Carousel

While many audio recordings exist of Rodgers and Hammerstein's gorgeous 1945 musical drama, the only DVD option available until now was the 1956 film starring Gordon MacRae as Billy Bigelow, the tough carnival barker who tries, unsuccessfully, to change his ways after marrying pretty young mill worker Julie Jordan, played by Shirley Jones. Although the movie is remarkably faithful to the play—Billy is killed in a robbery attempt and allowed to return to Earth to help his troubled daughter—and beautifully sung, this 2013 concert performance from New York's Lincoln Center offers a strong alternative. Even with just a few sticks of furniture positioned in front of the onstage orchestra, the cast are able to bring their characters vividly to life with magnificent vocalism, especially from Kelli O'Hare as Julie, Stephanie Blythe as her cousin Nettie, Jessie Mueller as her flighty friend Carrie, Jason Danieley as Carrie's finicky beau Enoch Snow, and Shuler Hensley as villainous Jigger Craigin. Nathan Gunn, the operatic baritone who plays Billy, is a fine actor, but his vocal performance—especially in Bigelow's famous “Soliloquy”—is a trifle stiff. A similar heaviness pervades the playing of the New York Philharmonic, which under Rob Fisher offers a gorgeous rendition of the opening “Carousel Waltz” but even with a slimmed-down 71 players can still sound a bit beefy elsewhere. Also featuring bonus segments with show highlights, this production—presented in stereo—can still be highly recommended. (F. Swietek)