Carousel at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre: All you need to know 🎠
The classic musical is currently wowing audiences
Last updated 1st Nov 2021
When it comes to reviving a classic musical, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre know how to create something beautiful and their current revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel is no exception.
But like all good things, the show was not around for long so let's look back this mesmerising production!
What is Carousel about?
The 1945 musical is based on a play called Liliom by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. However instead of taking place in Budapest, the story is transferred to Maine in New England, USA. In this story we meet a carnival barker called Billy Bigelow who falls in love with Julie Jordan, a millworker.
Unfortunately the pair's romance costs them both their jobs - pushing Billy to a life of crime which comes at a tragic cost. Later on, Billy is given a second chance to redeem himself. Carousel also tells the tale of the romance between another millworker, Carrie Pipperidge and the ambitious fisherman Enoch Snow.
The Open Air Theatre production was viewed through a modern lens, setting the action in the UK in the mid-20th century to make the story more immediate, and relevant, to a modern audience.
Who wrote the musical Carousel?
Whilst the source material may have been written by Ferenc Molnár, Carousel has music written by Richard Rodgers with the book and lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II. The pair's works are a key part of the development of musical theatre as we know it with their writing partnership considered one of the greatest of the 20th century.
The musical is packed with some amazing musical numbers including 'June is Bustin' Out All Over', ‘If I Loved You’ and the legendary ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. As well as Carousel Rodgers and Hammerstein are known for penning other great musicals including Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King and I and of course, The Sound of Music.
Where is Carousel in London?
The last production of Carousel was at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre which unsurprisingly, is located in London's Regent's Park. The show ran from 30th July to 25th September 2021.
Carousel: Cast
Carly Bawden as Julie Jordan
Carly's credits include Romantics Anonymous (Shakespeare's Globe/Bristol Old Vic), Ghost Quartet (Boulevard Theatre), Sylvia (Old Vic), Twelfth Night (Shakespeare's Globe), wonder.land (National Theatre), McQueen (Theatre Royal Haymarket) and Assassins and Pippin (Menier Chocolate Factory).
Declan Bennett as Billy Bigelow
Declan's credits include Jesus Christ Superstar (Regents Park/Theatre Orb, Tokyo), The View Upstairs (Soho Theatre), Striking 12 (Union Theatre), Fatherland (Lyric Hammersmith), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Menier Chocolate Factory), Once (Phoenix Theatre) American Idiot (St James Theatre, Broadway) and Rent (Nederlander Theatre, Broadway).
Brendan Charleson as Mr Bascombe
Brendan's theatre credits include The Red Lion (Scottish Tour), A Number (The Other Room, Cardiff), Uncle Vanya (Theatr Clwyd/Crucible Theatre), The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Leeds Playhouse), Insignificance (Theatr Clwyd) and The Accrington Pals (Royal Exchange, Manchester).
Christina Modestou as Carrie Pipperidge
Christina's credits include Little Shop of Horrors (Regent's Park), The Boy in the Dress (RSC), The Winter's Tale (National Theatre), Shrek The Musical (UK Tour), Six (Arts Theatre), Rent (St James Theatre/UK Tour), Urinetown (Apollo Theatre) and In the Heights (Southwark Playhouse).
John Pfumojena as Enoch Snow
John's credits include Do You Love Me Yet? (Oxford Playhouse), Peter Pan (National Theatre/Bristol Old Vic/ Troubadour Theatre), Bent (National Theatre), Twelfth Night (Shakespeare's Globe) and The Jungle (Young Vic/Playhouse/Good Chance Theatre/St Ann's Warehouse NYC/San Francisco Curran Theatre).
Joanna Riding as Nettie Fowler
Joanna's credits include Lady Be Good (Regent's Park), Follies, Guys and Dolls, A Little Night Music, Carousel (National Theatre), Romantics Anonymous (Shakespeare's Globe), Blithe Spirit (Theatre Royal Bath/Savoy Theatre), My Fair Lady and The Witches of Eastwick (Theatre Royal Drury Lane).
Natasha May-Thomas as Louise Bigelow
Natasha trained at the Urdang Academy and appeared in the film Tomorrow Morning.
Also in the cast were Chanelle Jasmine Anthony, Craig Armstrong, William Atkinson, Shay Barclay, Sarah Benbelaid, Chrissy Brooke, Jack Butterworth, Madeline Charlemagne, Jo Eaton-Kent, Freya Field, Sebastian Goffin, Amie Hibbert, Lukas Hunt, Tim Hodges, Tessa Kadler, Emily Langham, Sam Mackay, Ediz Mahmut, Lindsay McAllister, Matthew McKenna, Jack Mitchell, Charlotte Riby, Lisa Ritchie, Christopher Tendai and Daisy West.
Who directed Carousel at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre?
This production of Carousel was directed by Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's Artistic director, Timothy Sheader. Other productions that he's directed for Regent's Park include Hansel and Gretel, The Turn of the Screw, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Tale of Two Cities, Running Wild, Hello Dolly! and Into the Woods.
Read more:
Wicked returns! Everything you need to know about the West End hit 💚
Les Misérables: Everything we know about the legendary musical 🇫🇷
Faye Tozer and Kevin Clifton join the cast of Singin' in the Rain at London's Sadler's Wells ☔️