Carousel

By Rodgers & Hammerstein

Directed by Richard Corley

Madison Repertory Theatre is thrilled to present its first summer musical! Carousel features such beloved songs as “If I Loved You,” “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” and, of course, “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over.” This masterpiece, by the famous duo of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, has been a Broadway favorite since it first opened in 1945 and was chosen by Time Magazine as “Best Musical of the 20th Century.” The Madison Repertory Theatre production will feature 25 actors, including professionals from Chicago and locals from the university and the Madison community, and an orchestra, as well as elaborate scenery and period costumes.

"I'm thrilled to bring this masterpiece to The Playhouse stage,” declares Madison Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director Richard Corley, who will also direct this production. “Carousel is one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century. Producing it in our intimate theater will allow the audience to focus on the beauty of the music, the complexity of the characters, and the power of the story.” Corley goes on to state that, “The time for Madison Repertory Theatre to produce great American musicals is long overdue, and we hope this will be the first of many productions of the works of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, Lerner and Lowe, Gershwin, and other great American composers and lyricists."

Aside from director Corley, artistic personnel for Carousel include longtime Madison favorites Jack Magaw (Set Design) and Jaymi Smith (Lighting). Scott Foss, who recently served as Choral Director for Our Town, will be Musical Director, and UW faculty member Maureen Janson will choreograph.

The twenty-year partnership of Rodgers and Hammerstein was one of the most successful and influential collaborations in the history of the American theatre. Their first production, Oklahoma, ushered in the golden age of the Broadway musical, after which the duo went on to create ten more musicals including South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music.

Between the two of them, Rodgers and Hammerstein won thirty-five Tony Awards, fifteen Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards and were honored by Time Magazine and CBS News as among “The Twenty Most Influential Artists of the Twentieth Century.”

Produced by Madison Repertory Theatre at The Playhouse in The Overture Center

Performances: July 13 - 29, 2007

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in-person, at the Overture Center Box Office, 201 State Street, Madison, or by calling (608) 258-4141, also available online at www.overturecenter.com. Single ticket prices range from $15 to $47 for every performance, excluding opening night. Current subscribers get a 10% discount,  $35 tickets to Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday performances and $42 tickets to Friday and Saturday performances.

Opening night of Carousel will feature a special celebration in The Playhouse lobby after the performance on Friday, July 13th, with champagne, desserts, live entertainment, and the chance for audience members to meet and mingle with the talented actors and artists involved in the production. Madison Repertory Theatre has commissioned several original artworks inspired by Carousel from the local winners of last year’s Art Fair Off the Square, including Steven Wirtz and Jennifer and Jeff Bailles, which will be raffled off at the gala. Tickets to Opening Night and the gala (including entry into the art raffle) are just $90 for current Madison Repertory Theatre subscribers or $100 for the general public.

Students who present a valid Student ID may take 50% off the cost of a full-priced ticket (Opening Night excluded). There are two special Preview Performances. (Tickets are only $20 on Wednesday, July 11th and $25 on Thursday, July 12th.)

For information on special group rates, please call Jeremy Thomas Poulsen at the Madison Repertory Theatre at (608) 256-0029 x 23.

For all other questions and information, please log on to www.madisonrep.org or call George Gonzalez at (608) 256-0029 x 13.

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