[Fiji Hill]

Carousel has an interesting history. It began as a play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár entitled Liliom (lily) that was first performed in 1909. It was set in Budapest, and the main character's name was Andreas Zavoczki. A 1934 movie version of the same title, which I watched before I ever saw a performance of Carousel, was set in France, with the lead character named Liliom Zadowski, played by Charles Boyer. With Molnár's approval, Rogers & Hammerstein set the play in the USA and made all the characters American, but it was essentially the same story.

[Jane Long]

That is very interesting. Thanks for posting.