CAROUSEL (2018) Previews — Page 28

We saw Carousel Saturday evening. To be fair, we saw Hello, Dolly! that afternoon and My Fair Lady Sunday so it was wrapped in revival brilliance.

I kinda hated this production. If you go into it as a concert experience, it’s very good. Fantastic orchestration, beautiful voices. Choreography is also delightful, and well executed.

However, I only had any feeling of any emotion from two characters: Fleming and Gemignani’s Nettie and Enoch.

I am a huge Jessie Mueller fan, I really love her. But there is zero emotion, chemistry or connection between her and Henry’s Billy. Like, complete strangers reading lines. Henry’s Billy irked me, but I can’t pinpoint why. He stomped around like a robot more than a troubled man, to me.

We went with friends who had no idea why the Starkeeper was doing or what role he served. At intermission they thought he was a Billy’s positive alter ego.

Mendez steals this show. Her performance was really great.

The set frankly sucked. No carousel - screw that. The costumes reminded me of The Cherry Orchard’s. In fact, the directing did as well.

If you go to this as a concert, enjoy. Man, I sound bitter about 5his show. The more I think about it the angrier I get.

BJR said: "27 pages in and I keep looking for report on changes. Are they doing any work on this during such a long preview period? This has to be priced around the teens of millions and I can't imagine Rudin is happy with bad word of mouth..."

The positive reviews have picked up a bit, to the point where I'd call it mixed feedback. I'm now officially withholding judgment until reviews come out on April 12.

orlikethecolorpurple said: "Has anyone been seated in the partial view seats in the front row? I don't understand how the highlighted seat in the front row is considered partial, but the available seats all the way to the left in row b are not.


I can’t speak for this theater, but I’m pretty sure those seats are waaaaay off to the side, which cuts off a chunk of the stage. A lot of theaters have this problem, I experience that at the Broadway.

I finally got to see CAROUSEL for myself last night. The production seems to have ironed out some of its more ridiculous elements, but enough head-scratching moments remain to make me realize that the entire production is ill-conceived and that the production team, led by producer Scott Rudin and director Jack O’Brien have no idea what CAROUSEL is or how it should be mounted. A Danced “Carousel Waltz” beginning in heaven with the Star Keeper and Billy?? So are we to assume Billy is already dead? That was one of the most soundly codndemned revisions done to the libretto when the film was made in 1956! Why? Why? Why? The Star Keeper—whose very presence wandering in randomly throughout the evening—is ludicrous because he’s not supposed to BE there! The shock after Billy’s suicide is that suddenly this grim story becomes a grim fantasy! Having a ghostly (unexplained) being appear gives a fantasy element undreamed of by Rodgers and Hammerstein—then again, what did THEY know?

The direction—what little there is—actually starts to make the story less effective: moment after moment refuses to land. There’s no emotion at ALL on the stage. None. There ARE lots of characters standing around, listless. Important events like Billy’s suicide are so poorly staged I wonder how a viewer new to the show even understands what’s going on! And let us talk of the hack job done to act two. That the Rodgers and Hammerstein organization allowed such a desecration to their intellectual property is astounding to me: besides the two cut songs, HUGE chunks of book are TORN from the script, muddying the motives of characters and cheapening a strong story.

We were told by Rudin and O’Brien that they would face the Billy/Julie issue head on: they lied. Unless their idea of facing the issue is by removing Julie’s response to Louise’s troubling question. Igroing the issue isn’t the same as facing it. And guess what? If they trusted the material and trusted Jessie Mueller, they would’ve been fine. Mueller gives such a nuanced reading of Julie I was dying to hear how she would have acted the scene with Louise if they had allowed her.

And now, the cast. As I mentioned, Mueller is a fascinating presence, and she has that “otherness” that a good Julie needs—but she’s given nothing to work with! Joshua Henry plays Billy as a one-note bully: there’s zero charm and charisma, just an angry, self-defensive boor. When Julie tells Carrie that Billy can be gentle, too, how are we supposed to believe her? This man is presented as a brute! Mendez creates a delightful, off-beat Carrie and pretty much walks off with the show. Renee Fleming (who went up on her lyrics badly in “June&rdquo can’t really do much more than be aympathetic, but she looks gorgeous and sings without most of her operatic mannerisms, but I’m none-too-happy they have her repeat part of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and give her a duet section during “What’s the Use of Wond’rin’?” that is entirely unnecessary.

Musically, the production is on firmer ground: the score is treated fairly well and it’s well sung. I also thought much of the dancing and choreography were thrilling. The audience seemed to love it, but I’m sorry that they’re loving THIS version and not Rodgers and Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL.

Updated On: 3/28/18 at 09:26 AM

I, too, am very much surprised the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization allowed those songs to be cut.

I went into this not being familiar with the show at all, aside from the fact it's part of the R&H canon. I saw this last night and I'm going to give this a 6.5/10.

The Positive:

- Right out of the gate, I could see this being the frontrunner and likely winner for the Tony for Best Choreography. Everyone just exuded emotion through their movement and that probably is hands-down the hardest ensemble on Broadway.

- Joshua Henry has a voice for the GODS. His "Soliloquy" blew the roof off of the theatre. Additionally, I was very much worried about Renee Fleming after seeing her last Broadway outing (which was essentially a parody of herself - but still a bit cringey), but she also SANG. Her "You'll Never Walk Alone" left many of the people around me in tears.

- The supporting cast is also incredibly solid, with Margaret Colin, Linsday Mendez, and Alexander Gemignani making the most of their roles. John Douglas Thompson as the Starkeeper was also fantastic, but his whole aesthetic was giving me Morgan Freeman in "Bruce Almighty" vibes...

The Negative:

- The latter half of the second act really bugged the crap out of me. I understand the whole "last chance at redemption" theme, but after showing me the daughter's beautiful, tragic, and florid ballet sequence lasting about 10 minutes, Billy mumbles a few words to his daughter at her graduation and fixes everything. It's all too "deus ex machina" for me and the rushed feeling of the ending cheapened the impact.

- The choreography does threaten to overwhelm at times. Though I have nothing but strong praise, the sheer volume of it can fatigue you a little.

- Jessie Mueller should have been a slam dunk for the casting team, and she made the most of what she was given (she looks and sounds beautiful), but it was clear the director and production team left her out to sea. I haven't seen such a waste of prime talent since Ramin Karimloo in ANASTASIA.

OVERALL: It looks and sounds beautiful, and the cast is top-notch, but the slow start and uneven pacing throughout keeps it from being a total knock-out revival.

STAGE DOOR: It was lightly raining, but Joshua Henry, Renee Fleming, Lindsay Mendez, and Brittany Pollack all came out, signed, and took pictures upon request. Margaret Colin and John Douglas Thompson also came out, but signed for only a few people by the door. There were about 50-60 people in total.

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "quizking101 said: "Jessie Mueller should have been a slam dunk for the casting team, and she made the most of what she was given (she looks and sounds beautiful),but it was clear the director and production team left her out to sea. I haven't seen such a waste of prime talent since Ramin Karimloo in ANASTASIA."

I personally wish Jessie was still playing Carrie Pipperidge, where I thought she was perfection in the New York Philharmonic's production."

Jessie as Carrie and Laura Osnes as Julie, bring it on.

quizking101 said: "I haven't seen such a waste of prime talent since Ramin Karimloo in ANASTASIA."

Elegance101 said: "I doubt Jessie would accept a supporting role at this point in her career, though."

I'm sure she still wouldn't mind taking on supporting roles, just as long as it's a great role.

I've always read these boards to see what people say about seating and how they feel about shows and all that. I made an account today just because I really wanted to add my two cents about this production. I saw it last night. The way I see it: this is a GOOD production of a VERY GOOD musical. I was skeptical of it going in as I heard many mixed comments. However, it was very enjoyable and the majority of the audience seemed to adore it.

Joshua Henry's performance is fantastic and is clearly the star of this production. Jessie Mueller I felt mixed about. She wasn't given a lot to work with, but her voice sounded wonderful and her tender moments with Billy were beautiful (I did think they had good chemistry for the most part). Renee Fleming was all people talked about before the show. She seems to be the main reason people are coming. I thought she was good. However, she sadly looked a bit lost and out of her element on stage. This didn't take away from her stunning vocals, but the contrast of her operatic tone and her speaking voice was so distinct that it was distracting at times when she spoke. But I have to say the highlight of the show was her forgetting her words in "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" and having the conductor say them to her to get get her back into the song. Lindsay Mendez stole the show and had me cracking up from start to finish. Her "you're better off" moment was excellent.

The show has seemed to have gone through a lot of changes since the start of previews. The angel wings at the end are no longer used (thank goodness) and before the doors opened I heard the house manager saying to some of the front of house workers that they are "trying to trim it down a few extra minutes". Act 1 ended after "Soliloquy" instead of having a reprise of "June" as the program listed. The cutting of multiple sections in songs was a bit upsetting as someone who loves this score, but I tried to not let it bother me and to look at it with fresh eyes.

The direction felt a bit awkward. There was either too much happening at once or not enough. The Starkeeper walking around in Act 1 felt weird and it seemed like only 1/3 of the audience understood what was really happening. Peck's choreography is absolutely breathtaking and deserves that Tony. The sets were fine for the most part, but the costumes seemed a bit too flashy in some scenes.

Overall, it's a fine production of an exceptional piece that deserved better. The singing and dancing are worth seeing if you get the chance. I hope the creative team continues to make changes to the blocking and direction in the next two weeks of previews.

Updated On: 3/28/18 at 02:23 PM

It's very very difficult to imagine Act I ending with "Soliloquy," as there is a five-page finale after that in the score, incorporating the scene between Billy, Jigger, and Julie, when Julie discovers that Billy is coming to clam bake, as opposed to what she had been led to believe, and Jigger instructs him to get a knife, which he hides from Julie. Not that it's the be-all and end-all of the show, but it is a rather significant scene.