{"product_id":"the-music-went-round-and-around-the-story-of-musicarnival","title":"The Music Went 'Round and Around: The Story of Musicarnival","description":"\u003cp\u003eSpotting a trend in the early 1950s of staging summer theater in the round under tents, Clevelander John L. Price Jr. decided to give it a try. Consulting a local statistician to determine the geographical center of the culturally inclined population, the bull’s-eye fell in Warrensville Heights, a Cleveland suburb that was also the home to Thistledown Race Track. Price opened his Musicarnival there, on the grounds of the race track, with a production of \u003cem\u003eOklahoma!\u003c\/em\u003e in the summer of 1954. \u003cem\u003eThe Music Went ’Round and Around\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of this unique summer theater and of its ebullient founder, John L. Price Jr.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[![The cast from Paint Your Wagon][]][The cast from Paint Your Wagon 1]Price’s venture was one of the last commercial legitimate theaters established in Cleveland. In its heyday the Musicar-nival had a capacity of 2500 and presented an average of eight to ten shows each summer. The backbone of the repertoire consisted of such musical classics as \u003cem\u003eCarousel; Kiss Me, Kate; Wonderful Town; Fanny; Paint Your Wagon;\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Unsinkable Molly Brown.\u003c\/em\u003e The summer schedule also featured popular solo acts, such as Louis Armstrong, Henny Youngman, Tom Jones, and even burlesque. Occasionally Price tried to sneak in an opera, letting the popular shows support these operatic flings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the first eleven seasons Price principally used a resident stock company, occasionally bringing in a visiting star, if available and right for the role. Toward the end of the 1960s, however, Price was forced to adopt the star system to keep his tent filled. Dropping the stock company, he brought in packaged productions generally headlined by popular singing or television stars. Both offerings had strong followings, and Musicarnival kept the torch of musical theater burning brightly in Cleveland until 1975, when declining attendance finally forced its closing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Music Went ’Round and Around\u003c\/em\u003e is the first book in the Cleveland Showtime Series.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[The cast from Paint Your Wagon]:\n[The cast from Paint Your Wagon 1]: http:\/\/upress.kent.edu\/images\/Vacha1.htm\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46690114601170,"sku":"24d5a9bb-fd34-356a-87e2-536e292115fd","price":15.19,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/image_9abc30a2-65cb-462d-95aa-727f0ddf9922.jpg?v=1766135316","url":"https:\/\/www.indigo.ca\/products\/the-music-went-round-and-around-the-story-of-musicarnival","provider":"Indigo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}