The Music Went ‘round and Around: The Story of Musicarnival

Spotting 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 Oklahoma! in the summer of 1954. The Music Went ‘Round and Around tells the story of this unique summer theater and of its ebullient founder John L. Price Jr. Price’s venture was one of the last commercial legitimate theaters established in Cleveland. In its heyday the Musicarnival had a capacity of 2500 and presented an average of eight to ten shows each summer. Theater in the round was a novelty for both directors and audiences. The backbone of the repertoire consised of such musical classics as Carousel; Kiss Me, Kate; Wonderful Town; Fanny; Paint Your Wagon; and The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Occassionally, Price tried to sneak in an opera, letting the popular shows pay for these operatic flings.