Theater Review—

Richter Has Selected A Classic, And Is Presenting It Splendidly, For Its Season Finale

By Julie Stern

DANBURY — In 1943, Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein made theatrical history with their smash hit Oklahoma! Two years later, they duplicated that feat with Carousel, which Time Magazine labeled the greatest musical of the 20th Century.

On first glance, Carousel might seem to be a repeat of a successful formula: both shows have a lead romantic couple (Laurie and Curley in Oklahoma!, Julie Jordan and Billy Bigelow in Carousel); each heroine has a best friend (Ado Annie and Carrie Pipperidge) who is loved by a somewhat goofy beau (Will Parker and Enoch Snow). There is a villain (Jud Fry the hired hand, and Jigger Craigin the crooked sailor) and a kindly older woman (Aunt Eller and Cousin Nettie). Where one show has a chorus of colorful cowboys and ranchers’ daughters, the other has New England fishermen and girls who work in the textile mill.

Beyond the surface parallels, however, Carousel is a darker, far more serious work. When it opened in April 1945, the War in the Pacific was still raging. The image of young men dying and leaving behind widows and fatherless children was something Americans were familiar with. When Billy dies a violent death at the beginning of the second act, on the same day he learns his wife of two months is pregnant with their child, audiences could identify with the pain.

While Carrie and Enoch achieve the American dream of hard earned success, with their “fleet of little boats” and large family of little Snows to match, Julie and Billy see the scenario of their happiness cut tragically short. Moreover, in its trenchant portrayal of the class differences that prevailed in the little, newly industrialized New England fishing village, the show tackles the issues of social justice and prejudice that would characterize its creators’ other most popular works, including South Pacific and The King and I.

Finally, where the songs from Oklahoma! are all lighthearted and upbeat (think “I’m just a girl who caint say no,” “Everything’s Up to Date in Kansas City,” or even the satirical “Pore Jud is Dead”), the music from Carousel has an almost operatic intensity. The songs flow out of the dramatic moment, expressing the characters’ yearnings as much with the powerful melodies as with Hammerstein’s perfect lyrics: “If I Loved You” (“love wouldn’t come in an easy way”), “June is Busting Out All Over,” “What’s the Use of Wondering” (“if he’s good or if he’s bad”) and especially, the unforgettable “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

For anyone who doesn’t know the story, Julie Jordan, the spirited young factory girl, falls in love with the itinerant carnival barker, Billy, though the relationship will cost both of them their jobs. Frustrated at being unemployed, and tied down by marriage, Billy listens to the villainous Jigger Craigin, who persuades him to participate in a robbery. When the attempt fails, Billy kills himself rather than face a long prison sentence.

Outside the back door of Heaven he is given one chance to redeem himself by going down to earth for one day, and doing a good deed. Somehow he must reach out to his wife and daughter, to give them some kind of strength and courage that will make their lives endurable.

This summer, Musicals at Richter has chosen Carousel for its final production of the season. Where the season opener (Guys and Dolls) was hilariously funny, and the second show (Forty Second Street) featured a whirlwind of energetic tap dancing, director Donald Birely has chosen, wisely, to emphasize the operatic richness of Carousel. From the opening number, in which the huge cast slowly assembles on stage in a garish tableau of a honky-tonk carnival, to the haunting strains of “Carousel Waltz,” you can tell that this is going to be good.

Caitlin Keeler and Vincent McCoy are well matched as the plucky, independent factory girl and the roughneck carousel barker who wins her heart. Amanda Eventoff  has a beautiful voice and a winning manner as Julie’s best friend Carrie, and Nathan Mandracchia is compelling as the overly dignified fisherman Enoch Snow, who has his life all planned out.

In addition, Ted Schwartz as Jigger Craigin, and Priscilla Squiers as Nettie Fowler combine fine voices and rich acting talent,  making their characters come alive, one as incorrigibly evil, the other as the spirit of wise compassion. When Nettie and Julie join to sing the most powerful song in the show, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” it is impossible to remain unmoved.

With beautiful costumes, fine sets, and wise, disciplined direction, this classic show is a great end to the summer season. It is definitely worth an evening’s picnic at Richter.

(Performances continue weekends until August 14. See the Enjoy calendar or call 203-748-6873 for curtain and other details.)