By CARI WASSON ’27
Updated 11:50 a.m. EDT, 20 Mar 2026
This weekend, March 19 through 21, the Houghton University (HU) Lyric Theatre (LT) will perform Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel in the Houghton Academy Tysinger Auditorium.
Carousel takes place in a small town and tells the story of Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan. LT director, Professor Amanda Cox, described Billy and Julie’s story as “a piece that asks big questions about love, responsibility, and the choices we make—sometimes tragic choices—that affect the people around us,” occasionally even affecting the next generation. Melanie Grace ‘27, one of the actresses portraying Julie Jordan, said the show, at its core, is about “redemption and taking responsibility over your actions, and having the strength to be a better person, even if the people that you’re being better for can’t have you in their life anymore.” It is a musical that will move the audience, even if they don’t realize it until it’s happening.
Carousel is a rather heavy story. Grace explained that the show is a “depiction of a domestic abuse cycle.” Using her personal memories, Grace works to give justice to Julie’s story, which has been emotionally challenging for her. Thankfully, Grace has found “an amazing support system in lyric theater.” Whether it is by Cox allowing her a moment to step away, or through the hugs and support of the cast, LT has provided a safe space to discuss and portray these hard topics.
It is Cox’s goal to create a supportive space “where students feel safe enough to be curious and brave” and where they will always be enough, no matter what they bring to the table. “When people feel supported like that,” Cox said, “they take risks and grow in really beautiful ways.”
With such heavy themes presented in this show, some audience members may wonder why HU chose this show. The answer lies in how it ends, which actor Dominic Larson ‘27 described as “very unexpected and very special.” According to Larson, the original story is not as fitting with HU’s Christian beliefs, but Cox adjusted the ending to be more redemptive and hopeful, making it “very emotional but … very bittersweet.”
This new redemptive ending is bittersweet due to the imperfections of these characters. Larson said, “a lot of us have to do bad things in the context of the show, but we’re telling a larger story, a story that’s larger than our individual characters.” These bad things have been handled with care, knowing that for some people this story is not purely fictional.
Grace hopes that for those who do relate, they can walk away knowing that they don’t walk alone, that “you have a community and things will get better.” She also hopes for everyone to leave knowing that, “in the midst of a sense of hopelessness and loss that God is still there every step of the way, even if you don’t see Him.” ★
