Kelli O’Hara and Nathan Gunn to Lead New York Philharmonic's Carousel

Kelli O’Hara, Nathan Gunn, Stephanie Blythe and Alexander Gemignani will lead the New York Philharmonic's staged production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel. The musical is set to run from February 27, 2013 through March 2 at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.

O’Hara will star as Julie Jordan, with Gunn as Billy Bigelow, Blythe as Nettie Fowler and Gemignani as Enoch Snow. The production will be directed by John Rando and conducted by Rob Fisher. Additional casting will be announced at a later date. O’Hara will return to her current role in Nice Work If You Can Get It on March 3.

Carousel follows the tragic romance of carousel barker Billy Bigelow and mill worker Julie Jordan. The show features a catalogue of musical theater standards including “If I Loved You,” “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” The original production of Carousel opened on Broadway on April 19, 1945. The show was revived four times, with the most recent staging winning the 1995 Tony Award for Best Revival.

O'Hara is a four-time Tony Award nominee who has appeared on Broadway in South Pacific, The Pajama Game and The Light in the Piazza. Opera singers Gunn and Blythe have both previously appeared with the New York Philharmonic, as well as the Metropolitan Opera. Gemignani recently appeared on Broadway in The People in the Picture and Sunday in the Park with George.