Northern Light Opera Company will present Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Carousel” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 26-27 and Thursday and Friday, Aug. 1-2 and at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 28 and Saturday, Aug. 3 at the Park Rapids Area High School auditorium.
Two guest artists are appearing in this summer’s performance.
A soprano from La Crosse, Wis., Karla Hughes has a Master of Music in opera performance from Wichita State University. Since 1999, she has performed in various roles with Ohio Light Opera and more recently with the Messiah Choral Society of Colorado and as a guest artist with the Minnesota Concert Opera.
Gary Moss’ honors include being a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions and a European debut as a soloist in Mozart’s “Requiem” in Rimini, Italy. More recently he has performed roles in “The Mikado” with Skylark Opera, St. Paul, and the Winter Opera in St. Louis. Since 2006, Moss also has sung various roles with Ohio Light Opera.
“Carousel” is the second musical by the team of Richard Rodgers(music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics). The 1945 work was adapted from Ferenc Molnar’s 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline.
The story revolves around carousel barker Billy Bigelow, whose romance with millworker Julie Jordan comes at the price of both their jobs.
He attempts a robbery to provide for Julie and their unborn child. After it goes wrong, he is given a chance to make things right.
A secondary plot line deals with millworker Carrie Pipperidge and her romance with ambitious fisherman Enoch Snow.
The show includes the well-known songs “If I Loved You,” “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Richard Rodgers later wrote that Carousel was his favorite of all his musicals.
Tickets are available at Beagle Books, Coborn’s or online at
www.northernlight
opera.org.
