See it if You like great songs and music, operatic style singing, terrific large orchestra, great sets, amazing cast and choreography.
Don't see it if You don't like musicals?
See it if You are a Renee Fleming or Amar Ramasar fan; you will not be disappointed. I could not take my eyes off of Ramasar during Justin Peck’s
Don't see it if There is no reason not to see this show. It is the best production I’ve ever seen of Carousel. Read more
See it if go see it
Don't see it if lovely
See it if The show grabbed me and pulled me in when the curtain opened. An amazing production where everything works well together. Must see.
Don't see it if you don't like musicals. But this may change your mind. I found it wonderful. Surprised Joshua Henry didn't win the Tony Award.
See it if You've ever enjoyed a musical.
Don't see it if You are tone-deaf. Read more
See it if You want to see a great revival of a timeless piece of Anerican theater. Acting, staging, and dancing are amazing.
Don't see it if Old style musicals are not your thing, or you are expecting something glitzy.
See it if This is a "golden age" musical. Many of the songs are familiar -- June is Busting Out All Over, If I Loved You, You'll Never Walk Alone.
Don't see it if Everything about this show was perfect. There is some domestic violence. The leads were all great. The dancing was just right. GO SEE IT. Read more
See it if The dancing is fabulous and I happen to like the story to begin with the singing is excellent.
Don't see it if If you don't like singing and dancing it's not for you. Read more
"The tragic inevitability of 'Carousel' has seldom come across as warmly or as chillingly as it does in this vividly reimagined revival. As directed by Jack O’Brien and choreographed by Justin Peck, with thoughtful and powerful performances by Mr. Henry and Ms. Mueller, the love story at the show’s center has never seemed quite as ill-starred or, at the same time, as sexy...For its first two-thirds, this 'Carousel' tingles with the rapture of life in all its contradictions."
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"Director Jack O’Brien invites us to admire the show as an exemplar of classic American musical theater, lovingly emphasizing its virtues. Prime among them is Rodgers and Hammerstein’s innovative and varied score, repolished by orchestrator Jonathan Tunick and sterlingly sung by the cast...This 'Carousel' pulls its punches; it hits, but it doesn’t hurt. If you love the show enough, you may be inclined to forgive it."
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"O’Brien’s lush, beautifully sung, athletically danced, and utterly conventional revival...Theater isn’t a time capsule, but this 'Carousel' feels like one...Henry is so good that I found myself longing for the production surrounding him to rise to his levels of visceral nuance...If 'Carousel' were a person, he (definitely he) would be an incredible singer, a splendid dancer, and would often look very, very pretty — all while sidestepping the question of exactly what he’s doing right here right now."
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“O’Brien is especially good at teasing out the ways in which women reveal their sexuality in their closed, largely segregated environment…Unfortunately, Fleming, the famous soprano, is no actress…The choreographer, Justin Peck, does a credible job of keeping her and the rest of the cast moving, but occasionally his work seems too expressive for the stage: it makes the space look smaller...And because Henry himself wants to get it right, he can be too precise in his 'anger.'"
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"Jack O’Brien is very smart, but his Broadway revival of 'Carousel' is uneven, enough so that those who know the show may find it a disappointment—though they’ll certainly be staggered by the singing...Mr. O’Brien’s 'Carousel' feels slick, like an old-master painting that has been garishly over-restored...Mr. Henry’s performance contributes to the problem: He fails to dig deeply into the part, charging through 'Soliloquy' as if he had to catch a train."
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"As lovely as anything you’ll see and hear this season. If only Billy Bigelow could keep his fists off women...'Carousel' is, without question, among the most radiantly beautiful musicals ever created, its songs a series of flawless gems...It’d be hard to imagine a better sung 'Carousel' than this one...Director O’Brien draws out the shifting moods – 'Carousel' isn’t all melancholy by any means – and is matched by Justin Peck’s balletic choreography, by turns fluid and rigorous."
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"'Carousel' has such a glorious score that the music always shines bright — even in a revival as wobbly as the one now on Broadway...Director Jack O’Brien hasn’t discovered anything fresh and exciting...Henry and Mueller are thrilling singers...But elsewhere their characterizations are one-note. And the two don’t spark intense chemistry needed to make the doomed romance believable...Looks-wise, this staging cries out for cohesion and a concept to make something more than just run-of-the-mill."
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"Henry shows off the exceptionally beautiful voice of a genuine actor-singer, a voice that while warm and mellow, can also soar with joy and tremble in despair. Director Jack O’Brien has given us a conventional production of 'Carousel,' in the sense of a show that takes no risks but preserves and protects all the original values of a great American musical...In addition to the eye-and-ear-popping Henry, Jessie Mueller is enchanting."
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