Review: Carousel at the Arcola Theatre

Carousel

Arcola Theatre

Reviewed on Saturday 21st June 2014

It's vital that old classics such as Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel are continuously revived in fresh and exciting ways to keep them relevant and to allow audiences to discover new things. However, there is nothing worse than changing something just for the sake of 'being different'.

Morphic Graffiti's "bold reimagining" of Carousel is set against the backdrop of the Great Depression. It is said to chart a story of "recklessness, regret and redemption” as well as illuminating “the immediacy of the belief in forgiveness and the power of the human spirit." Instead of shining a new light on the story I felt the piece fell flat, sadly I struggled to connect. 

The musical follows Julie Jordan who falls for Billy Bigelow. Their relationship is far from blissful and, as it progresses, the piece explores whether destiny is predetermined by the hand of fate. At first Carousel seems harmless as the cast perform the joyous score whilst grinning from ear to ear. 

As the second act unfolds the musical takes a darker turn which is when the grittiness of this new interpretation is highlighted and the inconsistencies within the direction begin to show. I felt decisions had been made for the sake of it; frustratingly not all the risks taken pay off. The Arcola Theatre was uncomfortably hot and the running time of Carousel remains too long, cuts should have been made.

Gemma Sutton is proving herself to be one of musical theatre's most formidable leading ladies. Over the past year she has dazzled audiences in Hairspray, Chicago, Drunk and Blues in the Night; a major West End role surely must be fast approaching. Sutton it perfectly cast as Julie Jordan, it's a joy to see her excel in a totally different role! 

Sutton's voice soars; it's wonderful to see such a talented actress take to a much smaller stage as you can really appreciate the detail in her performance. Sutton performs with fire in her belly and a twinkle in her eye. I'm already to see what she does next.

Vicki Lee Taylor also gives a stand out performance as Carrie Pipperidge. I've seen Taylor in various roles over the past year and she also never fails to be blow me away with her tremendous talents and stage presence. A handful of other performances have questionable moments, perhaps it’s challenging to take on such hugely iconic roles in such a short space of time.

Lee Proud's choreography is the strongest element of this production. The ensemble are full of life and the only times I sat back and relaxed was during the big company numbers. Once or twice I thought the staging felt slightly squashed in the intimate studio space, but it was mostly suited to the smaller stage. The band are absolutely terrific. I was disappointed that due to a pillar I was unable to see the harp throughout the performance - it sounded incredible. 

I found it particularly interesting to look around at the Saturday evening audience as the demographic was so varied. There were clearly people experiencing the show for the first time sat alongside those who had seen the piece performed time and time again. The response was equally as varied, it's impossible not to be uplifted by 'June Is Bustin’ Out All Over' (which has been on repeat inside my head for the past twenty four hours) and moved by 'You’ll Never Walk Alone'. 

A handful of people were brought to their feet as they wiped a tear from their eye, but sadly I was left feeling very underwhelmed. 

Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)

Carousel runs at the Arcola Theatre until Saturday 19th July 2014.

Photo Credit: QNQ Creative

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