Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller, Tony nominee Joshua Henry, and Grammy-winning opera star Renée Fleming will headline a Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. The production, helmed by Tony winner and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory director Jack O'Brien, is scheduled to begin performances March 23, 2018 at a theatre to be announced.
Mueller, a Tony winner for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and recent star of Waitress, will take on the role of Julie Jordan, with Henry—currently playing Aaron Burr in the touring company of Hamilton—as Billy Bigelow. Fleming will play Nettie Fowler; the Grammy-winning soprano can be seen on the Metropolitan Opera stage this season in Der Rosenkavalier—a production that is said to mark her retirement from her traditional operatic repertoire.
The revival, produced by Scott Rudin and Roy Furman, will feature Amar Ramasar and Brittany Pollack—both of the New York City Ballet—as Jigger and Louise (featured prominently in the show’s iconic ballet sequence), respectively.New York City Ballet’s Justin Peck will choreograph the new staging on the 1945 musical. The resident choreographer promises “an even more dance-and-movement-focused production.”
Mueller recently concluded her Tony-nominated stint in the leading role of Waitress; she also earned a Tony nomination for On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. She previously appeared on Broadway in The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Nice Work If You Can Get It. Mueller also took on the role of Carrie Pipperidge in the New York Philharmonic's 2013 staged concert presentation of Carousel.
Henry, a Tony nominee for Violet and The Scottsboro Boys, most recently appeared on Broadway in Shuffle Along. His additional credits include Bring It On, Porgy and Bess, American Idiot, and In the Heights. Prior to playing Aaron Burr on the road in Hamilton, he originated the role in the sit-down Chicago engagement.
In addition to Der Rosenkavalier, Fleming’s recent credits at the Met include Susan Stroman’s production of The Merry Widow, Rusalka, and Eugene Onegin. She made her Broadway debut in 2015, playing an opera diva in Living on Love.
Carousel, featuring a score by Richard Rodgers and a book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, tell the story of millworker Julie Jordan, carousel barker Billy Bigelow, and their ultimately destructive relationship. The classic score includes such numbers as “If I Loved You,” “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over,” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Take a look at photos from the New York Philharmonic's 2013 concert, freaturing Mueller, below.
