Rodgers and Hammerstein were the go-to guys during musical theater’s Golden Age. Carousel was their personal favorite, a hit two years after Oklahoma. In fact, the shows were across Broadway’s 44th Street from one another from 1945 to 1947. Carousel is about Billy Bigelow, a reckless carnival barker who’s a ladies man and a gambler often on the wrong side of the law. When he meets Julie Jordan, he tries to go straight, but good behavior is tough. It takes dying and a return from the afterlife to make things right. The story is a testament to the power of love.
Through Nov. 1. $31-$35. Corbett Auditorium, CCM Village, University of Cincinnati, Clifton Heights, 513-556-4183, ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice.
This article appears in Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2015.
