CAROUSEL (2018) Previews- Page 13

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/3/18 at 8:51pm

I wonder if the lack of direction is a result of the production focusing too much on the choreography. From reading the billing page, Jack and Justin are billed together. Not sure if that’s normal, but it could indicate that they did as much work on the dances sequences as the book scenes. Or even more so.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 3/3/18 at 8:52pm

Kad said: "Miles2Go2 said: "Remember when there was all this speculation about why Betsy Wolfe was suddenly not attached to this production anymore? Anyone think maybe she smellled the hot mess train a-coming and decided to get as far away from it as possible? "

No. She was unable to fulfill the required workshop rehearsal commitments that the contract demanded due to her schedule with Waitress (specifically, rehearsing Jason Mraz)."

Oh, okay. Well, while there might have been some advantages to being in this show, it would appear that in retrospect she dodged a bullet with ultimately not being in this production. 

[BroadwayMan5]

Posted: 3/3/18 at 8:57pm

So are these early whispers making My Fair Lady a dominant front-runner for the Revival Tony? Or can Once on this Island play spoiler? Or too soon to talk about it? Haha

 

I am sad to hear these reviews and I hope they work out the problems because I love the show and I do think the cast is strong even if not totally suited to each role. After Scott Rudin made every right decision in the book (save for the Tony performance) about Hello Dolly, it's surprising he's made the choices he has with this one, starting with Jack O'Brien.

[Musical Master]

Posted: 3/3/18 at 10:52pm

Just by reading the early preview reviews of Jack O'Brian's lackluster/hack direction just makes me think... Why couldn't any other director do it? Or better yet... Christopher Wheeldon?? He directed a MAGNIFICENT Encores production with Brigadoon, with some of the most strongest direction/choreography I have ever seen, even for such a small space was absolutely beautiful to watch from beginning to end.

The question as to why Scott Rudin, who just produced last year's wonderful and memorable Hello, Dolly! with the talented Jerry Zaks doing such smart direction for such a brilliantly glowing revival would stoop so low as to hire the should've-been-retired-by-now Jack O'Brian to trust with such a classic musical like Carousel? I don't know. It's sad when someone says that the orchestra and the singing were the things going for it which a musical revival should NEVER amount to when everything else (like cast, costumes, sets, lighting, and especially DIRECTION) should be firing as many cylinders as possible to make it a great revival.

Well I won't lose hope, for in just 12 days Bartlett Sher and Lincoln Center will do their best to give us a grand revival with My Fair Lady. The Vivian Beaumont Theater has always been blessed with really amazing, and memorable musical revivals in it's existence, so I am personally very excited for My Fair Lady which begins previews on March 15th. It should be better than this...MUCH better.

[paper_cliche]

Posted: 3/3/18 at 11:01pm

wish i were here2 said: "https://instagram.com/p/BfxEWPfngZa/"

the great comet reopening with a high school production

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/3/18 at 11:43pm

From those pics, it looks like a regional show.

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 3/3/18 at 11:50pm

Yeah, actually the longer I look at the pictures, the more it does start to look like a regional production.

Welp, at least the singing is good.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 3/4/18 at 12:14am

Regarding the "yes, it's possible for someone to hit you hard and for you not to feel it" line cut, there are a number of ways to handle it better than just cut it. The point is, it is OKAY for a character for a character to be brutal or wrong. It is NOT OKAY for the production to condone such behaviors. Cutting it is more like avoiding dealing with the issue than addressing it, which is also detrimental to character development. 

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 3/4/18 at 2:10am

^I agree.

Any word if Geraniums is back in yet?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/4/18 at 7:44am

“It is possible for someone to hit you. Hit you hard and not feel it at all.”


There really is only one way for the line to work, and it is the correct way the authors intended. It is a moment of ephiphany. It is a moment of insight and understanding and clarity. It is a moment when it is understood completely that love must triumph over violence. That It is the only way forgiveness can happen, it is the only way redemption can happen and it is the most important insight we can pass forward to future generations to make change in the world.

 

Oh yeah and it’s also 100% the spine and theme of the entire musical.

You have to look for no further proof beyond it’s cutting that the creatives on this production are misguided

Updated On: 3/4/18 at 07:44 AM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 3/4/18 at 8:34am

Interesting in light of the current revival line-up that both Julie and Eliza have lines that minimize violence against women.

Eliza tells Henry "I shouldn't mind a black eye; I've had one before this."

Of course Henry never hits Eliza.  He rebuffs the suggestion that he would ever strike her.  And Eliza never equates being struck with a kiss like Julie and Louse do.  So the moments might well be not quite comparably controversial.

But still...

[A0326T]

Posted: 3/4/18 at 10:59am

I saw the matinee Saturday March 3. Disappointing. Fine singers but it was hard to watch them together as there were no chemistry.

It will work better as a concert piece but collectively it was all over. It was like watching a singing contest where each one will outdo the other.

However I saw Once On This Island ... and the ensemble worked as a unit. Very well done.

[Relevance81491]

Posted: 3/4/18 at 11:06am

Michael Bennett said: "“It is possible for someone to hit you. Hit you hard and not feel it at all.”


Oh yeah and it’s also 100%the spine and theme of the entire musical.

You have to look for no further proof beyond it’s cutting that the creatives on this production are misguided"

 

I agree, and O'Brien should never be allowed to direct a musical EVER again.  Fear of them trying to pull something this stupid and passive is why i didn't buy a ticket in advance.  It was a hard thing  to do because Carousel is one of my all time favorite musicals.

 

I would really like for him to do an interview explaining the choices he made so we can know what the hell he is thinking 

[ohhiccup 2]

Posted: 3/4/18 at 11:13am

Sorry if I’m wrong or it’s already been discussed but in that NYT article about reviving shows meant reviving gender stereotypes Scott Rudin said they would not be changing the show’s text apart from possibly a tweaked line to do with Henry’s ethnicity. So is cutting Julie’s line something they weren’t planning to do until the very last minute or do they think that doesn’t count as changing the show’s text?

[raddersons]

Posted: 3/4/18 at 11:45am

I thought based on the art and the casting that it would be a really different production of Carousel. Carousel requires nuance. It seems instead of nuance, they just cut stuff. Oy.

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 3/4/18 at 1:05pm

henrikegerman said: "Interesting in light of the current revival line-up that both Julie and Eliza have lines that minimize violence against women.

Eliza tells Henry "I shouldn't mind a black eye; I've had one before this."

Of course Henry never hits Eliza. He rebuffs the suggestion that he would ever strike her. And Eliza never equates being struck with a kiss like Julie and Louse do. So the moments might well be not quite comparably controversial.

But still..."

Ah, but you haven't quoted the full line from MFL, "I don't care how you treat me. I don't mind your swearing at me. I shouldn't mind a black eye: I've had one before this. But I won't be passed over." Out of context, it sounds pretty bad, but given the context, Eliza is using a drastic example to illustrate the depth of her need to be heard. The line is not a fateful submission to whatever may come, it is an assertion of strength which effectively uses rhetoric she has learned from Higgins himself.

One could say a similar thing of this cut line in Carousel, that of course it sounds awful out of context, but these lines were not written to be delivered free from context, they were written to be said by specific characters in specific situations.

[dianamorales]

Posted: 3/4/18 at 1:10pm

CurtainPullDowner said: "When Audra first played Carrie I don't remember any discussions about her race. All I remember is everyone saying how wonderful she was, how she was the best Carrie they ever saw.

I guess times have changed."

Actually, Audra often talks about how hard it was for her to play traditionally white roles like Carrie because of the amount of backlash. She's expressed her gratitude to the producers for "taking a chance" and defending her in the part. I don't mean to start an argument, but it's important to acknowledge that this isn't a new issue.

Posted: 3/4/18 at 1:10pm

R and H are the gold standard when it comes to a broadway melody, there is no disputing that. Their bookwriting skills on the other hand, vary from show to show. For me, Carousel is one of the shows where the music runs circles around the bookwriting. And unfortunately now in 2018, the bookwriting feels sexist and in light of the #METOO Movement feels out of touch with its potential audience.  This tale of a wife beating criminal who commits suicide only to be given a second change and beat the daughter he never met begs the question...why tell this story? Why now? People may disagree with me, but I believe this is the most important question one needs to ask itself when deciding to work on a revival. What is the immediate significance that this show brings to people?

Unfortunately, an Alist creative team and cast doesn't answer that in this 2018 Broadway Revival of Carousel. The brilliant director Jack O'Brien approaches the material as if it were 1945. There is not a broader sense of history or the context of what was happening in American culture at the late 19th/ early 20th century.  Songs like Soliloquy are a great opportunity to now get into the head space of an imperfect man with imperfect ideas and values of the time...unfortunately with out highlighting these the song takes on an almost irresponsible tone and puts out a questionable message at this moment in time.  What's the Use of Wond'rin doesn't help by simplifying why someone like Julie stays with and stands with this Man. Mr. O'Brien seems ok with letting the material speak for itself, but I'm not sure that's the right thing to do here. When it was written attitudes about the roles of Men and women where different. Its impossible to judge that historical context, but it is possible to put it in a perspective that modern culture can understand like the way Bart Sher has done with South Pacific and the King and I. O'brien misses that opportunity throughout the entire show. 

The cast is uniformly wonderful. Joshua Henry with his Sidney Poitier like voice and presence sings Billy Bigelow with passion and intensity and proves race matters 0 when it comes casting. One would think Miss McDonald proved that years ago but, we move slow here in America. Him being black brings nothing new to this production at the same time does nothing to effect its integrity. He's right for the role and talented enough to pull it off and of story. More interesting to me would have been to do this with entire black cast. Maybe then an exploration of a community living and responding to the times in which they live would have been explored. Jessie Mueller as Julie is wonderful as always. But the part isn't big enough for her enormous talents. They feel a bit wasted here.  The fact that the two lovers of almost no chemistry is working against them though. The major stand out for me was Lindsay Mendez in a career best as Carrie. She feels new, like the role is being reinvented. Her character actually changes over time. She breathes humor and imperfect personality into the role. It's refreshing. A tony nomination is in her future. Renee Fleming feels wrong as Nettie Fowler. Her voice is too classically trained for June is Bustin' Out All Over and  she doesn't come across as a character in the show rather a spotlight singer. Of course she shows the value of a singer of her caliber in the rightfully famous and beloved, You'll Never Walk Alone. Margaret Colin  feels too polished as Mrs. Mullin. Amar Ramasar, a wonderful dancer, is not the least bit convincing as criminal street rat Jigger Craigin. The dancing chorus is joyously expressing movement throughout the entire show.

The set by Santo Loquasto is New England by way of Broadway glitz. Think ocean backdrops with glitter to accent glistening. It gives the story a unnecessary dream like quality that plays into the storys imperfections and almost glosses over them instead of deals with them. The problem emergences again. This creative team doesnt seem to want to deal with the realities of the material. Forrest scapes feel more like they should be from Into the Woods than Carousel. Glamorous gauzy curtains move in and out of space and give the show an ethereal feel. It goes against the grain.  A giant mechanical carousel top flies in from above and unfolds on the stage for dancers to dance under....its more sci fi than sea coast. 

The costumes By Ann Roth are unfortunate looking and ill conceived. Some characters feel overdressed for their station others just look unflattering. The high waisted pirate pant and skin tight sweater that she has Billy wearing throughout is so jarring that it takes you out of lots of dramatic moments. Their is a taste issue with dress prints and finishings.  It feels dishonest, not real, not character specific. The graduation looks at the end are fantastic though.

The lighting design by Brian MacDevitt is a class act all around. Clambake and the Mainland Waterfront are masterful. The sound design by Scott Lehrer feels just right.

The choreography by Justin Peck, although graceful in all its classic ballet traditions, feels equal parts dance class experiment and like one big dance break. He misses opportunity for character with every step. It gives the show an old fashioned feel in all the wrong ways.

Honestly, I would pass on this production if you are looking for a Carousel with relevancy to 2018. I think they would have been better served to ask the R&H Estate for a revisal where a great writer could have made some smart much needed changes to the book.  Or and I hate to say it because i have tremendous respect for the Jack O'Brien and his work, a director like the great Hal Prince (What he did to Show Boat in the 90s is masterful) or Barlet Sher who would have taken a magnifying glass to the material and combined it with a historical context that is relevant to the times in which we live right now.  There is no real reason to put Carousel on Broadway without that.

 

Updated On: 3/4/18 at 01:10 PM

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 3/4/18 at 1:21pm

Nettie is written for an operatic voice and is frequently played by an opera singer. Renee Fleming is vocally perfect for the part. I don't understand why everyone keep saying otherwise. Play literally any Carousel cast album and you will hear an operatic voice sing the role. That isn't anything new.

Posted: 3/4/18 at 1:27pm

I think most of it has to do with the fact that she isnt really an actor and it honestly seems to be tripping her up a bit. It feels like her classic training is getting in the way of her just singing it. plus the sound she is creating is getting in the way of her diction. Its hard to make out the lyrics she is singing. audra has the same problem sometimes. So you are right, it is written operetta but its not working well here

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/4/18 at 1:41pm

dianamorales said: "CurtainPullDowner said: "When Audra first played Carrie I don't remember any discussions about her race. All I remember is everyone saying how wonderful she was, how she was the best Carrie they ever saw.

I guess times have changed."

Actually, Audra often talks about how hard it was for her to play traditionally white roles like Carrie because of the amount of backlash. She's expressed her gratitude to the producers for "taking a chance" and defending her in the part. I don't mean to start an argument, but it's important to acknowledge that this isn't a new issue."

Thanks for pointing that out. I need to read more of Ms. McDonald's thoughts. I just don't remember it being a big deal when that production was playing, but her insights are far more insightful than mine.

 

[massofmen]

Posted: 3/4/18 at 1:42pm

wait wait wait...you are saying that lifelong opera singers cannot act?!?!??!!? is this the first i am hearing of this?

[bk]

Posted: 3/5/18 at 12:27am

standingovation79 said: "R and H are the gold standard when it comes to a broadway melody, thereis no disputing that. Their bookwriting skills on the other hand, vary from show to show. For me, Carousel is one of the shows where the music runs circles around the bookwriting. And unfortunately now in 2018, the bookwriting feels sexist andin light of the #METOO Movement feels out of touch with its potential audience. This tale of a wife beating criminal who commits suicide only to be given a second change and beat the daughter he never met begs the question...why tell this story? Why now? People may disagree with me, but I believe this is the most important question one needs to ask itself when deciding to work on a revival. What is the immediate significance that this show brings to people?

Unfortunately, an Alist creative team and cast doesn't answer that in this2018 Broadway Revival of Carousel. The brilliant director Jack O'Brien approaches the material as if it were 1945. There is not a broader sense of history or the context of what was happening in American culture at the late 19th/ early 20th century. Songs like Soliloquy are a great opportunity to now get into the head space of an imperfect man with imperfect ideas and values of the time...unfortunately with out highlighting these the song takes on an almost irresponsible tone and puts out a questionable message at this moment in time. What's the Use of Wond'rin doesn't help by simplifying why someone like Julie stays with and stands with this Man. Mr. O'Brien seems ok with letting the material speak for itself, but I'm not sure that's the right thing to do here. When it was written attitudes about the roles of Men and women where different. Its impossible to judge that historical context, but it is possible to put it in a perspective that modern culture can understandlike the way Bart Sher has done with South Pacific and the King and I. O'brien misses that opportunity throughout the entire show.

The cast is uniformly wonderful. Joshua Henry with his Sidney Poitier like voice and presence sings Billy Bigelow with passion and intensity and proves race matters 0 when it comes casting. One would think Miss McDonald proved that years ago but, we move slow here in America. Him being black brings nothing new to this production at the same time does nothing to effect its integrity. He's right for the role and talented enough to pull it off and of story. More interesting to me would have been to do this with entire black cast. Maybe then an exploration of a community living and responding to the times in which they live would have been explored. Jessie Mueller as Julie is wonderful as always. But the part isn't big enough for her enormous talents. They feel a bit wasted here. The fact that the two lovers of almost no chemistry is working against them though. The major stand out for me was Lindsay Mendez in a career best as Carrie. She feels new, like the role is being reinvented. Her character actually changes over time. She breathes humor and imperfect personality into the role. It's refreshing. A tony nomination is in her future. Renee Fleming feels wrong as Nettie Fowler. Her voice is too classically trained for June is Bustin' Out All Over and she doesn't come across as a character in the show rather a spotlight singer. Of course she shows the value of a singer of her caliber in the rightfully famous and beloved, You'll Never Walk Alone. Margaret Colin feels too polished as Mrs. Mullin. Amar Ramasar, a wonderful dancer, is not the least bit convincing as criminal street rat Jigger Craigin. The dancing chorus is joyously expressing movement throughout the entire show.

The set by Santo Loquasto is New England by way of Broadway glitz. Think ocean backdrops with glitter to accent glistening. It gives the story a unnecessary dream like quality that plays into the storys imperfections and almost glosses over them instead of deals with them. The problem emergences again. This creative team doesnt seem to want to deal with the realities of the material. Forrest scapes feel more like they should be from Into the Woods than Carousel. Glamorous gauzy curtains move in and out of space and give the show an ethereal feel. It goes against the grain. A giant mechanical carousel top flies in from above and unfolds on the stage for dancers to dance under....its more sci fi than sea coast.

The costumes By Ann Roth are unfortunate looking and ill conceived. Some characters feel overdressed for their stationothers just look unflattering. The high waisted pirate pant and skin tight sweater that she has Billy wearing throughout is so jarring that it takes you out of lots of dramatic moments. Their is a taste issue with dress prints and finishings. It feels dishonest, not real, not character specific. The graduation looks at the end are fantastic though.

The lighting design by Brian MacDevitt is a class act all around. Clambake and the Mainland Waterfront are masterful. The sound design by Scott Lehrer feels just right.

The choreography by Justin Peck, although graceful in all its classic ballet traditions, feels equal parts dance class experiment and like one big dance break. He misses opportunity for character with every step. It gives the show an old fashioned feel in all the wrong ways.

Honestly, I would pass on this production if you are looking for a Carousel with relevancy to 2018. I think they would have been better served to ask the R&H Estate for a revisal where a great writer could have made some smart much needed changes to the book. Or and I hate to say it because i have tremendous respect for the Jack O'Brien and his work, a director like the great Hal Prince (What he did to Show Boat in the 90s is masterful) or Barlet Sher who would have taken a magnifying glass to the material and combined it with a historical context that is relevant to the times in which we live right now. There is no real reason to put Carousel on Broadway without that.

"

Why tell this story today?  So people like you can tell everyone why they shouldn't tell this story today because you simply cannot understand anything except how things are perceived today and with all due respect, that is a total bore.  Oh, and doesn't "beat" his daughter - what show did you see?  As to the rest of your long screed, well, sorry stop trying to sound like a critic because you're not.  And don't call Mr. Sher "Bart" and then misspell his name as Barlet.  And yes, just what Carousel needs, a "smart" brilliant writer to come in and save poor Oscar Hammerstein.  Just like David Henry Hwang did for Flower Drum Song and we know how that worked out and they did that for the exact same reasons you're suggesting this be done.  

This PC BS has to stop.  Carousel is a classic for a reason and we don't need to pander to people who don't seem to look beyond their current year to enjoy and understand a show.  But yes, let's just rewrite anything that doesn't scan well for 2018.  Bring in a writer to revise Lolita, let's start there, because some little darling somewhere might be triggered or made uncomfortable.  This isn't how it works, I'm afraid, and every time they try they fail.  You think the revival of Annie Get Your Gun is better than the original, with all its ridiculous show within a show stuff?  I don't.  Flower Drum Song was a travesty.  Do the show, trust the material, and the "smart" people in the audience will come along for the ride.

Whether this production does justice to Carousel of not is something else, but what you're suggesting is just plain noxious.

Updated On: 3/5/18 at 12:27 AM

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 3/5/18 at 12:29am

bk said:
"Why tell this story today? So people like you can tell everyone why they shouldn't tell this story today because you simply cannot understand anything except how things are perceived today and with all due respect, that is a total bore. Oh, and doesn't "beat" his daughter - what show did you see?"

Probably the show Carousel where the character of Billy hits his daughter Louise.  Just my guess... you know... the show we're discussing in this thread that is about a man who beats his wife and hits his daughter in a way that implies that he would beat her regularly were he alive? 

 

[BIG BALONEY]

Posted: 3/5/18 at 12:43am

Gigi was a failed revival and now this one looks like a short run. I don't know anyone who wants to put down money to see it.