Carousel

Alfie Boe and Katherine Jenkins lead Carousel at the London Coliseum

Alfie Boe and Katherine Jenkins star in Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musical

Dom O'Hanlon
Dom O'Hanlon

It has been announced that soprano Katherine Jenkins will make her musical theatre debut in the role of Julie Jordan in Carousel opposite Alfie Boe as Billy Bigelow in a new semi-staged production at the ENO's London Coliseum. The production runs for 41 performances from 7 April to 31 May 2017 at the iconic London venue.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic 1945 musical has been seen numerous times in London's West End, and was last seen by Opera North at the Barbican in 2012. The 2008 revival at the Savoy Theatre starred Lesley Garret in the role of Nettie Fowler, Julie's aunt who delivers the number "You'll Never Walk Alone".

Both Alfie Boe and Katherine Jenkins have performed numbers from the iconic score on both their tours and albums, this will be the first time the pair have taken on the roles in context.

Carousel is based on the play "Liliom" By Ferenc Molnar, as adapted By Benjamin F. Glazer. Set on the New England coastline, Carousel is a story of true love, loss and feelings left unspoken. Following the ill-fated love affair between bad boy Billy Bigelow and trusting Julie Jordan, this classic musical is deeply touching and will capture your heart, featuring a score of hit songs including "If I Loved You", "June is Bustin' Out All Over" and "You'll Never Walk Alone". It was voted Best Musical of the 20th Century by Time Magazine.

Alfie Boe is no stranger to musical theatre, having recently played the central role of J.M Barrie in Gary Barlow's musical Finding Neverland on Broadway. He starred as Valjean in the West End production of Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre from 23 June to 26 November 2011 following a performance at the O2 Arena. He succeeded Ramin Karimloo in the Broadway production of Les Misérables at the Imperial Theatre in May 2015. 

A frequent performer at the ENO's London Coliseum, Boe has performed in La Bohème and The Mikado as well as the musical Kismet.

The production will feature a full cast, choir and 40-strong ENO orchestra in a similar move to the previous spring musicals Sweeney Todd and Sunset Boulevard, also produced by Michael Linnit and Michael Grade at the London Coliseum.

Tickets are now on sale.

Originally published on

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