Stage Door: Joshua Henry Wows in "Carousel"
Wednesday, May 9, 2018 at 11:00PM by Nathaniel R
"So that's why 'Carousel' is rarely revived... got it!"
Dear reader, I have a confession to make. I had never seen the golden age Rodgers & Hammerstein musical "Carousel" performed before this week. Nor had I ever seen the now rarely discussed film version Carousel (1956), starring Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae. So when I sat down in Broadway's Imperial Theater for the 11-time Tony nominated revival, I really had no idea what to expect...
That's not quite right. I did know that it involved a carousel barker named Billy Bigelow (Joshua Henry) and I was familiar with at least half of the heavenly score.
Joshua Henry is commanding and that voice giant and beautiful in "Carousel"
The musical birthed classic songs like "You'll Never Walk Alone," "If I Loved You," and "Soliloquoy." The latter song is a personal favorite of mine in the annals of Songs as Storytelling. The kind of song I like to reference when I'm arguing why musicals often don't need their dialogue.
And I'm pleased, even ecstatically so in the moment, to report that the cast across the board is doing incredible legit justice to the score. Both famed opera star Renée Fleming and Tony-winner Jessie Mueller as the female lead Julie Jordan sound incredible. That's no surprise in either case. Among the female cast, Lindsay Mendez stole my heart most with an incredibly funny salt-of-the-earth but head-sometimes-in-the-clouds turn as Carrie Pipperidge. All three were Tony nominated.
But the show's inarguable MVP is Joshua Henry in the marquee role. I'd only seen Henry once before in "Violet" with Sutton Foster here he was also Tony-nominated but he's on a whole new level this time. "Soliloquoy," is totally arresting. The song is a great challenge for any actor/singer/leading man. You need major pipes but also acting craft since it contains not one character arc but sorta two, since you 'flip it and reverse it' halfway through the song with a whole new slant to the character arc as you do it again. God what a song that is! And it's fascinating from a gender politics perspective, too, as Bigelow fantasizes about his unborn son... or is it his unborn daughter?
Despite the big booming voice, romantic songs, and one shirtless scene that caused a few people right behind me to audibly gasp (yes, Joshua Henry's torso is, shall we say, perfect, sculptural, unreal, etcetera) Bigelow isn't a likeable protagonist. He's short-tempered, he hits his wife, he's morally compromised, but Henry imbues his numbers with enough real passion, poorly-veiled regret and humanizing self doubt to make you more angry with him for not being a better man than for the sins themselves. It's quite a feat even if the musical goes completely off the rails halfway through the second act due to its alarming plot and supernatural corniness. Once heaven and purgatory and suicide and all sorts of mystical gobbledygook enter the otherwise semi-traditional plot about working class lovers and marrying down and up, it's all downhill. The dumbfounding finale is especially hard to take seriously.
But what beauty until you get there! Aside from a strange tendency to do almost everything far stage-right (I possibly only noticed this because I was sitting in a box on that side so half of the numbers were semi-obscured), this is a beautifully produced show with two standout elements beyond the singing: the Tony-worthy choreography by Justin Peck and beautifully textured and colorful costumes from Oscar winner Ann Roth (I want every sweater and tank that any man in the show wore).
If you can watch dated musicals and forgive them their problematic books, you'll probably love this gloriously sung revival! As exit music, here's a few renditions of the main love song "If I Loved You" with the film musical's stars, plus Kelli O' Hara and Hugh Jackman.
Reader Comments (13)
Lovely review. I hate to be that person but I have to stand up for musical book writers. Did you mean you argue that musicals often don’t need their dialogue?. A sung through show still has a book. It is the structure, the foundation, the storytelling that supports the songs even if there’s no dialogue. (There are credited book writers for les miz, etc.) Even if there are no lines spoken, someone has written a structure. The work is often unsung (ha) but it is vital and takes immense skill.
Tom _yes, I guess that's what I mean. And bad musicals generally don't get that the songs ARE the storytelling so there is a lot of uncessary plot in the dialogue and then "song breaks"
I sometimes read about the history of American stage musicals.
In the Fred Astaire/ George and Ira Gershwin collaborations (often with PG Wodehouse and Guy Bolton), they would often re-use songs from previous collaborations in a new show, as well as having new songs.
After all, why should a great song languish in a minor production? Sometimes it was the only good part of a show that didn't quite work.
Of course, Fred Astaire and George Gershwin had been friends since they were teenagers, Fred struggling to improve his vaudeville show with his sister with better songs, and George demonstrating songs for sale on the store piano in the music store. So they felt strongly about creating, finding, saving, and using good music.
I would imagine the Rodgers and Hammerstein estate is very strict about keeping its properties intact. But why oh why can't they choose some authorized artists to rework the Carousel music into a new musical with a new book and a new story? They could even re-use some songs from the lesser performed R&H canon (ie the flops).
Modern audiences exiting Carousel have feelings ranging from unsettled to furious, due to the hidebound insistence on sticking to its lousy-in-every-era story. (The play it was based on was a stinker, even when it was new). Audiences feel the great music (and the actors) are diminished by the story and characters.
This was also the first time I had ever seen Carousel (although I've heard the music plenty), and I fell in love... with the score and the performers and the choreography and the design, if not quite with the show itself. This is perhaps the quintessential "book problems" show (although I'm not sure if the cuts they apparently made for this version help or not), because the lead actors really need incredible chemistry to sell the love story. Thankfully, Jessie Mueller and Joshua Henry have that in spades (that kiss is one of the hottest things I've ever seen on stage), and while he gives a more forcefully angry performance than is really necessary, that Soliloquy is the best I've ever heard. His voice is incredible, but the range of emotions is what provides the real wow factor. (Also, GOOD LORD but no one has ever looked as good in a sweater than Joshua Henry does in this)
And God bless Lindsay Mendez. She's my pick for the Tony win in that category. So much personality, and wonderfully surprising humor.
The choreography is the real star here, though. Stunning on every level. If Justin Peck doesn't win the Tony, I'll be PISSED.
These are some of R&H's best songs. If I Loved You is a perfect song. I've only seen the movie, and despite it's faults, there's something about this mysterious story that really hits hard. This cast is a powerhouse. I need to go to NYC now. LOL
How was Ricky Ubeda?
The choreography in the movie's "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" sequence is truly, truly stunning.
The songs are gorgeous but man, they are just not supported by the book. Their whole romance just does not work. I was actively rooting for Julie NOT to get together with him. I just didn't buy their whole trajectory from beginning to end.
That score is one for the ages
The story most definitely has major issues but the music is so lyrical I've been able to ignore it mostly. I've seen it on stage once and it was fine but the shadow of Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae and their bell like voices is huge and the cast suffered for it.
MacRae's Soliloquoy is very powerful. It was supposed to be Sinatra but he bailed when he found out that they would have to shoot all the scenes twice due to the process being used and I can only think that was to the good. He had the wrong kind of voice for the score and from stills I've seen looked ridiculous in the period costumes.
We saw it last week. Joshua Henry is indeed exquisite and a near-death experience when he takes his shirt off. But my personal Best in Show is Alexander Gemignani as Enoch Snow. The role -- and their romance -- is so often played for laughs. But they were tender with each other, and they served as a model for the sweetness that Julie & Billy lacked.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein state has allowed for some drastic book revisions in some of their less famous musicals like " Flower Drum Song"
What a pleasure to see and hear Kelli O'Hara and that guy sing If I Loved You, one of my favorite songs from any musical. Just incredible talent.