Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: Southbank Centre, London
Cast: Jamie Muscato, Christine Allado, Rebecca Caine, Ahmed Hamad, Sophie Isaacs, David Mildon, Tim Prottey-Jones and Verity Quade
Climb aboard and let yourself be whisked away for a night of magic and breath-taking music from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s timeless classic. The tale of hope, redemption and the power of love comes to the Royal Festival Hall for a one-night-only concert.
The entrancing musical score features the hit songs ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, ‘Mister Snow’ and ‘If I Loved You’, which made the musical Time magazine’s choice of best musical of the 20th century.
When it comes to musical concerts, Lambert Jackson Productions never disappoint, and the concert of Carousel last night may just have been the best one yet. Having known very little about the story of Carousel, I went into the production fairly blind and came away thinking it was not just the best show of the year, but perhaps one of my favourite of all time. Sometimes theatre transcends into more than just a mere performance on stage, and last night we were whisked away into something that was so good, it felt almost ethereal and otherworldly at times.
Musical concerts tend to attract the highest calibre of casts and this concert was no different, with West End stars leading the cast such as Jamie Muscato, Christine Allado, Rebecca Caine and Sophie Isaacs.
Carousel was first performed back in 1945 and is based on the 1909 play from Ferenc Molnár's, Liliom. The story follows fairground worker, Billy Bigelow, who quickly falls into a relationship with millworker, Julie Jordan. When both become jobless and expectant of a baby, Billy turns to crime to find the funds for his unborn child. The hopeful love story quickly turns into one of tragedy and despair...
Under the direction of Emma Butler, you can tell the undivided care and attention that has gone into this production. Adam Hoskins doubles as the musical director and the conductor, and the sheer joy that was oozing from him throughout the performance was infectious.
As for the cast themselves, I'm unsure as to whether there's been a more talented group of people in one place before. In the past seven years I've been fortunate enough to see Jamie Muscato in everything that he's done, and his performance as Billy Bigelow was the standout of his career for me so far. His outstanding vocals paired with his incredible acting made for the performance of a lifetime which moved me to tears several times. Particularly during "Porch Scene (Reprise: If I Loved You)" and "Soliloquy" where you could hear the sounds of tissues being distributed all around.
Other highlights of the evening included, "June is Bustin' Out All Over", "You'll Never Walk Alone", and Sophie Isaacs' misty-eyed performance of "Mister Snow". I'm a huge fan of Sophie Isaacs, so to see her back on stage in such a dreamy production was simply wonderful.
As it was a one-night concert, the staging and props were minimalistic, and instead of any kind of costumes, the cast were in their best clothes for the evening. While it was an interesting choice for a musical focused around poverty, it did little to distract from the talent on stage.
As far as musical concerts go, Carousel has exceeded anything I've ever seen before, and I think it'll be unbeatable for the foreseeable future. I'd love nothing more than a staged production because this musical deserves its time back in the West End. A true reminder of the timeless classic from the geniuses that are Rodgers and Hammerstein.
You can find out more about this production of Carousel, here.
**photography by Danny Kaan**
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