• Carousel, 7/17/18 (Tues), Broadway

I hadn’t initially intended to see this production of Carousel. The show is notoriously tricky to get right, and the last Broadway production, an import from London, set an extremely high standard. The typical British approach of darkening the material, which sank Oklahoma!, Oliver and Mary Poppins among others, worked spectacularly for this already dark show in what is still one of the best revivals I’ve ever seen. Beyond that inevitable comparison, this new production was further burdened by feminist complaints in these more enlightened times, not entirely unjustified, over the lead’s penchant for smacking his wife, making me suspect that the director would hold back from some of the show’s unpleasantries. But the word was generally good, including a rave by a good friend. So, when I ended up here after all, just five minutes before curtain (other shows were sold out), I went in with reasonably high expectations.

Those expectations were dashed in the first minutes. The show opens famously not with an overture but with a musical prelude staged, like the opening of West Side Story a decade later, to set up the story in dance rather than dialogue. That was left in this production in the hands of New York City Ballet’s Justin Peck. Unfortunately, the staging was heavy on the abstract, light on the story-telling, and proved incoherent (what’s with that ridiculous miming by Billy?). Matters did not improve with the important second act ballet showing us the daughter’s difficult life, making me wonder if the choreographer knew what the show was supposed to be saying. Dance bears a heavy burden in this show since it has to drive the story at key points, but Peck seemed more interested in the aesthetics than the plot or characters. It was a big disappointment from that perspective despite the phenomenal talent on stage (the dancing itself was superb). On the other hand, the muscular “Blow High Blow Low”, with no narrative burden, was tremendous, especially with these dancers. So maybe the problem was director Jack O’Brian, who should have kept a firmer hand.

O’Brian’s direction overall was variable. Large group scenes like the clambake were well handled, but smaller scenes like the bungled robbery less so, with a sense that the director was trying too hard. One big irritant was the insertion of the star keeper as a silent observer in numerous scenes, which is beating us over the head with it. And what were those accents?? It’s presumably Maine-speak, but it sounded artificial from most of these actors, i.e. “Mah boeh Bill…” We don’t need that much realism.

Joshua Henry as Billy, seen apparently as the show’s top star (he’s the sole face on the Playbill cover), was an awesome singer but tended to overact with exaggerated facial expressions and gestures, suggesting that he did not trust the material. That particularly damaged his “Soliloquy”, which doesn’t need the histrionics (and I wish he had attempted the high note). He gave the impression of acting rather than inhabiting the role. (His casting had attracted some criticism that it would present a black guy slapping a white woman. Presumably he’s supposed to be a white character here, but I guess the optics weren’t good. He can’t win either way. That still doesn’t excuse the bad acting.)

In contrast, Jessie Mueller as Julie was stupendous in a spontaneous and moving performance. I had only known her from more pop-oriented shows like Beautiful and Waitress and had no idea she could sing at this level, much less in such an utterly effortless manner. She exuded a calm confidence that made us believe that her forgiveness for Billy came from strength rather than weakness, a beautiful expression of the show’s theme of the redemptive power of love. She was the lynchpin of the show, perfect in every way.

Amar Ramasar, a member of the New York City Ballet, was also fantastic as Jigger. Aside from his jaw-dropping dancing, his singing was unexpectedly good, a natural outgrowth of his voice, and his acting was artless. He was also the only one in the cast who spoke without a silly accent. He seemed extremely comfortable on stage. Billy could learn a thing or two. (I recalled the equally fantastic Robert Fairchild in An American in Paris – is the ballet world hiding more gems from us?)

Alexander Gemignani as Mr. Snow was easily the best of the rest with a pure crystal-clear voice, the finest Snow I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t as taken with Lindsay Mendez, who somehow won a Tony as Carrie – but that voice! Her duets with Mr. Snow were as good as it gets. Margaret Colin did great work in the non-singing role of Mrs. Mullin. Renee Fleming was overly operatic on “June” (and swallowed some words), but she delivered big-time in a thrilling “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. A recording of this show is a must.

The set gave the impression that the producers were looking to save money, with only occasional interesting touches like the carousel appearing from the ceiling in the opening number. The final set was disappointing – shouldn’t the star keeper be up in heaven rather than wandering on ground level? I would have loved some Takarazuka stairs here. Costumes on some dancers were curious – fantasy is clearly not this person’s forte – but overall nicely in period. The director even managed in two sequences to get the shirts off some guys, including the lead, in a 21st-century touch.

Overall, this version was supremely well sung, and with music of this caliber, that forgives a lot. I am glad they included the “Highest Judge of All” (which Henry sang thrillingly), and the dance music was wonderfully arranged. Still some cast members, starting with the lead, need to relax, and the direction was underwhelming. Where the Hytner production was a genuine rediscovery, this one is merely competent. A wasted opportunity.