Carousel
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Cititour.com Review
Carousel isn’t a musical that comes to Broadway very often, and maybe that’s part of its power. This new Broadway revival reveals the haunting beauty of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s lush score and the rich humanity of its characters. It’s also a great vehicle for Joshua Henry, whose powerhouse performance as antihero Billy Bigelow makes him a frontrunner for this year’s best actor in a musical Tony Award.
Henry isn’t the only noteworthy actor in this stellar production, directed by Jack O’Brien. The magnificent Jessie Mueller brings a quiet strength, and a beautiful voice, to the role of Julie Jordan, Billy’s patiently enduring wife, while opera great Renee Fleming wows the crowd with her two big numbers, “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” and the heart-wrenching “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
But Rodgers and Hammerstein’s second musical, first on Broadway in 1945, challenges its cast and audience. Based on Ferenc Molnar’s Liliom, Carousel, it has as its leading man a hotheaded carnival barker in coastal Maine who struggles to find employment and hits Julie. Operatic songs coexist with beautifully intricate ballet numbers from New York City Ballet choreographer Justin Peck. And the story goes in otherworldly directions atypical for musical theater.
Yet it evokes the struggles of ordinary Americans with depth and empathy, most notably in Billy’s “Soliloquy,” as his joy over his impending fatherhood is tempered by his worry over how he’ll provide for her. Even if Billy never learns how to adapt to life, the hope is that his daughter won’t suffer a similar fate.
While the show isn’t dated, the wonderful designs of Santo Loquasto (scenic) and Ann Roth (costume) are a welcome throwback to a pre-projection design era. Dark but uplifting, Carousel has lost none of its power.
By Diane Snyder
Visit the Site
http://carouselbroadway.com
Cast
Joshua Henry, Jessie Mueller, Renée Fleming, Lindsay Mendez, Alexander Gemignani, Margaret Colin, Amar Ramasar, Brittany Pollack, John Douglas Thompson
Open/Close Dates
Opening 4/12/2018
Closing 9/16/2018
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 2/28/2018
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
212-239-6200
Theatre Info
Imperial Theatre
249 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
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