The irresistible excitement of George M. Cohan's music and the period charm of his most enjoyable libretto are put into a modern school situation and with this you have the best of all (musical) worlds! "Let's do a musical!" is the cry from the members of the school's drama club. The problem is, which one? This common dilemma is solved by the appearance of an old theatrical trunk filled with the memorabilia of early show business days, such as some George M. Cohan props: his derby straw hat and cane and a script of 45 Minutes from Broadway. Miss Templeton, the teacher, and Jason, the student director, guide the cast through the auditions and casting and presentation of the old Cohan musical. This is an example of a show within a show, complete with such rousing George M. Cohan numbers as "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy," "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "You're a Grand Old Flag."

In a Maine coastal village toward the end of the 19th century, the swaggering, carefree carnival barker, Billy Bigelow, captivates and marries the naive millworker, Julie Jordan. Billy loses his job just as he learns that Julie is pregnant and, desperately intent upon providing a decent life for his family, he is coerced into being an accomplice to a robbery. Caught in the act and facing the certainty of prison, he takes his own life and is sent "up there." Billy is allowed to return to earth for one day fifteen years later, and he encounters the daughter he never knew. She is a lonely, friendless teenager, her father's reputation as a thief and bully having haunted her throughout her young life. How Billy instills in both the child and her mother a sense of hope and dignity is a dramatic testimony to the power of love. It's easy to understand why, of all the shows they created, CAROUSEL was Rodgers & Hammerstein's personal favorite.

Our 20 year-old Harkins Theater seats are coming apart and we have begun a campaign to replace them! For a tax donation of $400 you can adopt a chair with a personalized plaque. Our goal is 123 new seats. We would love to start our 2010-11 Season with brand new, comfortable seats! We hope you will consider participating! Call the Box Office to order your chair today! 

BOX OFFICE 480-837-9661 x3