Review: 'Carousel' Is Luminescent, But Should It Still Be Revived?

It's hard to imagine a more radiant production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Carousel" than the one currently at Broadway's Imperial Theatre, mainly thanks to Santo Loquasto's sets: There's a luscious, golden moon; petals drift from summer trees; boats glide across a twinkling bay. 

And then there are the big voices: the opera star Renée Fleming sings "You'll Never Walk Alone"; Joshua Henry's ("The Scottsboro Boys") rich voice adds depth as the volatile carousel barker Billy Bigelow; and the usually wonderful Jessie Mueller ("Waitress") sings with a lovely, light fluidity as his love interest (and then spouse) Julie Jordan. The most arresting performance is from Lindsay Mendez, who plays Julie's spitfire of a friend, Carrie. Her pipes wring every comic nuance from every second she's on stage.

But the lush music and those romantic sets are at sharp odds with the story playing out on stage about a man who hits his wife. In this production, Billy is so angry and has so little charm that it's hard to imagine anyone falling for him, while Mueller's Jordan is mousy and retiring. It's a surprise to see her play a role like this, after her smart vulnerability brought down the house in "Waitress."

Clearly director Jack O'Brien is trying to make the piece more acceptable in our #MeToo moment: The women surrounding Julie all seem very skeptical of her relationship and Billy is barely portrayed sympathetically.

Most importantly, one of the most egregious lines in the musical is cut.

After being hit by a ghost Billy, Julie's teenage daughter asks if a slap can sometimes feel like a kiss. Julie originally responded, "Yes, darling, I believe that it is possible for somebody to hit you, good and hard, and for it not to hurt."

Here, instead, Julie gives her a look of understanding.

But it doesn't work. And maybe it doesn't work because "Carousel," despite the lovely music, just doesn't speak to the world we live in today. We no longer celebrate women who stand by their man while they're being abused, or romanticize those types of relationships.

That isn't to say that domestic abuse can't or shouldn't be portrayed on stage; of course it should. But it should be looked at with clear eyes, not through a lens smudged with glamour-shot Vaseline and dressed up with a dreamy full moon.

"Carousel" by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, directed by Jack O'Brien, choreography by Justin Peck. Open run at the Imperial Theatre.