Carousel Review
Venue: Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park. Directions.
Dates: until 25 September
Johan Persson
OUR VERDICT:
Rarely have a musical’s lyrics appeared more apt:
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown…
Post-pandemic, the press night heralding the welcome return of the Open-Air Theatre took place on a very wet and unseasonably chilly night, yet little could dampen the spirits of either cast or appreciative audience.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s intensely romantic musical, which first appeared in 1945, has been thoughtfully reimagined for a contemporary audience, its New England setting now becoming that of a coastal Northern town in England.
Under the musical direction of Tom Deering, Carousel’s sublimely lush string score also shifts gear to a different, cleaner sound, its fresh focus emphasized by the brass band which opens the show.
I have to admit missing the richness of the original but can see what Deering is trying to do with a stripped-back sound that reflects the different emphases of this production.
Johan Persson
The casual domestic violence embodied by the character of Billy Bigelow has always been uncomfortable viewing; the subject’s topicality is highlighted by the recent spike of domestic abuse cases reported during the lockdowns.
Director Timothy Sheader does not shy away from confronting this territory directly and, unusually, does not give Bigelow the sense of redemption at the show’s finale kindly bestowed in the original, instead focusing anew on his daughter Louise and the rays of hope that may brighten her future if she can stand independent of her parents’ foibles.
There’s a lot to enjoy in Sheader’s stylish production, vividly staged on a round wooden turntable that gives fluidity to the action and also reflects the carousel of the title.
Drew McOnie’s vibrant, ebullient choreography is one of its chief delights as it vividly recreates the tough lives of these coastal folk, often scraping a living like Julie Jordan’s millworker or Bigelow’s cavalier fairground barker.
Yet these are folk always able to grab the moment and celebrate, often bawdily, as espoused in the joyous June is Bustin’ Out All Over, gorgeously performed by Joanna Riding, herself a memorable Julie Jordan in the National’s stellar 1992 production and now playing the sage Nettie Fowler.
As Billy and Julie Declan Bennett and Carly Bawden are good but their relationship doesn’t always carry quite enough conviction; the beautiful duet If I Loved You should instinctively move one but didn’t achieve this; Bennett’s Soliloquy though in which he wonders about the possibility of having a son- or daughter, though not that powerful vocally hits just the right note of conviction dramatically.
Christina Modestou is fantastic as Julie’s friend, the vivacious Carrie Pipperidge, her steady relationship with the rather uptight Mr. Snow forming a counterpoint to Billy and Julie’s volatile romance and, making her debut, Natasha May-Thomas convinces as the conflicted teenage Louise.
Carousel offers a rich, compassionate view of humanity and in many ways is the perfect show for our post-pandemic times, with its lyrical emphasis on finding glimmers of hope in the wake of adversity.
It was Richard Rodgers’ own favourite from amongst his works with Hammerstein, saying it had a special place in his heart because “the whole subject matter cuts deeper. I feel it has more to say about human relationships and think it’s the best score we’d ever written.”
Voted musical of the 20th century by Time magazine in 1999 it still retains its power today, whether streamlined with modern emphasis ( as in this production) or seen in more classically opulent form, a gorgeous, resilient show of great power and innate warmth.
