LONG WHARF THEATRE PRESENTS
RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S CLASSIC MUSICAL CAROUSEL

NEW HAVEN - Long Wharf Theatre, led by Gordon Edelstein (Artistic Director) and Joan Channick (Managing Director) wraps up its 2007-08 season with Carousel, the classic musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, on the Mainstage from May 7 through June 1. The play is a co-production with the Court Theatre in Chicago.

The opening night will take place on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Carousel has received fine reviews during its run at Court Theatre. "Newell forges an involving, intimate and provocative musical experience that will show you things about this great American musical you've not experienced," said Chris Jones, theatre critic for the Chicago Tribune, in his review.

This acoustic production, helmed by Court Theatre Artistic Director Charles Newell and Music Director Doug Peck, the award-winning team behind last season's successful re-imagining of Man of La Mancha, promises to be an innovative revival of one of America's most beloved musical masterpieces that will move and delight audiences of all ages.

"The reason we need to keep presenting this piece is its message of community. Songs like 'June is Bustin' Out All Over' and 'You'll Never Walk Alone' present a vision of people living and working together, bearing life's burdens with a measure of joy. The development of the relationships in the piece is conveyed so perfectly through the music," Peck said.

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

Hammerstein's book is augmented by Rodgers' deeply resonant score featuring such classic songs as "If I Loved You," and "You'll Never Walk Alone."

"Oscar never wrote more meaningful or more moving lyrics, and to me, my score is more satisfying than any one I've written," wrote Richard Rodgers in his autobiography Musical Stages. "But it's not just the songs, it's the whole play. Beautifully written, tender without being mawkish, it affects me deeply every time I see it performed.

The original production of Carousel had tryout runs in New Haven (at the Shubert Theatre) and in Boston before opening at Broadway's Majestic Theatre on April 19, 1945, starring John Raitt. After running nearly 900 performances in New York, the show closed in 1947.

It would continue to have a healthy life, however, in four Broadway 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 television production of the play in 1967.

For more information about the show or other Long Wharf Theatre offerings, call 787-4282. Tickets are available online.

Audience members are invited to enrich their theatre-going experience by participating in any of Long Wharf Theatre's premiere events during the run of Carousel

Backstage With . . .

• The Artistic Director, Thursday, May 8, at 7 p.m. - Gordon Edelstein will interview a member of the artistic team.
• The Technical Staff, Thursday, May 29, at 7 p.m. - Long Wharf's technical staff will provide an inside look at technical tricks and the construction of Carousel

Pre-Play Introduction

• Saturday, May 17 and 31 at 2 pm - Long Wharf's artistic staff leads a discussion emphasizing the secrets and challenges of the creative process during the making of Carousel

Audience Exchange

• Tuesday, May 20 and 27, immediately following performance - Meet members of the acting company and artistic staff for a post-performance discussion.

Sunday Symposium

• Sunday, May 25, immediately following matinee performance - Long Wharf Theatre presents a panel discussion with scholars and artist discussing the issues of the play. Free admission.

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LONG WHARF THEATRE, founded in 1965, is recognized as a leader in American theater, producing fresh and imaginative revivals of classics and modern plays, rediscoveries of neglected works and a variety of world and American premieres.

More than 30 Long Wharf productions have transferred virtually intact to Broadway or off-Broadway, including the 2005 production of BFE by Julia Cho, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning plays Wit by Margaret Edson, The Shadow Box by Michael Cristofer, and The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn.

Long Wharf has received New York Drama Critics Awards, Obie Awards, the Margo Jefferson Award for Production of New Works, a Special Citation from the Outer Critics Circle, and the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.

~ End of Release ~

Steven Scarpa
Public Relations Manager
Long Wharf Theatre
222 Sargent Drive
New Haven, CT  06511
Direct: 203-772-8255
Fax: 203-776-2287
Email: steven.scarpa@longwharf.org

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