Carousel

It has been many years since I saw a production of this musical, with so many societies leaning towards more modern shows it was a refreshing change to see a classic. And Trinity Music and Drama do the classics well.

 

On entering the auditorium the breathtaking set, complete with beautiful moving carousel, had the audience talking. It really was magical, delicately lit before bursting into life during the overture. As the music started the large cast gradually entered the stage to join the fun of the fair. I should mention the excellent costumes and wigs here as they were so good I was immediately able to identify who was who amongst the principal roles, they were all perfectly fitting of their characters.

 

This is a complex score from Rodgers & Hammerstein and in the wrong hands can be hard going if not handled sympathetically by the performers and musicians but for the most part it was done well. Trinity are well known for producing a beautiful sound and have many excellent singers amongst the society. In particular we were treated to effortless vocals from Soprano Kayleigh McEvoy who gave a lovely portrayal as Julie Jordan.

 

Steve Patient gave a strong performance as Billy Bigelow. Probably one of the most difficult male roles in musical theatre to pull off, he had some nice moments. I enjoyed Kayleigh and Steve’s rendition of “If I Loved You”. His challenging soliloquy at the end of Act 1 had some timing issues but given it’s length and complexity this is hardly surprising.

 

Anna Dunn made a very sweet Carrie Pipperidge and provided some light relief alongside David Phillips’ likeable Enoch Snow. Their children in adorable sailor outfits looked delightful, drawing “aahs” from the audience.

 

Janet Moore was vocally brilliant as Nettie Fowler. Giving us soaring renditions of two of the most well known songs from the show. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was the stand out number of the evening.

 

In supporting roles Paul Osborne (Jigger) and Anita Hall (Mrs Mullin) both gave confident performances. But it was Martha Carmichael who really shone as Louise. Martha is a beautiful dancer with the most expressive face. Certainly a young lady to watch for the future.

 

The ensemble all did very well and I could see everyone was sure of their words and were singing out and I could hear some effective harmonies throughout. Choreography was simple and so I was a little disappointed to see it was often not in sync. But this may have been down to limited space during the big numbers with so many people on stage. I’m sure first night nerves also played a part in this and it will no doubt improve as the week progresses. The cast did largely seem to struggle with the Maine accent, it is a tricky one! I admit to being a stickler for consistency with accents and it is something I regularly comment on in my reports. I would like to see equal effort with accents in dialogue as well as vocals. At times the singing did become very “English” so just something to work on in the future. Having said that I very much enjoyed how animated every single person in the Company was, without exception it was wonderful to see how each performer had created a character for themselves. Very well done. At this point I would also like to mention an ensemble member who caught the eye of myself and my guest. Jessica Beacon really stood out every time she was on stage. I believe this is her first show with Trinity and I hope she continues to perform with the group, I have a feeling we will be seeing great things from her!

 

MD Gerald Hindes was clearly working very hard in the pit to keep his band of 16 together and in time with the performers on stage. At times the musicians did sound somewhat tentative and there appeared to be some intonation issues which was a little distracting. But Gerald did exceptionally well to move the pace of the music along when needed.

 

As mentioned at the beginning the set was beautiful and made even more effective by pretty lighting effects. I particularly loved the slow falling of the blossom in Act 1. Props were also excellent. Well done to all involved in creating such a visually stunning piece.

 

There aren’t many scene changes in this production and the ones there were could have been a little quicker and less noisy. There were a few mis-timed calls it seemed when changing the backdrops and at one point there was quite a lengthy black out which could have benefited from some additional music to fill the time. But these things happen, particularly on opening nights and tend to sort themselves during the week. Sound was very well balanced with only some minimal late mic cues.

 

Overall this was a lovely production filled with heart and an understanding of the story being told. I truly hope Trinity continue to bring the classics to life as they do it so well.

 

Thank you to the friendly front of house team who go out of their way to look after me. It is always a pleasure to to come and see one of your shows and I am already looking forward to the next.

 

 

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