A SPIRITED REVIVAL WITH DEPTH AND DISSONANCE
Eighty years after Carousel had its final pre-Broadway preview at Boston’s Colonial Theatre, Boston Lyric Opera revives Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1945 classic with both nostalgia and an edge. Under the thoughtful direction of Anne Bogart and the sure baton of David Angus, this production revisits a golden-age musical and invites a new generation to wrestle with its complexities.
Edward Nelson as Billy and Brandie Sutton as Julie
Set in a seaside amusement park town in 1940s Maine, the show teeters—much like its carousel—between celebratory joy and the gravity of loss. Sara Brown’s striking set, evoking a section of wooden roller coaster, towers over the stage like a relic of bygone thrills. Against this backdrop, the ensemble parades across the stage in Haydee Zelideth’s kaleidoscopic costumes, a pageant of color in a gallimaufry of modern styles that emphasizes the humor in the show’s opening number, “The Carousel Waltz.” Unfortunately, not every design choice flatters (one wishes Jamie Barton’s Nettie Fowler had been dressed with the same elegance she brought to her vocal performance).
Anya Matanovič as Carrie Pipperidge
Carrie (Anya Matanovič) and Julie (Brandie Sutton)
Brandie Sutton’s Julie Jordan captures the ambivalence of a woman who begins by insisting she’ll never marry, then finds herself caught in the gravitational pull of Edward Nelson’s brooding Billy Bigelow. Sutton’s voice soars with clarity and strength—her Julie is no wilting romantic but a woman negotiating limited choices in a world that demands sacrifice. Nelson, meanwhile, delivers a compellingly conflicted Billy, his voice shaded with both defiance and desperation. Anya Matanovič is wonderful as Julie’s compassionate and encouraging bestie Carrie Pipperidge, innocently besotted with her fisherman Enoch Snow (Omar Najmi), while Abigail Marie Curran, as Julie and Billy’s daughter Louise, practically flies off the stage with her dancing. A final mention must go to local nonprofit CEO and former president of Emerson College Lee Pelton, who delivers a more-than satisfying performance as Billy’s after-death Starkeeper and the commencement speaker at Louise’s graduation.
Billy Bigelow (Edward Nelson)
Louise (Abigail Marie Curran, in blue) with Sabrina Lobner, Olivia Moon and Jay León
The problematic aspects of the original —particularly the infamous justification of Billy’s abuse—are neither glossed over nor ignored. Bogart leans into the uncomfortable silences to allow space for the audience to feel unease. The moment of Billy’s downfall, his botched attempt at redemption, lands with tragic weight, especially in the postwar context of the 1940s where grief, trauma, and uncertain futures hovered over the American psyche.
Nettie (Jamie Barton) and "Clambake" ensemble
Lee M. Pelton (center)
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s score is the emotional compass of the show, and BLO’s orchestra and vocal ensemble lean into the spiritual arc of Hammerstein’s vision, suggesting that healing, however imperfect, is still possible. “The Carousel Waltz” whirls with both joy and menace; “If I Loved You” aches with longing. “June is Bustin’ Out All Over” bursts forth in celebratory defiance of restraint. And when Barton’s Nettie sings “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” it feels less like a balm than a benediction.
Olivia Moon and ensemble
Boston Lyric Opera's 80th anniversary production of Carousel
photos by Nile Scott Studios
Markel Reed as Jigger Craigin and Edward Nelson as Billy Bigelow
Carousel
Boston Lyric Opera
Emerson Colonial Theater, 106 Boylston St
ends on April 13, 2025
for tickets, visit BLO
for more shows, visit Theatre in Boston
Anya Matanovič as Carrie and Omar Najmi as Enoch
