Steven Pasquale Will Lead Carousel at Chicago's Lyric Opera; Rob Ashford Will Direct

There's no "if" about it: we really do love him. Steven Pasquale will star as Billy Bigelow in Lyric Opera’s Carousel next year in Chicago. Rob Ashford will direct the classic musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Joining Pasquale will be Denyce Graves as Nettie Fowler; additional casting will be announced at a later date. Performances will run from April 10, 2015 through May 3.

Pasquale most recently appeared on the Great White Way in The Bridges of Madison Country. His additional stage credits include Reasons to Be Pretty on Broadway and Fat Pig, The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide... and A Soldier's Play. He was the star of NBC's short-lived drama Do No Harm, and for seven seasons he starred as Sean Garrity on FX’s Rescue Me. Mezzo-soprano Graves has performed in opera houses worldwide, including The Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera, Opéra National de Paris and Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Carousel follows the tragic romance of carousel barker Billy Bigelow (Pasquale) 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 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.