CAROUSEL on Live At Lincoln Center Tonight at 9PM!! — Page 8

Ray, I agree with you. I finally watched it, and Gunn can't act. There is nothing at risk for his character. No danger in his behavior ever. His choices are all safe, his singing is BIG but calculated. Nothing feels spontaneous. It all falls flat.

He ruined it for me. His Soliloquy was boring.

Kelli was fine, considering she was acting opposite a brick. Chemistry was never possible between them, despite her efforts and talent.

The real standouts were Jessie Mueller and Jason Danieley, unfortunately the show really isn't about them.

I think Jessie has a big future. She can act, sing like an angel, and has wonderful "star quality" presence on stage. She's also very photogenic with a unique look. I hope she gets a big break soon.

EDIT: One thing was telling, during the intermission interviews, when Gunn said, "I have to say, slipping into this role really wasn't all that difficult."

That says it all to me. He has no idea what he's doing here and his "comfort" in the role was sadly apparent.

Billy should never be a "comfortable" role for anybody to play or to watch.

---

Updated On: 5/2/13 at 09:14 PM

Gaveston-I'm pretty sure we had this convo before, but no Michael Hayden wasn't knocked for being too young. He was knocked by not having a strong enough voice, but what critics agreed upon was that his youth and charm made a strong argument for Billy's complication.

And no, there is no moment in the script that states precisely how young or old these characters are. It's essentially what works best for you, as an audience member. For me, I find that Billy is not someone in his mid 20's nor in his late 30's. Early 20's makes him essentially a child in a modern audience's eyes, but late 30's makes him a completely irredeemable bum. It's that middle ground of about 28-33, where Billy still has a touch of youthfulness to him that we understand his desire to maintain a life of no responsibility, but can see that he's coming to an age where he has to be dependable. The whole middle of the show, from "June is Bustin' Out All Over" to "You'll Never Walk Alone" is Billy trying to transition (poorly) into that role.

And yes, I do find Jackman too old and, despite him being Australian, too All American looking for the role. Billy shouldn't look like an aged high school quarterback. He's handsome and sexy, but not in a wholesome way. Singing aside, I could see someone like Ryan Gosling in the role. He has the edge to make him a little dangerous, but the vulnerability to make him completely fall apart when Julie tells him she's pregnant or during the robbery.

The biggest key to playing Billy is that post "If I Loved You," the actor should never be sure of anything he says or does. Billy's flailing as he goes, grasping at just about anything and turning on a dime.

---

"Singing aside, I could see someone like Ryan Gosling in the role. He has the edge to make him a little dangerous, but the vulnerability to make him completely fall apart when Julie tells him she's pregnant or during the robbery."


He could play Billy and Julie

Speaking of the Becnh Scene, for anyone who hasn't seen, it was recreated with the original leads nine years later for the General Mills R&H special (which is great, if you can find it in its entirety) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpzVKAdCI9A

And here's Soliloquy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKCUapUEFkY

>> I think Jessie has a big future. She can act, sing like an angel, and has wonderful "star quality" presence on stage. She's also very photogenic with a unique look. I hope she gets a big break soon."

Funnily enough, she replaced Kelli O'Hara in Nice Work If You Can Get It just a few weeks (like two, maybe) before they both appeared in Carousel. So, both she and O'Hara were in the midst of opening in new projects (O'Hara had begun rehearsals for Far From Heaven, which will open a few days from now) whilst doing Carousel.

Updated On: 5/3/13 at 03:49 PM

Gaveston: you're right. We did not have this conversation. I swore we had back when this production was announced and so I checked and indeed it was the OTHER Gaveston (Gaveston2) that I spoke with this on. My apologies.

In terms of looks, I'm referring less to what is period specific and more to what is effective for me as an audience member. I like my Billy's to be rough around the edges. A pretty boy that's been toughened a bit from hardship.

Also in terms of age, my disagreement is more that IF Billy is in his 30's , it's his early 30's at most. Not mid or late 30's. that's just what works for me. I find Billy more worthy of empathy or understanding if he's a young man straining to find his place in the world. Not a grown man choosing to act immature (which is how Billy has come off to me whenever I've seen an older actor in the role, though that could be from the actor's limitations and not his age).

---

Unfortunately, the video is already offline even though it wasn't supposed to expire until tomorrow!

It's hard to envision anything as superior to the absolutely perfect Reprise! production I saw in Los Angeles a few years ago. I'm a picky mofo, and was completely mesmerized by that production at the Freud Playhouse.

It was a semi-concert styled production, with the orchestra partially visible behind the action, spare but imaginative scenery and direction, suggestive lighting, simple costume designs it seemed at first but the way they completed each character was anything but, and a revolve was an appropriate touch that aided the overture beautifully, much as in the mid-90s Broadway revival, but with less glitz.

I was ill at the time and only got to see it once. I really wish I could have seen it at least a second time. I should have had them wheel me in!

---

I was there that night and had a rather ugly experience. I thought that I would try a side box and picked one on the left side that cost about $100. The show was staged so far to stage right that myself and the other people in the box could not even see the bench in the bench scene. We couldn't see two thirds of the whole show.

Complaining the next morning, I was told that it was a mistake that they had made but they did not offer a refund. I never actually got to see the show until the DVD was released.. (It is available on Amazon for $12.)

Taking the performance as a one night concert version, it was enjoyable hearing the great score sung by such talented voices. As for the non-concert part of it, I just could not convince myself, watching the bench scene, that Kelli was Julie Jordan, a quiet, forlorn little mouse at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. Kelli was not just too old, but her body language was too confident and her eyes too intelligent. Probably over time she could have fit into the Julie role better.

If you have never seen this priceless clip, for a 1954 television show dedicated to Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jan Clayton and John Raitt recreate the whole bench scene with costume and set. They are introduced by Mary Martin.

John Raitt and Jan Clayton perform the bench scene for a 1954 television show.

I subscribed to BroadwayHD yesterday and watched this performance last night. I actually cried to hear Kelli and Jessie’s beautiful voices both together and separately. I think the stage was way overcrowded but they managed to showcase the smaller scenes pretty well. The clambake was a little overwhelming and just like the revival, I was bothered by Billy's body just laying on the stage for such a long time. Must be a personal thing with me.
Next up for me will be The King and I. I hope that I can pick up more of Kens dialogue than I did when I saw it at Lincoln Center.

---