Carousel

Six words: Marvelous songs, magnificently sung; too long.

The Rodgers and Hammerstein songs in this productin of Carousel could hardly have been better sung. Nathaniel Hackmann (Billy Bigelow) is a star waiting to happen. Kimberly Martin (Julie Jordan) sang gloriously. Katie Fridsma (Carrie) looks and sounds much like Martin. Jeffrey Klein, as the square, smelly Enoch Snow, shocked me with his authoritative vocal tone. Kelly Montgomery belted “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

This tale of a womanizing carnival barker and his wife, Julie, is a study in human nature. In need of money to support their soon-to-arrive baby, the always quite shady Billy falls under the influence of Jigger (well performed by Garney Johnson). When their ill-planned plot to rob and kill the mill owner, Mr. Bascombe goes, awry, Billy kills himself, rather than be arrested.

That plan, the suicide, and the ghost-appearance of Billy at his daughter’s graduation seem far-fetched, even to a childlike romantic like me. There were tears in the audience, though, as Julie is reassured by the ever-powerful “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Hammerstein’s lyrics to “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” are extremely clever—and a tad racy for 1945. “Soliloquy“ (My boy, Bill…) gets the reading it deserves by the tall, handsome Hackmann, as Billy speculates on becoming a father. (Hackmann needs a hit record and a top publicist to put him on top.) He wisely modifies his full-blown vocals just enough to display a rare, warm resonance when appropriate.

Wisely, the ballet was dropped from this over-long production. I never thought I’d second-guess R&H, but at several weak spots, the red pencil is in order.

But overall, a great pleasure!

(Pictured: KNathaniel Hackmann; photo by David A. Beloff)

Eric Stevens
Cabaret Scenes
February 12, 2012
www.cabaretscenes.org