Synopsis
Carousel is a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that tells the poignant story of carnival barker Billy Bigelow and millworker Julie Jordan, whose whirlwind romance leads to love, loss, and the hope of redemption. Set against the backdrop of a New England coastal town, the show explores themes of forgiveness and second chances, featuring timeless songs such as “If I Loved You” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
The 1994 Broadway revival, directed by Nicholas Hytner, was met with largely positive reception. Critics praised the revival’s emotional depth, strong design, and renewed confidence in the score and characters, though some flagged moments in Act II as more problematic. The production went on to win five Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical.
Brian d’Arcy James appeared in the ensemble and supporting parts – credited as Captain, Principal, and Hudson Livermore – as well as serving as understudy for David Bascombe and Jigger Craigin.
Playbill’s My Life in the Theatre
On 2 December 2025 Playbill released an interview with Brian on Youtube under their My Life in the Theatre playlist. Below is a transcript from the video about his time with Carousel – you can watch it here.
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Got a choice here. Carrousel and Floyd Collins. I’m going to go with Carrousel because that’s where I met my wife, Jennifer Prescott. So that, you know, end of story. That’s all I should say about that because that’s really all that matters.
But the truth is, is that was a seminal experience as well because there’s so many friends, so many friends. That was a great ensemble of people, Taye Diggs, Michael O’Donnell, Audra McDonald, Fisher Stevens, Shirley Verrett, the great late Shirley Verrett, at Eddie Korbich. God, I mean, Lovette George, my dear friend, Lovette.
That was, that was a great, great show. Nick Hytner directed it. Bob Crowley designed it. And the whole thing was impeccable. Michael Hayden had done it in London. He came over and performed it beautifully on Broadway.
It’s interesting, I’m looking at this. I have this actual, actual Kenneth McMillan poster in our house because that’s Michael’s face on the Playbill. But the model was my buddy Michael O’Donnell, who was also in the show. So it’s actually his poster. He lives in London now. We’re just kind of housing it for him, but I might have to steal it from him. That’s some little inside scoop on the actual Playbill artwork.
Um, but really, at the end of the day, it was, uh, it was where I met my wife, and my wife was forced to dance with me in June is busting out all over which was a problem because she was a dancer, and I, I am not a dancer. But, it all worked out.”