Carnival at Kennedy Center — Page 2

I think that what separates Carnival! from some other dark shows is that at the end we feel that the authors want us to be happy about Paul and Lili getting together, with an implied future romantic relationship, which is very different from the end of Sweeney or Carousel. Given his treatment of her through the show, his failure to apologize for it (in fact, the last thing he does is yell at her again), and the other issues already mentioned by MichaelBennett, it's impossible for a contemporary audience to want that.

The show was revived in 1968 at City Center and it wasn't very well-received. Some critics blamed the production, which was based on the original but was way cut down, but other critics blamed the show itself.

It's possible that a brilliant production could make it work, and I'm sure the original was brilliant. But even with a brilliant production, and a Paul who is as young as possible, I think it's still is going to be tough for audiences today to buy the end, absent some rewriting. I'm generally against rewriting, but this is one show that needs it, at least at the end.

On Paul's age: Given the character's backstory, it doesn't make sense for him to be younger than 26 or 27 and even that is pushing it, while Lili should be about 17. This is a problem. In fact, Champion quite wisely cast Orbach, who was about the same age as Alberghetti, though she was clearly playing younger.

Yes, Elena is still on tour with Piazza. Erin Davie is in Grey Gardens.

Sebastian LaCause will be Marco.

The wonderful Adam Laird (who just played Jacob Yoder in the York Theater's "Plain & Fancy"...that is the young Jacob Yoder, the goofy one who was besotted by Nancy Anderson's Hilda) has also been added to the "Carnival" cast.

I too saw the original production in 1961, and then returned to see it a few more times during its Broadway run. I was always very moved by it; ofcourse I was 18 and 19 and very lovestruck during that time---the loneliness of Paul and the competition between Marco and Paul probably played into my feelings for the work.
Looking at it from an older perspective, somehow I feel that a revival wouldn't work, I'm not really sure why---maybe I think it is a little obvious now, and yet the musical had an incredible feel of honesty for 1961.
As I look back on it, I think Champion's direction had so much to do with making the piece work, he created that "dark-light" world where there were essentially no transitions between the two. With the exception of the end of Act I, the action never stopped, there were no blackouts, one scene moved easily into another. Four male dancers played roustabouts, and they moved the tents around into the different areas every time there was a scene change. Also the lighting was so evocative---all those dark blues and garish reds created that post WWII, seamy, down on its luck world of a traveling circus in Europe---I wonder if any director now could pick that up or do it as effortlessly as Champion did. Maybe that's why the love story seemed okay; the circus was a poor world, where everybody just got by and also there was a sense that they were all survivors. (maybe I'm taking this too far, but that is now my memory sees it)