 The musical required considerable modification during out @-@ of @-@ town tryouts , but once it opened on Broadway on April 19 , 1945 , it was an immediate hit with both critics and audiences . Carousel initially ran for 890 performances and duplicated its success in the West End in 1950 . Though it has never achieved as much commercial success as Oklahoma ! , the piece has been repeatedly revived , and has been recorded several times . A production by Nicholas Hytner enjoyed success in 1992 in London , in 1994 in New York and on tour . In 1999 , Time magazine named Carousel the best musical of the 20th century . 
