CAROUSEL (2018) Previews- Page 16

[BwayDude2]

Posted: 3/6/18 at 11:52pm

Call_me_jorge said: "This “forced to use our imaginations” is reminding me a whole lot of Charlie...."

Theatre isn’t meant to just give you the answers straight up. I will any day take a production that challenges me to use my imagination, and be involved with the story telling. Rather than sitting back and not being challenged at all. 

[JAS]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 12:36am

APR2 says, “I don't like that fact that they have cast a tenor singing Billy which is a baritone role.”

Joshua Henry IS a baritone. In PORGY AND BESS he played Jake, which is also a baritone part.

[wssinsider]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 12:43am

The production is mediocre. That’s it, flat and mediocre.

[Lindsay is a goddess]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 12:59am

Here's the real question. If critics completely turn on this production, is it possible the nomination committee will choose to nominate only two shows for Best Revival? With only three eligible nominees, it's well within their power to do so, and it's not as if they've never done it before.

[Tigger]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 11:00am

I remember seeing the the RNT production twenty odd years ago. It had a Billy that couldn't sing and a dreadfully dull ballet in a soporific production with Quakers running around pretending to be starkeepers. . I dozed off several times. The Chicago Lyric Opera company's production starring Stephen Pasquale and Laura Osnes was glorious and probably the most definite one I have seen in fifty years of theatre-going.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 12:00pm

Can anyone speak to the view from the side orchestra outside aisles? Thanks!

[dianamorales]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 2:27pm

Am I the only one who didn't like Lindsey Mendez? I've always been a huge fan of her, but I feel like she was completely miscast. She's right for the character, but the score just doesn't fit her voice AT. ALL. I thought it was grating.

On the other end, Jessie exceeded my (pretty low) expectations.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 3:32pm

dianamorales said: "Am I the only one who didn't like Lindsey Mendez? I've always been a huge fan of her, but I feel like she was completely miscast. She's right for the character, but the score just doesn't fit her voice AT. ALL. I thought it was grating.

Yes, you ARE the only one.

 

[BCTaylor99]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 4:19pm

It's too bad that the 2015 Lyric Opera Chicago production of Carousel didn't move to NY.  It was stunning and Laura Osnes and Steven Pasquale were perfection and had plenty of chemistry.  A missed opportunity. 

Here's the Chicago Tribune review:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/reviews/ct-carousel-lyric-opera-chicago-20150412-column.html

 

[JHughesPSPB]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 4:43pm

Saw the show on Monday night.  Now I desperately want to refresh my memory of the amazing 1994 production.  Has anyone found any great clips of the Lincoln Center production?

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 5:03pm

JHughesPSPB said: "Saw the show on Monday night. Now I desperately want to refresh my memory of the amazing 1994 production. Has anyone found any great clips of the Lincoln Center production?"

Here are some clips...

The Carousel Waltz:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUVqEwsXnZ0

Mister Snow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZp8QE-4tPk

June is Bustin' Out All Over
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeG6WyVeAME

Updated On: 3/7/18 at 05:03 PM

[Tigger]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 5:10pm

BCTaylor99 said: "It's too bad that the 2015 Lyric Opera Chicago production of Carousel didn't move to NY. It was stunning and Laura Osnes and Steven Pasquale were perfection and had plenty of chemistry. A missed opportunity.

Here's the Chicago Tribune review:http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/reviews/ct-carousel-lyric-opera-chicago-20150412-column.html

I totally agree with you. The chemistry was electric between Steven Pasquale as Billy and Laura Osnes as Julie and even the chemistry between Pasquale and  Charlotte D'amboise as Mrs Mullins was raw! Jenn Gambatese as Carrie was a joy and Tony Roberts as the Starkeeper was perfection. Even Jarrod Emrick as Jigger was a revelation. Remember him as Joe Hardy in the Broadway Victor Garber-Bebe Neuwirth Damn Yankees of twenty years ago?

Why this production didn't make it to New York is beyond me.

 

[Flowerlovestage5]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 5:12pm

NJ_BroadwayGirl said: "Can anyone speak to the view from the side orchestra outside aisles? Thanks!"

I sat Orchestra E 17. The last seat on the far outer aisle. That's 7 rows back (there is an extra A row). I had a full view and missed nothing, except the house was cut off at stage left. Therefore, I only missed entrances/exits, if anything. 

Slight more action on stage right, however, the blocking allows for constant movement so it shouldn't be a proble if you're on that side.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 5:37pm

Flowerlovestage5 said: "NJ_BroadwayGirl said: "Can anyone speak to the view from the side orchestra outside aisles? Thanks!"

I sat Orchestra E 17. The last seat on the far outer aisle. That's 7 rows back (there is an extra A row). I had a full view and missed nothing, except the house was cut off at stage left. Therefore, I only missed entrances/exits, if anything.

Slight more action on stage right, however, the blocking allows for constant movement so it shouldn't be a proble if you're on that side."

Thanks so much! That's exactly the seat I am looking at. I have a ticket (a good seat) for a few weeks from now but since I've purchased the ticket I've injured my left knee and it's tough to sit for that long without stretching it. I'm hoping telecharge will let me change my seat for the same performance. Fingers crossed!

[Olivia11]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 5:44pm

OlBlueEyes said: "Olivia! What about the score? As one of the few musical lovers who had never heard it, your opinion would be of great interest.

This score is always included in discussions of musical theater’s finest. The bench scene (or at least the “If I Loved You” duet) is frequently pulled out of the show and performed in concert. On YouTube there is a full performance of the scene with set and costume by original stars John Raitt and Jan Clayton.

“Soliloquy” is also performed frequently in concert. Ol’ Blue Eyes sang it regularly and introduced it as one of the finest pieces of music ever written. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was at least at one time said to be Richard Rodgers’ favorite song. It has been recorded by Elvis and Gerry and the Pacemakers, among many.

I’ll bet you found a lot of the songs to be familiar."

Sorry for the delay in responding. With the impending storm, I ran to JFK yesterday and got out of dodge after my presentation. 

I did feel a familiarity to several, in addition to the obvious "You'll Never Walk Alone". In particular, the Carousel Waltz was both familiar and lovely. 

 
It it felt like a classic R & H score, capturing that era of American musical beautifully. I am not the aficionado that many in this board are and I admit that I am not the biggest fan of classics, but I did enjoy it. My only negative (and it's probably due to the subject matter and the fact that I was not fully engulfed in the relationship between Julie and Billy) is that it felt like long stretches without a more upbeat piece. 

Updated On: 3/7/18 at 05:44 PM

[Streganona]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 5:54pm

BCTaylor99 said: "It's too bad that the 2015 Lyric Opera Chicago production of Carousel didn't move to NY. It was stunning and Laura Osnes and Steven Pasquale were perfection and had plenty of chemistry. A missed opportunity.

Here's the Chicago Tribune review:http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/reviews/ct-carousel-lyric-opera-chicago-20150412-column.html

I think of that production of Carousel as the one that got away and have wondered why it didn't come to Broadway.  A live performance was broadcast on radio and the audio sounded wonderful.  Here are two brief  teasers: climax of Steven Pasquale's Soliloquy (which  seems staged in a way that was perhaps too distant from the audience) and the Lyric's TV commercial.   I'm rooting for the success of this current production and have been a fan of Joshua Henry's since The Scottsboro Boys and Lindsay Mendez since I saw Dogfight off Broadway.  (I was surprised by the casting of Jessie Mueller as Julie.)  But oh, I wish that I had been able to get to Chicago for Laura Osnes and Steven Pasquale as Julie and Billy.
/www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x_jh2_9CFk&index=2&list=RDNeKGTlF4sOA   Soliloquy highlight  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeKGTlF4sOA  Lyric production flashes of the production

 



"

 

[Streganona]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 8:21pm

JHughesPSPB said: "Saw the show on Monday night. Now I desperately want to refresh my memory of the amazing 1994 production. Has anyone found any great clips of the Lincoln Center production?"

Yes, but several of the clips below are of the original London production and I'm not sure if there were any changes in set/design when it transferred to Lincoln Center.   (There was at least one significant casting change and I so I had my first Audra MacDonald experience.)  As a teenaged girl, I was blown away by the Lincoln Center Carousel and Michael Hayden rang my chimes so loudly that I almost didn't notice that he couldn't sing.   

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUVqEwsXnZ0  0pening sequence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUVqEwsXnZ0   Louise's ballet  (Spoiler:  I have always been disturbed by the seduction and abandonment of Louise by the Roustabout, who resembles her father.  Sir Kenneth MacMillan's choreography is very beautiful and passionate but there are hints of violence in this interpretation.  I've watched at least half a dozen versions of the ballet and I've never been as fearful for the 15 year old Louise.  Or as concerned that the ballet foreshadows her future relationships....which makes the scene between Louise and her mother even more problematic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUVqEwsXnZ0    Porch scene (Thanks to the poster who has already  provided this link.  Joanna Riding had left before I saw the LC production.  I don't think that I've ever seen as convincing an older Julie.  I hope that Jessie Mueller is as heartbreaking  in the current production.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVdI_9qTAuo  Michael Hayden and Sally Murphy, definitely from Lincoln Center, a portion If I Loved You.   SM was my Julie and I have no memory of her performance.   I think that Laura Osnes (if she could travel back in time to the  nineties) and Michael Hayden (singing aside) might have had more chemistry.

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/17/theater/review-theater-london-makes-a-revelation-of-carousel.html?pagewanted=all  Frank Rich review of the original RNT production  http://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/25/theater/review-theater-a-carousel-for-the-90-s-full-of-grit-and-passion.html?pagewanted=all  D Richards (not familiar with him) review in NYT when it opened at LC 

 

 

 

[natashalost]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 8:34pm

I have my tickets for a day or two after opening night. Excited to see the production.

I still wish they could have cast Kelli O'Hara as Julie. She was amazing in the Live from LTC production. Jessie Mueller would have been a better Carrie IMO. Still baffled they cast Lindsay Mendez. I do not think she fits the role at all. That character is more of a Glinda than an Elphaba, like Lindsay.

I am also excited to see Justin Peck's choreography. To anyone who has seen it already; how is the choreography?

Posted: 3/7/18 at 10:13pm

Kelli is headed to the West End for the King and I, which is why I presume she didn’t do Carousel

Watching the Live from Lincoln Center version now, huge Kelli fan (on amazon prime, for those who have it)

Debating whether or not to watch it this weekend when I’m in NYC, I’ve never seen a professional production but everyone’s comments here are giving me pause.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 3/7/18 at 11:05pm

Getting out of tonight’s preview, and I am truly at a loss for words. No amount of work will salvage this emotionally void production - I’m shocked at how amateurish the entire evening plays out, save for the dancing which is excellent. Every actor is overacting to compensate for the fact they have no clue what to do on stage, and it’s not fun to watch. I don’t expect this to stick around for very long.

Hoping the best for the amazing actors caught up in this mess.

[kennin]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 12:05am

VotePeron said: "Getting out of tonight’s preview, and I am truly at a loss for words. No amount of work will salvage this emotionally void production - I’m shocked at how amateurish the entire evening plays out, save for the dancing which is excellent. Every actor is overacting to compensate for the fact they have no clue what to do on stage, and it’s not fun to watch. I don’t expect this to stick around for very long.

Hoping the best for the amazing actors caught up in this mess. "

 

I was there as well.  It was sad that such amazing talent failed to have an emotional connection with the audience.  I thought the vocals and dancing were outstanding.  Having said that, I am so glad they translated “You’ll Never Walk Alone” for Renee.  In not sure what language she was singing before that.  It sounded lovely but was not my native English tongue. I thought Jessie was miscast.  There was no reason and/or chemistry that would make her fall for Joshua.   The sets for the majority of the first act looked like an unsuccessful IKEA project and in the second act, one sand dune looked like a shark fin was buried under it.  The lack of a true carousel was a huge mistake and having the top spin while Jessie is off to the side on a stationary horse was just strange.  Jigger seemed like he was in a high school production of Good Fellas.  As stated already, there was some major overacting.  The angel appearing through the first act was like an episode of Touched by an Angel with a special guest appearance by Morgan Freeman. I thought that at times, the attempts to perform a New England accent just did not work and took away from the acting.  I think that this will hold up as a cast album better than it will as a live show.  

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 2:18am

kennin said: "I think that this will hold up as a cast album better than it will as a live show."

Except the cast album will be missing several songs.

Updated On: 3/8/18 at 02:18 AM

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 5:27am

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/07/arts/music/renee-fleming-kelli-ohara-carousel-mozart.html

A conversation between Renee Fleming and Kelli O'Hara on 'swapping' genres. 

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 7:37am

I doubt this cast recording will be missing any songs. With this cast and orchestra, I'm sure they're aware that they could be a serious Grammy contender and could possibly create the definitive recording of Carousel. Too bad though that the production is so lackluster.

[rjm516]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 9:15am

Do those of you who have seen it still think it is worth seeing? I have room for two more shows in May (already seeing My Fair Lady) and thought this would be the next most important show to see...but it sounds like I might be better off seeing Frozen or Mean Girls! Never would have expected that. Thoughts? Should I still give it a chance?