An Article on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL

[JAS]

Posted: 4/7/18 at 2:29pm

With the current, contentious production of CAROUSEL probably frozen by now, I can’t help thinking that this thoughtful, insightful article by Ethan Mordden should’ve been required reading for the current creative team:

https://culturaladvantages.blogspot.com/2018/04/rodgers-and-hammersteins-carousel.html?spref=tw&m=1

[Roland von Berlin]

Posted: 4/10/18 at 2:33am

Mordden's on an upcoming Theater Talk show, discussing both Carousel and the musical Chicago, because of his new book on it. He quotes some more of those cut lyrics from the Bench Scene, which makes you wonder what other poetic bits Rodgers and Hammerstein shows lost in their Boston tryout.

This seems to have affected Rodgers especially. George Abbott cut "Wait Till You See Her" from By Jupiter, because he couldn't find a good place for it and the show played fine without it. Yet it's the only By Jupiter song that has lasted. Barbara Cook sings it in a marvelous arrangement on her Carnegie Hall disc.

 

Posted: 4/10/18 at 3:19am

JAS said: "With the current, contentious production of CAROUSEL probably frozen by now, I can’t help thinking that this thoughtful, insightful article by Ethan Mordden should’ve been required reading for the current creative team:

https://culturaladvantages.blogspot.com/2018/04/rodgers-and-hammersteins-carousel.html?spref=tw&m=1"

That's a wonderful piece of writing.  I have seen this production twice - the first preview and then a month later. I LOVED the first preview, despite the missing songs, and went back, naively thinking they'd have been restored and some of the rough patches smoothed.  But something's not right; can't figure out what. I loved the '94 revival, and wanted to love this. The article above explains the history of the original story that inspired, "Carousel," and maybe that explains the lack of joy in this production, if they went back to the original source material.  The music and the dancing are sublime, and I have friends who've seen it and love it unconditionally.  Will be interesting to read the reviews.

[JBC3]

Posted: 4/10/18 at 5:48am

People might also be interested in Todd Purdum on Fresh Air talking about his new book, Something Wonderful.

The episode is called How Rodgers And Hammerstein Revolutionized Broadway.

https://www.npr.org/2018/04/09/600818943/how-rodgers-and-hammerstein-revolutionized-broadway