Carousel (2013)

A carousel barker (Nathan Gunn) romances a millworker (Kelli O'Hara) at the cost of both their jobs. Married and without work and a baby on the way, he decides to join a friend Shuler Hensley) in a robbery in order to get some money. Based the 1945 musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein (by way of the 1909 play LILIOM by Ferenc Molnar) and directed by Glenn Weiss. While there's no denying that the Rodgers & Hammerstein score is one of the most beautiful ever written for the Broadway theatre, I've never been fond of its problematic book. Today, one has to overlook its backward viewpoint on domestic violence to enjoy it but it still leaves a bad taste in the mouth. The performers are all around excellent, both as singers and actors and it's nice to have a complete representation of the original Broadway show (the 1956 film, good in its own way, isn't it). Accompanied by the full force of the New York Philharmonic conducted by Rob Fisher, you couldn't ask for a better production musically. Warren Carlyle stays faithful to the original Agnes DeMille choreography. With fine supporting work from Jessie Mueller, Jason Danieley, Stephanie Blythe, Kate Burton and John Cullum.