At the heavenly gates, Billy learns that time on earth passes far more quickly “up here.” In a sequence told entirely through dance, Billy watches the struggles of his now-teenage daughter, whose life is no easier than her father’s was.

Forced to reckon with his past in the backyard of heaven, Billy defiantly refuses to be kicked around the way he was on earth.

After Billy’s suicide, Nettie comforts the distraught Julie with words of hope. An American standard covered by countless recording artists, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” made its way on the Billboard 100 four times, each sung by a different vocalist. The first, released 20 years after the song’s premiere, was Patti LaBelle and The Blue Belles’ recording in February 1964. Subsequent … Read More

After Billy leaves with Jigger, Julie realizes her husband is up to no good. Left alone once again, she ponders the nature of their relationship.

After seeing his beloved Carrie demonstrate her self-defense skills with Jigger Craigin, Enoch Snow sorrowfully mourns what might have been; it appears that Carrie has created irreparable damage to their relationship.

Resting in languorous content, the full-bellied New Englanders sigh a breath of delight after a filling and delicious seaside clambake picnic.

Having just learned that Julie is pregnant, Billy doesn’t know quite how to react. But soon he muses on what it will be like when his son is born – and then suddenly it hits him: his child may be a girl. This brilliant eight-minute solo, in which Billy Bigelow reveals his inner passions and fears, propels the father-to-be to … Read More

Restless and excited to be back at sea, a rowdy pack of sea-ready sailors prepare and load their docked ship on the eve of a whaling excursion.

Carrie and Enoch eagerly envision their future of starting a family – a large one – as Mr. and Mrs. Snow.

Carrie tells a crowd of gossiping girls that she and Mr. Snow are getting married. As Carrie shares exciting details of the coming nuptials, Enoch Snow himself arrives, revealing his true self and reveling in the joyful anticipation.

Nettie Fowler prepares for the clambake while restless fisherman and hungry New Englanders anticipate a hearty summer feast just across the bay. As the weather warms, everyone’s feeling a bit frisky.

Tacitly, Julie and Billy understand they do not belong together, but a simple, hypothetical, conditional conversation opens them up to the realization that a genuine bond exists between them. As blossoms fall, this scene/song ends with a passionate embrace. Like a sequence in opera, “If I Loved You” is a musical conversation – a massive revelation in musical comedy at … Read More

Now that Julie is involved with the handsome carousel barker Billy Bigelow, her best friend Carrie can finally tell her about the special man in her life, Mister Snow.

Instead of opening with a traditional overture, Carousel begins with a 15-minute musical waltz suite titled “The Carousel Waltz.” Staged by Rouben Mamoulian and choreographed by Agnes de Mille, the wordless ballet sets the scene for Carousel with characters interacting at the bustling fair, all set to Rodgers’ sweeping waltzes.