I didn't know what to expect from this show. Though I prefer more modern musicals, this one is certainly one of the most lyrical and beautiful of all the shows from what is referred to as The Golden Age of Broadway. On the other hand, I had heard rumblings that it wasn't going to work and that it's time had passed and the casting wasn't right, and etc. etc. etc.
Well, all I can say is if you don't have tickets, rush don't amble to get them now! And spring for premium seats...we had third row center and it couldn't have been more perfect.
From the first moments the HUGE orchestra begins to play that gorgeous "Carousel Watlz," the goosebumps start. And the show never lets down...it just keeps topping itself over and over again, each song more impressive than the previous one.
Just to get it out of the way. There's nothing old fashioned about the production values of this show. The sets and costumes are spot on perfect - absolutely believable as fishermen and their wives' clothing and the environs in which they live. There was nothing faery tale pastel sugar and spice about it. It was reality, writ large and somewhat glamorously for the stage.
The performance are nothing short of perfection. Joshua Henry was probably the best Billy Bigelow I've ever seen (and I've seen quite a few!). He was big, and rough, and coarse and vulnerable, handsome and virile, and when he sings it makes your heart break and your soul soar. Jessie Mueller's Julie Jordan was sweet, but also perky and (to use an old fashioned word) plucky - lovely and loving - and possessing an impressive soprano voice. Renee Fleming, in her Broadway debut is probably the most glam Nettie I've ever seen - this is not your usual fishwife! LOL But, she's an opera star and she can be forgiven her spotless work dress and perfectly coiffed and made up head. LOL Her glorious voice reaches out like a velvet glove to stroke your cheek. Heaven. Lindsay Mendez, Margaret Colin, and Alexander Gemignani are all superb in their respective roles as Carrie, Mrs. Mullins, and Mr. Snow. Jigger Crain, usually a bit of a thankless throwaway role, almost steals the show by ballet dancer Amar Ramasar - smooth and lithe and dangerous and beautiful as a lethal jungle cat, his dancing was something not to be forgotten. Performing with an ensemble of outstanding dancers, he always seemed to be jumping just a bit higher, leaping just a bit further, spinning just a spot tighter than anybody else.
We saw the revival of "Hello, Dolly!" last month - and we have tickets for the revivals of "Boys in the Band" and "My Fair Lady" soon. But, I'm having a hard time believing anything is going to live up to "Carousel." And it's a surprise to me, because my favorite shows lately have been "Spring Awakening," "American Psycho," and "Light in the Piazza" - so enjoying "Carousel" so much was not only a pleasure, it was a wonder! read more