Carousel, Arcola - theatre review

This superlative reboot of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic is full of five-star fun
Fiery intimacy: Tim Rogers as Billy Bigelow and Gemma Sutton as Julie Jordan in Carousel (Picture: QNQ Creative)
QNQ Creative
Fiona Mountford7 August 2014

Those who have only ever seen musicals presented in cavernous West End theatres don’t know what they are missing. There’s a world of delight to be experienced in enjoying a tuneful show in a smaller setting and there are few better illustrations of the idea than this superlative reboot of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic. Never has Carousel (1945) seemed so fresh and poignant and vital, but on a scale that is profoundly human.

What a pleasure it is to list the things that Luke Fredericks’s production for Morphic Graffiti has got right. Stewart Charlesworth’s fluid and playful design of both set and costumes is ingenious, for a start; we share the wonder of friends Julie (Gemma Sutton) and Carrie (Vicki Lee Taylor) as they wander in delighted bewilderment among the brightly-coloured creatures and objects of the fairground, where Julie will fall fatally for volatile barker Billy Bigelow (Tim Rogers). Lee Proud’s choreography is consistently joyous and even pulls off the almost impossible task of making that hard-work second-half ballet scene appear essential rather than inevitable.

Fredericks has shifted the New England setting forward from the 1870s to 1930, but this change is largely immaterial: what matters is the veracity of the emotions that we can see in such thrilling close-up. The fiery intimacy of the relationships, both romantic and platonic, is minutely conveyed; the slightest flicker passing across the countenance of the fascinatingly soulful Sutton speaks eloquently of Julie’s loyalty and fear.

And the singing! The ensemble makes such a mellifluous sound, headed confidently by the three outstanding leads. At £21 per ticket, this is surely one of the best theatrical deals in town.

Until July 19 (020 7503 1646, arcolatheatre.com)

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