NCCT's Carousel Spins A Tale Of Love And Strength at the Lebanon Opera House

Lebanon Opera House
Lebanon NH
July 13, 2014

North Country Community Theatre's 42nd musical production "Carousel" opened on Friday night July 11, 2014 at the Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon NH. They have three more performances scheduled for July 17, 18, and 19 all at 7:30 pm. TICKETS

Carousel is the second musical by the team of Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics) (Oklahoma! was their first collaboration). The 1945 work was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline. 
The story revolves around carousel barker Billy Bigelow, whose romance with mill-worker Julie Jordan comes at the price of both their jobs. He attempts a robbery to provide for Julie and their unborn child; after it goes wrong, he is given a chance to make things right. Jacob Lenz plays Billy Bigelow (both his mom and dad, Elaine and Jim, are also in this production) with a certain swagger and confidence, yet as the play unfolds you see him as a man afraid of his true feelings. Holly Alexander gives a brilliant performance as Julie Jordan. She may seem simple and sweet but this is one tough woman, who is not afraid of anyone. The scene where she defies her boss Mr. Bascombe was wonderfully done.
A secondary plot line deals with mill-worker Carrie Pipperidge and her romance with ambitious fisherman Enoch Snow. Kelli Minelli's Carrie is a delicate balance of best friend to Julie-telling her to leave a man who hits her; as she is herself  a woman who is in love with the idea if being married to a man who controls everything. Jason Archambeault's Enoch Snow is almost a comic relief in this at times, very dark play. He greets Carrie and teases that he has something for her, some flowers, well they're not flowers-they are seeds for flowers in the future, just like the life he has planned out for her.

The show includes the well-known songs "If I Loved You", "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" and "You'll Never Walk Alone". Richard Rodgers later wrote that Carousel was his favorite of all his musicals. In 1999, Time magazine named Carousel the best musical of the 20th century.

Production Staff: the play was directed by Ron Luchsinger; music director-Hal Sheeler and Choreographer-Allyson Weiner-Sawyer. Costumer, Holly Levison has out done herself in this production, the number of changes and period clothes for this huge cast is just amazing.

The sets are colorful, the songs fantastic, the dances beautiful and the acting is top notch. Don't miss this play, only three more performances July 17, July 18 and July 19-if you do you'll be kicking yourself! 



For TICKETS to the remaining three performances.

The July 13 performance featured a post-show discussion with WISE, cast and the production staff. WISE provides advocacy, crisis services, and community education to those affected by domestic and sexual violence and stalking throughout the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont. All WISE services are free and confidential.

North Country Community Theatre (NCCT) is a community theatre group based in the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont. NCCT performs at least one and sometimes two shows a year cast with community members. NCCT Teens additionally put on one show every year, in late winter, cast solely with area high school students. NCCT was formed in 1979 and is committed to producing quality community theater while providing Upper Valley residents with the opportunity to take part in all aspects of a theatrical production. Since their very first production, The Music Man, they have presented not only summer musicals, but also children’s theater, one acts, touring shows, dinner theater, melodramas, comedies, mysteries, original reviews, and even a world premiere musical (Potter’s Notch).

For more information or to get involved please contact NCCT!

Carousel
North Country Community Theatre
Lebanon Opera House
Lebanon, NH July 13, 2014
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