This week: Carousel

The College Light Opera Company  presents Carousel as the fifth show of its 46th season. Carousel was done at CLOC in the 1970, 1977, 1984, 1987, 1993, 1998, 2004 and 2009 seasons.

Carousel is the story of an outsider, Billy Bigelow, an itinerant barker for a carousel. The play is set in 1873, and later in 1888, in a village on the bleak coast of Maine. Every song the rugged townspeople sing (“June is Bustin’ Out All Over”, “A Real Nice Clambake”) throbs with the joy of community.

Billy – arrogant, violent, inarticulate, bungling everything he aspires to – falls in love and marries a local girl, Julie Jordan. Every song they sing (“If I Loved You”, “What’s the Use of Wond’rin”, “Soliloquy”) aches with their fumbling need to find their way in life on their own, and with a love they find impossible to express.

Ultimately, spurred on by a tragic event unique in American musical theatre traditions, they are able to find redemption and are able to say what they have so urgently needed to tell one another all along, but couldn’t: “I Love You”.

This production is led by stage director Mark Pearson and music director David Weiller. In addition to Carousel, Pearson directed The White Horse Inn and Lady, Be Good! earlier in the season and will direct Les Misérables which runs from July 29th – August 2nd. Weiller first came to CLOC 35 years ago as an accompanist and since then has music directed over 45 productions. Pearson, originally from Hull, MA, received his degrees from Boston College and Boston University and current resides in Germany. Weiller recently celebrated 30 years as a music professor and director of choral studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The cast is full of new CLOC vocal company members. Talents to look forward to are Lindsay Cabaniss as Nettie Fowler (Tolland, CT – The Hartt School ’15), Michael McCann as Billy Bigelow (Windslow, ME – Middlebury College ’15) and Maggie Robinson as Mrs. Mullin (Murfreesboro, TN – University of Memphis ’15).

Returners to look for include Bruce Barger as Enoch Snow (Southington, CT – University of Vermont ’14), Jane Duffy as Julie Jordan (Oak Brook, IL – New York University MM ’16), Jens Jacobson as Jigger Craigin (Platteville, WI – Belmont University ’14) and Maggie Langhorne as Carrie Pipperidge (Santa Barbara, CA – Oberlin Conservatory ’16).

Carousel will run Tuesday, July 22nd through Saturday, July 26th at 8 p.m., with a Thursday Matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are $35 and are available by calling the CLOC Box Office at 508-548-0668 or by visiting the CLOC Box Office, 58 Highfield Drive, Falmouth (open Monday-Saturday 10:00 am - 12:30 pm, 2:00 - 5:00 pm, and 7:00 - 9:00 pm). For more information, please visit www.CollegeLightOperaCompany.com. 

---