NEW HAVEN - A pair of beloved performers return to Long Wharf Theatre for the upcoming production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic musical Carousel.

Hollis Resnik, recently seen as Aldonza in last season's hit Man of La Mancha, and Ernestine Jackson, the star of the critically acclaimed 2005 production of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill will be appearing in Long Wharf Theatre's upcoming production of Carousel.

"We are thrilled to welcome back Hollis and Ernestine to our stages," said Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein. "Two recent winners of the best actress in a musical award from the Connecticut Critics Circle will grace our stages eight times a week."

Both actresses will tackle multiple roles. Resnik will be playing Mrs. Mullin, the owner of the carousel and the Heavenly Friend. Jackson will be playing Nettie Fowler and Dr. Seldon, performing the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic songs "June Is Busting Our All Over" and "You'll Never Walk Alone."

Resnik and Jackson have both received fine notices from state and national critics for their work at Long Wharf.

"[Resnik] offers a range of emotions in song and speech, from tigress to pussy cat, and her strong presence dominates the stage," said the Connecticut Post in describing her work in Man of La Mancha.

"She make Holiday's fleeting happiness a joy and her suffering an art," Variety said of Jackson's performance of Billie Holiday in Lady Day.

The production will be led by the award-winning team of Court Theatre Artistic Director Charles Newell and Music Director Doug Peck, the duo who brought last season's successful re-imagining of Man of La Mancha.

Set in a small New England town in the late 1800s, the story of impulsive, brash carnival barker Billy Bigelow and his bride, mill worker Julie Jordan, spans heaven and earth in its exploration of love, human frailty, and redemption.

This intimate, acoustic production integrates choreography into the storytelling, enhancing a deeply resonant Rodgers and Hammerstein score.

The production runs on the C. Newton Schenck Mainstage May 7 through June 1, 2008.