The English National Opera will be bringing the Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic, Carousel to the London Coliseum for a run of just 41 performances between 7th April and 13th May 2017, with press night on the 11th April. Their production will star two of the UK’s best known opera stars in Katherine Jenkins and Alfie Boe. We are expecting tickets to go on sale 30th November 2016.
This will be Welsh lyric mezzo soprano Jenkins’ musical theatre debut starring as Julie Jordan, with Englieosh tenor Boe as Billy Bigelow. Another “first” will be this pair of household names appearing together in London’s West End. Not only will it have a full cast, but also a choir and a 40-strong ENO orchestra – this will be a “full-on” musical extravaganza for sure.
Whilst this will be Katherine Jenkins’ debut on stage, she has been awarded the Classic Brit Awards Album of the year, with her most recent album being the 7th to reach number one in the charts. Boe has previously starred on the West End stage and Broadway as Jean Valjean in Les Mis and also Gary Barlow’s Finding Neverland on Broadway.
Carousel first premiered on the Broadway stage in 1945 and is a romantic fantasy story-lining the love between Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan. Songs included are What’s The Use Of Wond’rin’ and You’ll Never Walk Along (probably just to hear that one song sung by either or both Jenkins and Boe is worth the trip to the theatre alone!).
This strictly limited 5-week run will be directed by Lonny Price and presented by Michael Linnit and Michael Grade with the English National Opera, who have previously presented Sweeney Todd with Emma Thompson and Sunset Boulevard with Glenn Close. The combination of Linnit and Grade, as the GradeLinnit Company are currently producing 42nd Street which is due to open in March next year at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, for which tickets are currently on sale.