Betsy Wolfe, Alexander Gemignani and Margaret Colin Join CAROUSEL on Broadway; Full Cast & Theatre Announced! — Page 2

CurtainPullDowner said: "I'd rather see Jesse repeat as Carrie and Betsy as Julie.

But it is a very strong cast."

Same. I wish it was a Little Foxes situation. Still, Betsy Wolfe and Alexander Gemignani have me a lot more excited about this. Still waiting to see if My Fair Lady will top this casting. I'm still excited about Joshua Henry and hoping for the best with Jessie and Renee.

Having never seen Carousel I'm stoked. Just curious the design and direction.

I'm wondering if this is going to be so popular they won't send out discount code flyers. The cast is stacked. That's the only thing I'm waiting for at this point before I buy a ticket.

EDIT: That and the fact that tickets aren't on sale yet. My point still stands.

Updated On: 9/5/17 at 10:24 AM

Valentina3 said: "raddersons said: "I'm wondering if this is going to be so popular they won't send out discount code flyers. The cast is stacked. That's the only thing I'm waiting for at this point before I buy a ticket."

While I agree that this is superb casting, apart from Jessie Mueller and Renee Fleming (to an extent), this is not a box-office driving cast. Jessie's surprisingly popular with irregular theater-goers because of excessive (well deserved) Tonys exposure from the get go in her stage-career, and NYers know Renee rather well because of her extensive opera career."

So far, Jessie Mueller has only proven to be successful in musicals associated with popular singer/songwriters (Carole King and Sara Bareilles). Let's not forget that the last time Renee Fleming was on Broadway (which was in Living on Love), no one saw it.

"But Joshua Henry is still not a box office commodity (as established by Shuffle Along),"

Can you really blame the failure of Shuffle Along on Joshua Henry? He was in an ensemble consisting the likes of Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Billy Porter.

"That being said, show's brand is in itself a star, and next to My Fair Lady, this is the biggest show of this season. I do think it will need some better advertisement once the tickets are on sale, I doubt many people know the revival's even happening."

I'm not sure if the title of Carousel alone will be enough to sell the production. Even Nicholas Hytner's acclaimed production ran a little under a year on Broadway. I think given the subject matter, it probably is going to be a tough sell to the general public.

^^All good points. Also, let's be honest... anyone who only knows Carousel from an amateur production probably thinks it's immensely boring. R&H only works well on a grand scale, or else it will seem dated (see: The King and I, Cinderella, South Pacific, which were all wonderful productions of shows I used to roll my eyes at). Also, while I agree this is probably the most exciting show happening on Broadway this spring... don't underestimate the power of Disney or Nickelodeon. With tourists heading to Spongebob and Frozen in droves, this could get buried.

EDIT: Although, despite the name, I don't think anyone is planning on bringing their kids to Carousel. Maybe the Disney/Frozen aspect is a moot point.

Updated On: 9/5/17 at 11:19 AM

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "But Joshua Henry is still not a box office commodity (as established by Shuffle Along)"
Can you really blame the failure of Shuffle Along on Joshua Henry? He was in an ensemble consisting the likes of Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Billy Porter."

I am not blaming Shuffle Along's failure on Joshua Henry (it was genuinely the producer's fault IMHO for not promoting the show outside of Audra McDonald), but people didn't buy the tickets because Joshua Henry was in the cast - which speaks to his clout or lack thereof. Your Renee Fleming point is good, but the fact remains that she is a bigger star than Henry or anyone else in the cast, barring Mueller.


"I'm not sure if the title of Carousel alone will be enough to sell the production."

I think it will, assuming the posters and TV ads scream opulence and big production. It is one of R&H's biggest musicals.

Spongebob is not burying anything without major changes. The unanimous review from from Chicago production was "meh". Frozen is another story, but these are completely different theater-going crowds.

jtishere said: "Forgive me if someone has already posted, but marquee is up and looks gorgeous. Love the artwork.https://instagram.com/p/BYtSYYTHiwO/"

I like the artwork too. It's very classic. I hope they add a white background for the names though, I could barely read Jessie or Renee and only could make it out because I knew they were there.

I LOVE this casting and I cannot WAIT for this show, how exciting!

Oh dear, I hate that art work. It's awful.

Oh, dear. I love this so much. I LOVE the symbolism of Julie being the only one in black. I have a feeling this "Carousel" will be done right, and frankly, be the definitive. Gosh, I cannot wait.

Am I the only one who doesn't like the style of this artwork? It looks like it's for a production of Antigone.