Emerson Colonial Theatre Official Blog

Carousel Poster

Carousel Photo

<h2>Carousel</h2>
The award winning-musical Carousel debuted at the Colonial on March 27, 1945. It played in Boston for a three week pre-Broadway run through April 15, 1945.
Rodgers and Hammerstein returned to the Colonial while Oklahoma! was in its second year on Broadway for their second collaboration with choreographer Ages de Mille. The show starred John Raitt as Billy Bigelow, Jan Clayton as Julie Jordan, Jean Darling as Carrie Pipperidge, and Christine Johnson as Nettie Fowler. Carousel went on to open on Broadway on April 19, 1945 at the Majestic Theater, where it ran for two years and played 890 performances.
Carousel received a warm welcome from audiences and critics alike in Boston. Critic Elinor Hughes wrote "if the theater were twice as large, it could not accommodate the would-be customers."