In the final moments of the story, both Julie and Louise find the strength they need to carry on their lives and Billy returns to heaven, happy in the knowledge that those he loves most will be all right.Īlthough not actually re-imagining this classic, because it’s one of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s lesser-known musicals this production stands out for many other reasons. Although invisible, Billy sees Julie once more, along with his daughter Louise, now a beautiful, lonely teenager, like himself. The plan goes awry and Billy loses his life, goes to heaven and, in an attempt to right the many wrongs he committed when he was alive, is allowed to return to earth for one day.

When he learns he’s soon to become a father, Billy enters into a desperate criminal scheme with another scoundrel, Jigger Craigin, together plotting to kill and steal thousands of dollars from a wealthy mill manager. Billy unexpectedly falls in love with and marries the lovely Julie Jordan, a strong-willed young woman who willingly sacrifices her job at the textile mill to be with her blackguard boyfriend. The show’s hero, Billy Bigelow, is a ruggedly handsome, quick-tempered out-of-work carnival roustabout, with anger management issues. Based upon “Liliom,” Ferenc Molnar’s tragic 1909 drama, this musical, like their first hit, “Oklahoma,” became another groundbreaker in American theatre back in 1945, with its antihero, dark themes and poignant ending. Following last season’s incredible production of “The Sound of Music,” the latest offering is a seldom-produced romantic musical by America’s iconic composer and lyricist team. Chicago audiences are in for a magical, moving musical treat with the Lyric Opera’s third year of their five-show retrospective, showcasing the best of the Rodgers and Hammerstein canon.

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