There is nothing like live theater. And every once in a while, we get to experience an unforgettable moment. Last night, near the very end of the performance of Carousel, there was a disturbance in the house. The actors left the stage, the curtain came down, and everyone in the audience wondered what had happened and how the actors would react. Renee Fleming was just about to sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” one of the most challenging and beloved songs in musical history. When the actors had taken their places again and the curtain rose, Fleming did what only a seasoned pro could do. She gave a brilliant rendition of the number that had the audience cheering for many minutes, and left us with a cherished memory we’ll keep forever. The challenge with a classic like Carousel is how to make it fresh while meeting the standards of past productions. How do you take Billy Bigelow’s famous “Soliloquy” and make it your own? If you’re Joshua Henry, you pour your heart and soul into it, and make everyone feel the hope, pain, and desperation Billy experiences when he envisions his responsibility as a father. It seems as though everyone in this production is giving an extra effort. Jessie Mueller’s Julie Jordan is sweeter, more trusting, and her faith in Billy is heartbreakingly pure. Julie’s best friend, Carrie Pipperidge, is funnier, more vivacious, and more appealing as played by Lindsay Mendez. And yes, she is just as exciting in the part as Audra McDonald was. Mrs. Mullin is often portrayed as slatternly, man hungry, disreputable; Margaret Colin gives her a real heart. As Julie’s aunt Nettie Fowler, Rene Fleming not only shows off her glorious voice, but she also brings a sustaining warmth and strength. Amar Ramasar turns Billy’s rotten friend Jigger into a lust-filled saturnine devil, with impressive arms and a bad-boy appeal that could easily sway a man or a woman to the dark side. And wow, can he dance. This tale of a simple mill girl who falls under the spell of a magnetic carousel barker could be hard to take in our more enlightened age. Starting the tale in heaven and giving the entire production an enchanted feel helps us to accept that although it’s never admirable for a man to hit his wife, and never telling your spouse “I love you” is pretty warped, this is, at heart, a fable about a man’s quest to redeem his soul. As familiar as the music may be, there are still tears to be shed when the melodies remind of us loved ones who have passed, and the innocence we’ve lost along the way. The supremely talented performers on stage do justice to this legendary work of American musical theater. I should mention that the performance was interrupted by turmoil in the audience not once, but twice. About 10 minutes into the show, the announcement was given “Ladies and gentlemen, we are taking a brief pause due to a medical emergency; we apologize for the delay.” This did not sit well with the curious and impatient audience, but I smiled as I heard people around me whisper “Well, that’s live theater for you.” Amen.
