Character guide
Jigger Craigin
from Carousel
Jigger Craigin is the rough shipmate who leads Billy Bigelow into a fatal robbery scheme in Carousel, Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1945 musical.
- Show
- Carousel
- Broadway premiere
- 1945
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Richard Rodgers
Jigger Craigin on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1956 film
The 1956 film makes Jigger's betrayal plain. He is still the man who pulls Billy into the robbery, but when the police corner the two of them, Jigger flees and leaves Billy at their mercy; Billy then climbs a pile of crates and falls on his own knife, an accident in the film where the stage version has him take his own life. Cameron Mitchell played Jigger on screen.
Murvyn Vye originated Jigger on Broadway in 1945.
Who is Jigger Craigin?
Jigger is a whaler and small time criminal who befriends Billy and, sensing his desperation for money, talks him into robbing a wealthy mill owner. He is charming in a dangerous way, quick with a joke but without any real loyalty when the plan goes wrong.
Jigger also pursues Carrie Pipperidge with unwelcome advances at a clambake, giving the show one of its darker, more uncomfortable supporting threads, and his influence on Billy sets the plot's tragedy in motion.
Jigger Craigin's role in Carousel
Jigger is a supporting role that functions as the story's temptation figure, with a sly stage presence more than a major vocal showcase, though he takes part in the ensemble number Blow High, Blow Low. The role rewards a performer who can be likable enough to be persuasive and menacing enough to be believable as trouble.
Murvyn Vye originated the role in 1945, and later productions have used Jigger to sharpen the show's darker edges, since he is the character most directly responsible for pushing Billy toward disaster.
Jigger Craigin: frequently asked questions
What show is Jigger Craigin from?
Jigger Craigin is a supporting character in Carousel, which opened in 1945.
Is Jigger Craigin a lead or supporting role?
Jigger Craigin is a supporting role.
Who wrote the music for Carousel?
Richard Rodgers wrote the music, with Oscar Hammerstein II writing the lyrics and book.
Think you can name today's mystery character in eight guesses?
Play today's Character Guesser