A Reimagined "Carousel" at Boston Lyric Opera
- Carla DeFord
- Apr 10
- 4 min read
Updated: 15 hours ago
Performers of musicals are usually singing actors, and opera performers acting singers. Given that axiom, it’s no surprise that the Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel was filled with glorious voices, including those of Brandi Sutton as Julie Jordan, Edward Nelson as Billy Bigelow, and Jamie Barton as Nettie Fowler. As directed by Anne Bogart and accompanied by the BLO Orchestra conducted by David Angus, all of them brought extraordinary vocal energy and polish to their roles.
The production also delivered choreographically. In Act 2, when Abigail Marie Curran, as Louise, took the stage, the atmosphere became electric. It was inspiring to see such a refined, eloquent dancer devour the space.
Choreographer Shura Baryshnikov said that she aimed to “honor the movement by iconic dance maker Agnes de Mille.”[1] To that end, she invoked, without quoting, the original by giving Curran’s moves a 1940s look, with contractions and off-center positions. Here’s the complete de Mille version, starring Bambi Linn:
Baryshnikov may also have been thinking of the MacMillan choreography from the 1992 Royal National Theatre revival because some of Louise’s moves were reminiscent of it. Here is a relevant excerpt from the MacMillan version danced by Mayara Magri, principal of the Royal Ballet:
The BLO dance interlude did not include a pas de deux, which would have been welcome. On the other hand, if Louise is not seduced and abandoned by Billy redux as in former versions of the ballet, maybe she will be able to become the actress she says she wants to be and realize the thwarted dreams of her parents.
Of course, Carousel is known best for its music, and when Sutton sang “If I loved You,” and extended the final high note on “how I loved you,” it was no less than thrilling. That kind of powerhouse sound only comes from an exquisitely trained opera singer.
Nelson, who reprises that song, ended his “Soliloquy” with enormous vocal heft and projection. I also appreciated his pulling back on “my little girl gets hungry every night, and she comes home to me,” which produced some admirably subtle acting. Barton sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” supported by the magnificent BLO chorus, with absolute commitment -- no embellishment or variation -- just the real deal:
Other singers enlivening the proceedings were Anya Matanovič as Carrie Pepperidge, the perfect comic foil to Sutton’s Julie; Omar Najmi as Enoch Snow, Carrie’s “over-bearing” mate; and Markel Reed as the nogoodnik Jigger Craigin.
Jigger gets Billy involved in a robbery gone wrong, but before that, Julie admits that her husband hit her. Because of the domestic violence discussed in Carousel, there is some question about whether it deserves to be revived. Its mounting by an opera company, however, changes the perspective on that question because operatic characters often behave badly. Alfredo throws money at Violetta and Manrico curses Leonora, but nobody suggests that La Traviata and Il Trovatore should not be performed. To paraphrase Julie, what’s the use of wondering if these characters are good or bad, they’re archetypes, as Stephen Sondheim said of Porgy and Bess,[2] and need to be viewed in symbolic terms. The same is true for the characters in Carousel. Just because the show was conceived as a musical rather than an opera doesn’t mean it is rooted in realism (clearly not in the Starkeeper part of the plot). It’s a fable and should be judged as such.
Mrs. Mullin, who owns the carousel, says that Billy is an “artist,” and she’s right, but he has no outlet for his artistic sensibility. As a working-class man with “no trade,” as Julie puts it, society has no place for him. He literally hits out in frustration, which Julie understands because she too is a dreamer, one who stares absentmindedly at the roof of the mill while her threads get tangled up. Since she sings “If I loved You” first, one can imagine her as the creator of its poetry. Then Billy adds his speculations about the land, stars, sky, and sea, connecting himself and Julie to nature as do the blossoms that fall as they fall in love. The “golden sky” (which looks back to “golden chances”) and “song of a lark” that Nettie promises will appear at the end of the storm intensify that bond, offering the kind of spiritual fulfillment that the painted ponies (apologies to Joni Mitchell), bright lights, and slightly sinister music of the carousel cannot bring.
According to Billy, “We ain’t important, just a couple of specks of nothing . . . two little people [who] don’t count at all.” In Carousel Rodgers and Hammerstein insist that little people like Julie and Billy do count, and that, as Arthur Miller said, “attention must be paid” to them. Their dreams may be tossed and blown, but the hope that keeps them striving for redemption and reaching for connection is not “cheesy,” as I overheard a fellow audience member say as we left the theatre. “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” like Bernstein’s “Make Our Garden Grow” is a hymn to our imperfect humanity and recognizes that specks of nothing can aspire to, and even achieve, transcendence. That’s why it’s important to revive Carousel.
[1] BLO Carousel press release:
[2] "Stephen Sondheim Takes Issue With Plan for Revamped 'Porgy and Bess,'" New York Times, August 10, 2011.
This review also appears on Critical Dance: https://criticaldance.org/boston-lyric-opera-a-reimagined-carousel/
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