New To Me Musical Monday!
Rather than giving you my favorites for a musical that I know very well - let's talk about one that I didn't really know before this week and one with a story that is...troublesome.
Carousel. Another R&H classic and one that is actually on it's way to another revival with some of my favorites (Jessie Mueller and Joshua Henry. So dreamy.).
I don't know if I've come any closer to having an answer for that after watching the 1956 film with Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae, but I do have a greater appreciation for the mastery of R&H.
A quick synopsis: Julie Jordan and her friend Carrie Pipperidge go to the carousel in their small Maine town and buy tickets for a ride. Julie sees the local carnival barker - Billy Bigelow - and totes likes his barrel-chested, jaunty hat wearing ways. They flirt, he rides the carousel with her, they sing a song about how they don't love each other, but if they DID - I would totally tell you all of the time. And then boom, bang, bing - they are married like two days later. Of course, because they chose to stay out all night together when they first met, Julie and Billy both lose their jobs. The carousel is owned by this crazy lady who's all crazy bones for Billy and well...it's set in 1873 Maine so Julie lived in some house for girls that kicked you out if you broke curfew.
About a month later as the town is prepping for a clambake, Julie's Aunt Nettie confronts her about the hot goss around town saying that Billy hit Julie. Julie totally brushes it off like it wasn't a big deal and attributes it to the pressure of them both being out of work and having to rely on Aunt Nettie's kindness for a place to live. But no one is buying it. Everyone hates Billy B. because he's pugnacious and a total braggart. He's the kind of guy that would be like "You think you're better than me?!?!" and then punch you in the face.
Julie then drops a bomb. She's got a baby Billy bun in the oven. She tells Billy and he starts being all nice and gentle with her and ends up having this nearly 8 minute sing fest about what he thinks being a dad will be like, what kind of kid he'll raise, then - the horror - what if he doesn't have a son?
Anyway - there's a clambake, which Billy ends up attending just so he'll have an alibi to rob this rich mill owner. The robbery goes awry and Billy ends up dying. Julie finally admits that she loved Billy all along, but she was scared that he would think she was dumb for saying it (real healthy relationship there, Jules). Was it a real nice clambake, Julie?
We see Billy up in "heaven" and he's offered the chance to return to Earth for one day and he takes it so he can see his daughter, Louise, who's struggling because of the stupid choices that Billy made when he was alive.
Billy eventually convinces Louise to not run away and join a traveling acting troupe, but not after offering her a star (she doesn't know who he is, so she's like "WTF stranger, I don't want your sparkly thing.") and then slapping her hand when she won't take it. She cries out for her mother and then - the weirdest dialogue in all of history takes place and she says the following:
Louise: But is it possible, Mother, for someone to hit you hard like that - real loud and hard, and it not hurt you at all?
Julie: It is possible dear, for someone to hit you, hit you hard, and it not hurt at all.
That's not a thing! Also, you need some turn of the century therapy.
My first listen through this week was with the 1993 London cast and my initial thoughts were: The music is beautiful, but BILLY BIGELOW IS LITERALLY THE WORST. Stubborn. Manipulative. An abusive brute. WHY is this a character that exists?
But this is the reality for some people and I think holding up a mirror to an abusive relationship at least makes you think. It did leave me feeling kind of confused all week because I don't really know where I fall on this one. Usually when I like a musical - I like it, warts and all. But I think Carousel's warts where the book is concerned are a bit too big and gross to overcome. The music however is probably some of my favorite R&H stuff that I've heard to date and I understand why at least one song (if not multiple) from Carousel makes it onto the Best of R&H albums.
I don't have a full five favorites this week, but below are some of the songs I enjoyed best (also please note that John Raitt was also in the OBC. He's back!).I think my favorite song so far has been "When the Children Are Asleep" - sung by Enoch (which they say E-knock in the movie. Weird.) and Carrie.
"When today is a long time ago you'll still hear me say that the best dream I know is you."
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