Carousel, starring Jessie Mueller & Joshua Henry, begins performances on Broadway

The Broadway revival of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic musical begins previews at the Imperial Theatre tonight.

The Broadway revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel begins previews at Broadway's Imperial Theatre tonight, ahead of an official opening on April 12. This new production of the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein classic musical is directed by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Justin Peck.

The cast is led by Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller (as Julie Jordan), two-time Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry (as Billy Bigelow), opera sensation Renée Fleming (as Nettie Fowler), Lindsay Mendez​ (as Carrie Pipperidge), Amar Ramasar (as Jigger), Brittany Pollack (as Louise), Alexander Gemignani (as Enoch Snow), Margaret Colin (as Mrs. Mullins), and Tony Award nominee John Douglas Thompson (as Starkeeper).

The ensemble features Colin Anderson, Yesenia Ayala, Nicholas Belton, Colin Bradbury, Andrei Chagas, Leigh-Ann Esty, Laura Feig, David Michael Garry, Garett Hawe, Rosena M. Hill Jackson, Amy Justman, Jess LeProtto, Skye Mattox, Adriana Pierce, David Prottas, Craig Salstein, Ahmad Simmons, Antoine L. Smith, Corey John Snide, Erica Spyres, Ryan Steele, Sam Strasfeld, Ricky Ubeda, Scarlett Walker, Jacob Keith Watson, and William Youmans.

Synopsis: "Set in a New England mill town, Carousel tells the tragic tale of romance between carnival barker Billy Bigelow and factory-worker Julie Jordan."

The score consists of such musical theatre standards as "If I Loved You," "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" and "You'll Never Walk Alone.""

The musical first premiered on Broadway in 1945 and has since enjoyed a total of four Broadway revivals. It was last staged on the Great White Way by Lincoln Center Theater in 1994, picking up five Tony Awards including "Best Revival of a Musical".

The creative team for this production features musical supervision and direction by Andy Einhorn, orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, scenic design by Santo Loquasto, costume design by Ann Roth, lighting design by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, and sound design by Scott Lehrer.

Carousel is produced on Broadway by Scott Rudin and Roy Furman.

Jessie Mueller won a Tony Award in 2014 for her portrayal of Carole King in Beautiful - The Carole King Musical. She also earned Tony nominations for On a Clear Day You Can See Forever in 2012 and for Waitress in 2016. Her other Broadway credits include The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Nice Work If You Can Get It.

Joshua Henry earned Tony nominations for his performances in Violet in 2014 and in The Scottsboro Boys in 2011. He was last seen on Broadway as Noble Sissle in the 2016 production of Shuffle Along, Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed. His other Broadway credits include Bring It On The Musical, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, Green Day's American Idiot, and Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights.

Renée Fleming made her Broadway debut in the comedy Living On Love in 2015. She is known as one of America's most acclaimed singers. In 2013, the President awarded her America's highest honour for an individual artist, the National Medal of Arts. She was the first classical singer ever to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl. Winner of the 2013 Best Classical Vocal Grammy Award, she has sung at momentous occasions around the world - from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Diamond Jubilee Concert for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

Carousel Tickets are available now for performances through to September 2, 2018.