"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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