Whether you love the prancing
ponies, the stately giraffes, the manly lions or the cavorting zebras, there is
much to love about the musical amusement enjoyed by children and adults
alike. No matter if you call them
flying horses, roundabout, calliope or merry-go-round, the carousel provides
minutes of magical fun with every spin.
To explore these gallopers
and horse ballets, plan a trip to the New England Carousel Museum located at 95
Riverside Avenue in Bristol to see rooms of antique wooden horses as well as
ponies being lovingly restored to their former glory. Stop at the Bushnell Park Carousel in Hartford to ride the
hand-carved horses that date back to 1914. This ride for $1 is one of the 200 that remain today from
the 6000 that were built between 1890 and 1930 in this country.
These diversions are simply
to put you in the proper state to fully enjoy the majesty of Rodgers and
Hammerstein’s glorious musical “Carousel” offering magical rides at Goodspeed
Musicals in East Haddam, now extended to Saturday, September 29.
Pick out your favorite
painted pony and climb aboard the merry-go-round with sweetly naïve Julie
Jordan, beautifully and sensitively portrayed by Erin Davie. The brash, boastful and belligerent
carnival barker Billy Bigelow, captured with strength and boldness by James
Snyder, finds himself giving the brass ring to Julie as well as his heart.
Billy soon discovers he is
being pulled in a trio of conflicting directions: forward to Julie and
marriage, back to his boss Mrs. Mullin (Deanne Lorette) who owns the carousel
and is jealous of Julie and sideways to an old whaling buddy Jigger (Tally
Sessions) who has crime and fast cash on his mind.
While Julie and Billy
struggle to stay sure footed on the rocky New England shore, Julie’s best
friend Carrie, an adorable and pert Jenn Gambatese, enjoys a star-blessed
courtship with the steady and industrious fisherman Mr. Snow, a proper and
gentlemanly Jeff Kready. The
helpful influences of the mill owner Mr. Bascombe (Jonathan Rayson) and Julie’s
Aunt Nettie (Anne Kanengeiser) are not strong enough to prevent the inevitable
tragedy.
Swirling around the story,
set in the late 1800’s, are stirring songs like “If I Loved You,” “June is
Bustin’ Out All Over,” “A Fine
Clambake” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Billy is given a chance for redemption when he is sent down from heaven
by the Starkeeper (Ronn Carroll) to meet his daughter Louise (Eloise Kropp),
now 15, who has never known him or felt his love.
Rob Ruggiero wraps this
wonderful musical with wonder in his direction. It has been hailed by Time
Magazine as the “Best Musical of the Twentieth Century,” called their favorite
collaboration by the composers and termed his most beloved musical by Richard
Rodgers.
For tickets ($ ), call Goodspeed Musicals,
on the Connecticut River in East Haddam at 860-873-8668 or online at www.goodspeed.org. Performances are Wednesday at 2 p.m.
and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (and select days at 2 p.m.), Friday at 8
p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. (and select days at
6:30 p.m.).
From the first moment the
carousel magically spins, follow Julie and Billy across earth and heaven to
find and express their love.
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