Carousel

I recently obtained a DVD of this long forgotten television production. It was a part of Armstrongs Circle Theater series of four Broadway Musicals to television adaptations, the others being Brigadoon, Kismet,and Kiss Me Kate.

At 105 minutes it did need some major abridgments. The Carousel waltz prologue is shortened to about 4 minutes, Louise"s ballet is shorted somewhat, and the songs Germaniums In The Window, and Stonecutters Cut It On Stone are cut. Musically all the rest is intact, with the lengthy Bench Scene (If I Loved You) performed mostly as written.

Robert Goulet performs well, though he does indulge in some brassy Broadway singing. Mary Grover sings beautifully as Julie Jorden, but her performance lacks an emotional center. The rest of the cast all sing well and the performances in general are good.

Hapilly, there is no flashback as in the film, so the impact of the original play's tragic turn are not diminished.

They have recently done remakes of Oklahoma. and South Pacific (as well as the horrible animated The King and I for theatrical release) for television with varied results. Certainly this Rogers and Hammmerstsein masterpiece could use a definitive filmed production, that honors both the beauty and darkness of the work. After all, the hero is a wife beater and thief, and the brilliance of the work is watching him grow into a caring soul.

This was Richard Rodger's favorite of all his shows, as well as his favorite score. It veers very close to opera at time, which makes it all the more unique among musical shows of the time.

This television production is a nicely done companion piece to the 1956 film, and should be made available, as well as the other productions in the Armstrong Circle series, on DVD. But the definitive Carousel has yet to be committed to film or tape. It would sad if Carousel was only to be seen by a few on stage, such as the Cameron Mackintosh's Royal National Theatre brilliant stage revival a decade or more ago. It is a timeless classic that needs it's dark brilliance committed to film without over-sentimentality for the ages.

As with the 1966 ABC version of BRIGADOON, this version of CAROUSEL is superior to the film version in many ways. Somehow they have included more songs and more script than the film, and yet this has a shorter running time. Thankfully, two original plot points from the stage version are retained: The story is not a flashback, and Billy commits suicide. (Both of these points were changed for the 1956 film). The only real cuts in the score are "Stonecutters", "Geraniums in the Winder", and part of the Louise Ballet.

The entire cast is lovely and understated, especially Mary Grover (never heard of her elsewhere) as Julie. She has a light but controlled soprano, conveying the delicate nature of her character. Her scenes at the waterfront after the robbery attempt, and later scenes as an older woman, are very especially convincing. Marlyn Mason is fun as Carrie, but her voice is really not up to "Mr Snow". Still, she pulls it off with personality. Robert Goulet is real and raw as Billy, dropping his clean cut look from BRIGADOON, looking more appropriately haggard. Charlie Ruggles is warm and charming as the Starkeeper, and Marge Redmond is perfect as the jealous Mrs Mullin.

Bob Mackie's costumes are his usual best. The set design is stunningly detailed, but I did feel that at times it leaned a little toward "Main Street USA", rather than an East Coast harbor town. If I had to lodge any complaint, I feel it had some slow moments at times. Perhaps not quite as successful a TV special as BRIGADOON,but I feel lucky to have seen it at all.

This is not a review but rather a comment on the review that says that the role of Billy Bigelow was written for a tenor. Both John Raitt, who created the role on Broadway, and Gordon MacRae, who played Billy in the film version, were baritones. I'd be interested in knowing that reviewer's source for that information. I have no way of checking at the moment what key either Raitt or MacRae sang it in. It is possible, although not likely, that it was a little bit higher, but there is no doubt that they were both baritones, as was Robert Goulet.

I wish I had seen this TV production. I've seen some of it on YouTube and it looks good. I'd love to be able to compare it to the film.

It was really above average TV for those days. Cut for running time, but the only major story aspect that's lost is that Billy doesn't go to Purgatory, he just arrives at Heaven's back door and "Starkeeper" Charlie Ruggles tells him it's suddenly sixteen years later (reminiscent of that 80s movie version of the Liliom story, The Heavenly Kid). That cut hurt it a bit -- he just attempted a robbery and committed suicide, deeds that in Western culture usually call for some degree of ethical inquest. The duet When the Children are Asleep between Carrie and Snow is left largely intact compared to the '56 movie, so involvement of these characters adds depth, and a clue to the original stage production's more involved musical continuity.

Goulet is, as in most of his musical theatre performances, a far more disciplined singer than we perceive from his pop solo albums. The fact that he fits the part physically goes without saying. Also I think he did a good job of making Billy vulnerable, ironically at the mercy of his own attractiveness to women.

In Cousin Nettie's songs, Patricia "Pat" Neway momentarily stole the show with her trained contralto voice, without overpowering the show's content of course, since her song are intended as specialty solos.

The years may have altered my remembrances of the production, but of the three I saw in that Armstrong (no relation) Circle Theatre series (including Kiss Me Kate and Brigadoon -- sorry, missed Kismet) this was probably the best.

The role of Billy Bigelow was originally written for a tenor. Gordon MacRae and John Raitt sang it high. The part was transposed down for Goulet's baritone and is hugely improved by the change. The character has immeasurably more guts, grit and general low-life-ness. That it does not impair his likability much is testament to Goulet's acting. It remains a staged for television play, but CAROUSEL is one of the few plays that this air of unreality doesn't hurt. Helped, of course, by the fact that much of it is depicted on the spiritual plane. It's hard to combine the raw reality of the sailors and the hyper-reality of the heaven scenes, but this production made it work. I saw this film as a child and it remains indelibly in my memory as one of the best musical productions I've ever seen.