Stream: Carousel
Having grown up with the 1956 film and knowing every lyric of this glorious score, I was excited at the opportunity to watch the much-acclaimed version presented by the New York Philharmonic from 2013. Having not enjoyed the National theatre production in 1992, I approached it with some trepidation. And what a fabulous evening it turned out to be! A huge orchestra instead of a smaller pit band, singers of the calibre of Kelli O’Hara and Nathan Gunn, and the seminal Agnes De Mille ballet sequence recreated by New York city Ballet stars Robert Fairchild and Tiler Peck, this version turned out to be perfect. Much like the John Wilson productions for the Proms a genuinely great musical benefits from this staged approach. The audience, not distracted by complicated scenery and set changes, is able to focus on the meaning and lyrics as well as the genius of Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein.
Based on the 1909 play ‘Liliom’ by Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnar, ‘Carousel’ opened at the Majestic theatre in New York in 1943 and marked an important development in the American musical. It is a complex story with dark undertones of wife cruelty and the redemption of love. From the majestic ‘Carousel Waltz’ to the inspirational ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, this score has more beautiful songs than the average audience can cope with. And this cast made the most of it. Kelli O’Hara has a crystal-clear voice and range; her interpretation of Julie was nuanced and low key and there was not a dry eye in the house by the finale. Nathan Gunn is a fine operatic baritone and of course the opportunity to sing the Soliloquy is on every singer’s hit list. Jessie Mueller made a really good Carrie Pipperidge, bringing a new interpretation to the role particularly in the bench scene ‘You’re a Queer One, Julie Jordan’. I loved Jason Danieley. He brought humour to the boring and pompous Mr Snow, particularly in his performance of ‘When the children are asleep’. And of course, Stephanie Blythe had the pleasure of singing the magnificent finale anthem.
What can I say about the divine Robbie Fairchild dancing with his then wife Tiler Peck? I am surprised that the conductor of the Philharmonic, Rob Fisher did not fall off his stand as Fairchild danced around his podium past the first violin. Fisher remained in complete control throughout the whole piece ensuring that the chorus and the principals were perfectly in sync.
I must confess that Gordon MacRae remains my favourite Billy Bigelow, but as a rerun this is the tops. It is available until September 8th and I urge everyone to enjoy the stream. I am ordering the DVD as soon as possible.
Available to stream for free on YouTube.
