CAROUSEL (2018) Previews — Page 22

Jarethan said: "Schmuli said: "In light of the varied comments posted on this message board, I decided to see show other night for 2nd time. My observations follow. 1) Star-keeper seems out of sort, randomly appearing throughout play, without any real rhyme or reason. I’d definitely scrap/re-work this bit as it’s simply not working. 2) would be nice if investors/Director could use better prop, as in an actual small scale working Carousel. It’d be great visual and enhance audience experience, 3) chemistry between Billy and Julie is totally fine. They are each world class performers. All the “critics” on this board need to understand that the material is restrictive and only permits so much chemistry-building, 4) Choreography and actual Ballet in Louise’s Act Two scene is world class——> she is elegance personified, 5) Yes, play is somewhat dated but topics of spousal/child abuse are unfortunately as relevant today as ever. Play forces audience to squirm a bit and confront the fact that it’s still out there today often hidden from the public eye, and 6) singing by all is outstanding, particularly Messrs Henry and Snow and Ms Mendez and Ms Fleming. All in all, it’s fantastic to see R&H’s favorite work brought back to life. There’s still a month before it’s official opening and with some minor tweaks, this revival should be a big success. Go see it. It’s well worth it."

In what parallel universe is Carousel the most loved of R&H musicals???? I have assumed that you are a shill (SIC) for the show, based on some of your comments and the date you joined this board. You need to tone it down, though.


Uhh, Jarethan, dude, if anyone needs to "tone it down", I'd say it's you, dear. Relax! As others have pointed out, Schmuli clearly said that Carousel is R+H's favorite work --- which according to numerous sources, it was. Also, I fail to see how your personal opinions of any of their shows is relevant to the discussion at hand??

i'm seeing first row partial view seats for $59 on telecharge, how bad are they??

ampi2 said: "i'm seeing first row partial view seats for $59 on telecharge, how bad are they??"

Honestly, the less you can see of this production, the better.

Schmuli said: "Jarenthan-
If you are going to disagree, that’s healthy and totally ok...but at least don’t distort/misquote the words used. Who wrote “most loved”? That was you...not me.

The word I used was “favorite” work and the source is Wikipedia. (Whether you consider that source credible or not is up to you). Per Wikipedia: “Richard Rodgers later wrote that Carousel was his FAVORITE of all his musicals.”

Sorry you had the need to aggressively lash out. You remind me of a guy who once had a job working the carousel as a barker."

My bad, I misread. There is a tendency to hyperbole by some posters and I misread your comment. I actually find it interesting that it was their favorite show, since I have always found it to be intermittently goosebumps or just plain boring, depending on the material presented at the time. My apologies.

Is this normal for a revival? To make so many cuts/ revisions ?

And I would argue that, since Hammerstein knew what he was writing about, cutting it in an attempt to run away from its subject matter make it feel MORE ill-fitted to the moment.

Updated On: 3/15/18 at 01:13 AM

"In any event, by the end of the death scene we have been shown that the two genuinely care for each other."

It can easily be argued that many abusive men do "care for" their wives; that doesn't meant that every time they say "I'm sorry," they've reached some sort of ultimate redemption, and are ready to ascend to heaven. In this regard, we see Carousel (and Liliom) as a triumph of cheap sentiment over intelligence.

Edit - actually, Liliom isn't as cheaply sentimental; in that play, Liliom gets no redemption, as the play ends shortly after he slaps his daughter's hand, and he is taken back to purgatory. The last line is Julie's to Louise (Hammerstein didn't change those names): "It is possible, dear—that someone may beat you and beat you and beat you,—and not hurt you at all." Liliom has no happy ending.

Updated On: 3/15/18 at 07:52 AM

This discussion is making me think back to my high school's 2006 production, and all the off-color parody lyrics we circulated backstage. Some of them you couldn't get away with today ("This Was a Real Nice Gang-Bang", and some are dated ("Stonecutters cut it on stone/emo kids cut it on wrists" in a discussion about which musical genre attracts the most girls- the conclusion of the song revealed that the only foolproof way to woo women was with John Mayer).

But a few of the jokes still land (you have to remember "The Matrix" enough to get "His name is Mr. Smith/and a few hundred men is he", especially the extended "dirty version" of "Blow High, Blow Low" that seemed to accumulate new verses every other day. That wasn't my best work, too much of an easy target; I much preferred "Pump High, Pump Low," the protest version criticizing the director's then-controversial policy that anyone who wanted to be in the show had to either get a personal trainer or enroll in an after-school "weightlifting and physical conditioning" program. But once again, too topical to play today.

bwayphreak234 said: "ampi2 said: "i'm seeing first row partial view seats for $59 on telecharge, how bad are they??"

Honestly, the less you can see of this production, the better."

Thanks for this. I shall get the $59 seat.

Bring on a medium, and we can talk to him.

ampi2 said: "i'm seeing first row partial view seats for $59 on telecharge, how bad are they??"



I sat stage left and they were not bad. There wasn't anything in the action that was missed. You are inches from the stage and you can see into the wings quite a bit, so if that is distracting to you perhaps stay away. I love that kind of stuff, though. And being able to see facial expressions, costume details, etc., is something I enjoy.