1956 Motion Picture

Rodgers & HammersteinCarousel

Directed by Henry King with a screenplay by Phoebe and Henry Ephron, the 20th Century Fox film adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel premiered just a year after Oklahoma! made its way to the big screen. The film starred Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones and Cameron Mitchell. The lead role of Billy Bigelow was originally to be played by Frank Sinatra, … Read More

1950 West End Premiere

Rodgers & HammersteinCarousel

In a momentous London debut, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel opened at the West End’s Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on June 7, 1950. Imported Americans played the lead roles: Iva Withers played Julie Jordan, Margot Moser sang “Mr. Snow” as Carrie Pipperidge, and Stephen Douglass reprised the role of  Billy Bigelow after his runs in the national tour and the 1949 … Read More

1945 Original Broadway Production

Rodgers & HammersteinCarousel

Produced by The Theater Guild, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s triumphant return to Broadway was their second musical collaboration, Carousel, which opened April 19, 1945 at the Majestic Theatre. John Raitt and Jan Clayton were cast as the leads. The reviews were enthusiastic across the board, and the new collaborators celebrated another box office smash that, once again, raised the standard for … Read More