Younggren.
- 鈥淐arousel鈥 is well known for its majestic and moving music, with the classic songs 鈥淚f I Loved You,鈥 鈥淛une Is Bustin鈥 Out All Over,鈥 the immortal 鈥淵ou鈥檒l Never Walk Alone,鈥 and more. This extraordinary score is helmed by Music Director Elizabeth Spencer, bringing these iconic masterpieces with a full orchestra conducted by Martin Gaines.
- Prior to each performance, Arts Express offers a truly immersive experience: The Meet Ferenc Moln谩r pre-show, where you鈥檒l hear 鈥渇irst-hand鈥 how this intriguing Jewish Hungarian author built on real life inspirations to write the 1909 play 鈥淟illiom,鈥 the story that later became 鈥淐arousel.鈥 Ferenc Moln谩r will be played by the award-winning veteran actor Gene Abravaya.
