Carousel Again Brings Broadway Close to Opera
Seventy-three years after its original debut, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical returns to Broadway with RenĂŠe Fleming, Jessie Mueller, and Joshua Henry.
Certain that Richard Rodgers could never top the 1943 masterpiece Oklahoma!, Samuel Goldwyn advised the composer to shoot himself. But with 1945âs Carousel, Rodgers and librettist partner Oscar Hammerstein II surpassed even their own ambitious expectations. Rodgers later reflected that Carousel, his favorite show, âcame very close to opera.â
Now, exactly 73 years after the musicalâs debut, producers Scott Rudin and Roy Furman, with director Jack OâBrien, have revived the epic classic, opening on April 12 at Manhattanâs Imperial Theatre. And, making good on Rodgersâs lofty estimation of Carouselâthe saga of the doomed love between Julie, a millworker, and Billy, a carnival barkerâthey have cast the revered lyric soprano RenĂŠe Fleming in the role of Julieâs cousin, Nettie. Of her maiden foray into Broadway musical theater, Fleming says, âItâs a luxury for me to be able to focus on one thing for such a long period of time.â Accustomed to projecting her voice âover the orchestraâ and âin a foreign language,â she says, Fleming will instead perform with electronic amplificationâand in a Maine accent. âIâve had to rethink how I sing,â she notes. So affecting are Carouselâs celebrated tunes, they âgive me goosebumps,â says Jessie Mueller, who plays Julie. âRodgers and Hammersteinâs music is satisfying to sing,â she observes, âbecause it is so rich melodically.â
Among the many other enchantments of Carousel is its extended ballet sequenceââa huge moment, in terms of dance storytelling,â says choreographer Justin Peck. Collaborating on the production, Peck remarks, has been âsuper-exciting, inspiring, and intimidatingâthere is so much talent in the room!â
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