(Vero Beach, FL) Riverside Theatre, led by Producing Artistic Director/CEO Allen D. Cornell and Managing Director/COO Jon R. Moses, presents a Rodgers & Hammerstein classic and one of Broadway’s great musicals, Carousel. Sponsored by Bill & Laura Frick and Bobbie Olsen and is presented by Riverside Theatre’s Patron Producers Group, Carousel performs on the Stark Stage from January 4-23, 2022.
In a small coastal village in Maine, carnival barker, Billy Bigelow, falls in love and marries local millworker, Julie Jordan. Their romance quickly faces obstacles as both lose their jobs just as they learn she is pregnant. Desperately intent on providing for his family, Billy is coerced into being an accomplice to a robbery. Caught and facing prison, Billy dies, but is given a second chance at redemption fifteen years later when he returns to earth to meet his daughter. She is a lonely, friendless teenager, but Billy’s love for her instills a sense of hope and dignity she never felt before.
“I hope people are yearning to get back together,” said Mr. Cornell, Director and Scenic Designer for this production. “When we closed I don’t think anyone imagined we’d be dark for almost two years, but the message of this show is one that is needed today. In the last couple of years of isolation, it is reassuring that we are still connected and not alone.”
Featuring a classic score with the much-loved songs: “If I Loved You,” “June is Busting Out All Over,” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” Time magazine named Carousel the best musical of the 20th century.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s second musical, after the incredibly successful Oklahoma!, Carousel was an immediate hit with critics and audiences alike when it opened at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway on April 19, 1945. The original production ran for 890 performances and closed on May 24, 1947 and subsequently toured the country for the next two years. In 1950, Carousel opened in London’s West End for an equally successful run.
Directed and scenically designed by Mr. Cornell, Riverside Theatre’s production of Carousel stars Jeffrey Kringer (Billy Bigelow), Samantha Bruce (Julie Jordan), Beth Kirkpatrick (Nettie Fowler) Christopher Schmidt (Jigger Craigin), Jackie Sanders (Mrs. Mullin), Daniel Schwait (Enoch Snow), Rachael Scarr (Carrie Pipperidge), Wynn Harmon (Starkeeper) and Andrew Sellon (Heavenly Friend).
The cast also includes: Sklyer Bennett, Nick Berninger, Ronald L. Brown, Bianca Bulgarelli, Kenny Corrigan, Andrew Foote, Matthew Liotine, Jacob Major, Paris Martino, Lena Matthews, Cyp McIntosh, Mary McNulty, Christopher Morrissey, Alia Munsch, Cristina Pines, Blake Price, Jamie Pfaff, JP Qualters, Timothy Shew, Lilianna Solum, Cayel Tregeagle, and Callie Walker.
The production crew includes: DJ Salisbury (Choreographer), Shane Hall (Associate Choregrapher), Anne Shuttlesworth (Music Director), Brandon Sturiale (Associate Music Director), Kurt Alger (Costume & Wig Designer), Yael Lubetzky (Lighting Designer), Craig Beyrooti (Sound Designer), Jack Audet (Associate Sound Designer), Mark Johnson (Production Stage Manager) and Amy Bertacini (Assistant Stage Manager). Casting was done in New York by Wojcik/Seay Casting.
Carousel performs January 4-23, 2022 on the Stark Stage at Riverside Theatre. Tickets start at $45. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 772-231-6990 or online at www.riversidetheatre.com.
Performances are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 7:30pm; Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; with matinees on Wednesdays, select Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm.
Performance Schedule:
January 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 & 20 @ 7:30pm
January 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 22, & 23 @ 2pm
January 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 & 22 @ 8pm
The 2021-2021 Season also includes: A Comedy of Tenors (February 1-20), On Your Feet (March 8-27), Billy Elliot (April 12 – May 1) and Almost Heaven (May 10-29) on the Stark Stage and Bakersfield Mist (March 22 – April 10) on the Waxlax Stage.
Carousel is sponsored by Bill & Laura Frickl and Bobbie Olsen and is presented by Riverside Theatre’s Patron Producers Group: Brad and Fran Anderson, Anonymous, Lois Appleby, Linda Aronberg, Anita Astrachan^, Carol Atkinson, Barbara Baldwin, David and Cynthia Bardes, Paul and Jayne Becker, Sam and Susie Bell, Dick and Sue Bergeman, Ted and Debbie Berghorst, Eric and Fuzzy Billings, Jerry and Anne Blatherwick, John and Anita Brennan, Peter and Susie Brinckerhoff, Bill and Laura Buck, Tim and Carol Buhl, Tony and Joyce Caldarone, Bill and Karen Campbell, Chris and Faris Chesley, Don and Rose Ciampa, Dottie Currie, Dick and Maryanne Davis, Willem and Marion de Vogel, Don and Vicky DeMuth, John and Sue Dobbs, VJ and Veronica Dowling, Bill and Laura Frick, Michael and Mary Fuller, Bob and Wheatie Gibb, Mary Jane “MJ”^ and Jennifer Grant, Herb and Anne Gullquist, Bill and Eva Gurley, Duke and Gael Habernickel, Robert and Pat Hemingway Hall, Dick and Rosemary Haverland, Calvin and Sally Hills, Joan and Michael Hoben, Dave Horner and Constance Pitcher, Ron Hunt and Lisa Amorosa, Dave and Barb Kaytes, John and Pam Kean, Robert and Nell Kleinschmidt, Judy and Lou LaFage, Bill and Joy Lane, Charlie Long, Betty MacMillan, Jacqueline Malloy, Jim Marver and Shirin Kaufman, Marilyn McConnell, Ray and Sonia McGowan, Mike and Sandy McManus, Brooke Megrue, Ted and Dawn Michael, Cliff and Sheridan Morris, Bob and Susan Morrison, Wally and Peggy Nelson, Jay Newman and Elissa Kramer, Bobbie Olsen, Don and Connie Patterson, Pat and Ed Pavlish, Michael and Kathie Pierce, Helen Post, Ted and Carol Price, John and Barbara Reed, Bill and Peg Regan, Michael and Anne Rhoads, Bob and Karen Ritter, John Roberts and Juli Blunt, Mary and Randy Rogers, Randy and Sandy Rolf, Ron and Nancy Rosner, Bill and Judy^ Schneebeck, Van Schreiber, Ned and Emily Sherwood, Dick and Nancy Shoemate, Tom^ and Anna Bain Slater, Joe and Mary Alice Smith, Stephanie Bennett-Smith, Dick and Stephanie Solar, Charlotte Stifel, Bill and Carolyn Stutt, Doug and Dhuanne Tansill, John and Tobey Taylor, Charlie and Sue Thomas, Janet Tribus, Marjorie P. Turley, Steve and Anne Warhover, Lorne Waxlax, Pat and Carol Welsh, Liz and Ken Whitney, Gail D. Williams.
Riverside Theatre is located at 3250 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, FL 32963. Riverside Theatre programs are sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Riverside Theatre is a member of the Cultural Council of Indian River County, the Indian River Chamber of Commerce, and the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce.