WAGNER COLLEGE THEATRE presents Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Musical Masterpiece CAROUSEL

WAGNER COLLEGE THEATRE presents
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Musical Masterpiece
CAROUSEL
April 23 – May 4
Directed by Drew Scott Harris
(Staten Island, NY) Wagner College Theatre, presents Carousel, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical masterpiece of love and redemption from April 23 – May 4.  Directed by Drew Scott Harris, with choreography by Wagner alum Bret Shuford ‘01, and musical direction by Dr. Lauri Young.
Based on the play Liliom by Ferenc MolnarCarousel boasts music by Richard Rodgers, and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.  Carousel has been called “the best musical of the 20th century” by TIME Magazine, and is considered the first musical to combine dialogue and music (i.e. “If I Loved You”) seamlessly into one powerful dramatic scene.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel brings us to the New England seaside, where a ride on the carousel changes Julie Jordan’s life forever.  There, she meets Billy Bigelow, a swaggering carnival barker. Their passionate, ill-fated love affair – set against a backdrop of such glorious songs as “If I Loved You,” “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “June is Bustin’ Out All Over” is the heart of this masterwork, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s personal favorite.
Carousel features Performance Theater majors Joshua Sottile (Billy Bigelow), Lisa Peterson (Julie Jordan), Sarah Shear (Carrie Pipperidge), Thomas Horvath (Enoch Snow), Tom DeMichele (Jigger), Megan Viglione (Nettie Fowler), Paige McNamara (Mrs. Mullin), Joe O’Malley (The Starkeeper), and Adena Ershow (Louise).
The Ensemble includes Christian Alvarez, Tom AlthoffTyler AngottoNicholas BarakosJeanine BruenBrad CashmanPhil Della NoceLindsay DunnSam ForinArielle GordonGreg IppolitoJulia KarisDan KrissChelsea LoeselKristi LongDaniel MarconiAlexis MarquardtAlec ReissSamantha RoseMaria Elena RumayorClint ThompsonBianca Vitale, and Lauren Wagner.
The production design team is comprised of Phill Hickox (sets), Polly Kendrick (costumes), Vicki Neal (lights), Rich Kroth (sound).  Alison Savino is production stage manager.
Wagner College Theatre first presented Carousel in April 1996 with a cast that featured Deren Gilly, Sarah Farnam, Matthew Ryan, Amy Wodon, Robyn Ruehl, Kathy Brier, Brian Sgambati and Danielle Huben, under the direction of Christopher Catt.
After long and distinguished careers with other collaborators, Richard Rodgers (composer, 1902-1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (librettist/lyricist, 1895-1960) joined forces in 1943 to create the most successful partnership in the American musical theatre. Oklahoma!, the first Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, was also the first of a new genre, the musical play, blending Rodgers’ sophisticated style of musical comedy with Hammerstein’s innovations in operetta. Oklahoma! was followed by Carousel in 1945, then AllegroSouth Pacific, The King and I,Me and Juliet, Pipe Dream, Flower Drum Song, and The Sound of Music. Rodgers & Hammerstein wrote one musical specifically for the big screen, State Fair, and one for television, Cinderella.
The original production of Carousel opened at Broadway’s Majestic Theatre on April 19, 1945, starring John Raitt and Jan Clayton. After running nearly 900 performances in New York, the show closed in 1947. It would continue to have a healthy life, however, in four revivals, including a much celebrated 1994 production that garnered five Tony Awards and launched the career of Audra McDonald as a major Broadway star. The musical was adapted for the screen in 1956 starring Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones. Robert Goulet starred in a 1967 television production.
Located in Main Hall, the Wagner College Theatre box office can be contacted at (718) 390-3259 or boxoffice@wagner.edu.  Wagner College Theatre Box Office hours are Monday through Friday 12:00Noon-4:00pm.  Single tickets go on sale (March 24) for Carousel, with price ranges for children, senior and adult tickets.  Wagner College students attend free with current ID.