When Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II created “Carousel,” which Time magazine declared “the Best Musical of the 20th Century,” they adapted a bleak 1909 drama “Liliom” (tough guy) by Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár, who turned down Giacomo Puccini’s offer to transform it into an opera. But after seeing the first musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, “Oklahoma!” he consented to their proposal of a musical.
Their version transfers Molnár’s tale to a Maine fishing village and, with a new ending, Rodgers said, “It may still be a tragedy but it’s a hopeful one.”
A traveling carnival troupe arrives at the town’s abandoned amusement park. Among them is Billy Bigelow, a charming but footloose carousel barker. He and Julie Jordan, a local mill worker, fall in love. Both lose their jobs and when Julie reveals she’s pregnant, Billy vows to provide for his family and agrees to a robbery with his scheming friend Jigger. When their plan fails, Billy kills himself. In the afterlife, Billy intervenes to help Julie and their now-grown daughter.
This story unfolds with sublime music. Liverpool Football Club fans sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at every match. Aretha Franklin recorded it on her 1972 album “Amazing Grace.” Songwriter Irving Berlin found that the ballad had the same impact on him as the 23rd Psalm.
Its 12-minute “bench scene,” which Billy and Julie conclude by singing “If I Loved You,” is hailed by renowned composer Stephen Sondheim as “the single most important moment in the revolution of contemporary musicals.”
Brandie Sutton and Edward Nelson in rehearsal for Boston Lyric Opera’s “Carousel.” PHOTO: COURTESY BLO
From April 4-13, the Boston Lyric Opera will present its 80th anniversary production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Carousel” at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, the same theater in which the musical was launched on March 27, 1945, with a three-week tryout before its two-year Broadway run.
“‘Carousel’ is a profound exploration of love, loss and redemption,” said the production’s director, renowned theater artist Ann Bogart, who finds in its music and story of hard-won grace a testament to the power of compassion and community.
“We’re living in a climate full of stress and alienation. When times are tough, people tend to be mean. When you’re reminded of human grace and empathy, it’s a big deal.”
BLO Music Director David Angus will conduct the company’s 40-piece orchestra and Chorus Director Brett Hodgdon will lead its 38-member chorus. Shura Baryshnikov will adapt the acclaimed original choreography by Agnes de Mille.
Bogart guides the staging and acting with an eye for telling detail. “If you get it right, something chemical happens. I’m looking to touch that chemistry.”
Joining Bogart in conjuring this chemistry are set designer Sara Brown, costume designer Haydee Zelideth, lighting designer Brian H. Scott and a starry, racially diverse cast. They include soprano Brandie Inez Sutton, the first African American artist in the role of Julie; baritone Markel Reed as Jigger; and M. Lee Pelton, president of the Boston Foundation, in two non-singing roles, the town physician Dr. Seldon and the Starkeeper, Billy’s afterlife guide.
“I wanted a cast that looks like the world we live in,” said Bogart, “And for Pelton’s roles, I wanted somebody who people in Boston will recognize.”
Noting Zelideth’s expressive costumes, Bogart said, “Showgirls come out with big feathered headdresses. It’s a miracle, injecting life, color and humor. And a rabbit crosses the stage. It’s not in the script.”
Encouraging actors to mine “oppositions” in themselves and in their characters, Bogart said, “I watch very closely and notice the slightest inkling that an actor has to do something but then hesitates. Such moments help these contradictions come out. Our Jigger, Markel Reed, is an extraordinary actor and very warm and fun, and he plays the mean, nasty guy.”
Sutton’s Julie is no victim in her love for the troubled Billy. “Being able to see the good in people is a beautiful character trait,” said Sutton. “And she can be a little wild and wants to have fun. When she sings ‘What’s the Use of Wond’rin?’ to comfort a friend, she’s also singing to herself, wrestling with whether she should give up on Billy.”
As she finds her Julie, Sutton credits her mentor, Harlem-born soprano Martina Arroyo. “Martina is a great African American and Latino opera star who has paved a way for many others with her amazing young artist program. We all know her as our opera mother. The first time I sang an aria with her she said to me, ‘It was beautiful, but it was boring.’ From that time on, I realized that character is the most important thing.”
The agency that Sutton finds in Julie also applies to herself. While enjoying a successful international career in opera, Sutton is developing a solo show titled “My Inner Diva.” “I’ll sing all the music I love, including gospel, jazz and Broadway songs.”
Bogart is also looking beyond the brief run of the BLO’s “Carousel.” “We’re only doing it four times in Boston,” he said. “I hope our production has a future life. This is my dream.”
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