Judi Herman identifies with Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s reimagined setting of their summer musical
The life-affirming lyrics and poignant tune of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ made it the anthem of Liverpool FC. Its adoption by the club chimes with Timothy Sheader’s reimagining of Carousel in a tight-knit British fishing community, rather than the coastal Maine of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s original.
It feels all the more inclusive because the exact location is unspecified and cast members use a variety of accents, their own or as required by character. Charlotte Riby’s full-blooded Mrs Mullin, unsympathetic owner of the titular carousel, could be a Londoner; Craig Armstrong's scary Jigger, the unscrupulous whaler whose murderous plans trigger the downfall of penniless out-of-work fairground barker Billy Bigelow, sounds Geordie born and bred, though Armstrong hails from Bedfordshire. That both these terrific performers are understudies, thanks to required self-isolation, underlines the robustness of Sheader’s new setting, and of his versatile company.
From the get-go, the brass band playing ‘The Carousel Waltz’ conjures the north of England as they traverse the central revolve of Tom Scutt’s simple raked circular set. The powerful chorus are dressed for the labouring life in workers’ jeans, skirts and shirts in practical browns and beiges (costume designer Molly Einchcomb), equally suited to Drew McOnie’s vigorous, eloquent choreography. Meeting them on a rare day off for fairground outings, complete with children clutching balloons and soft toys, takes the audience to the heart of their community.
The brass band joins the music ensemble, nestling behind Scutt's revolve, to play conductor Tom Deering’s mould-breaking orchestrations of the score. In the programme he cites his passion for the rich diversity of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper's album as his inspiration for arrangements that are character-specific rather than homogenised.
On these firm foundations, Sheader’s company builds the story of domestic abuse, based on Hungarian-Jewish writer Ferenc Molnár’s 1909 play Liliom, uncovering its continuing power to shock. Although the storytelling allows some sympathy for Bigelow, it fully condemns his violent behaviour towards his new wife, millworker Julie Jordan. Equally, why she might cleave to a man who lashes out in frustration against his situation is carefully explored. Carly Bawden’s big-voiced, heartbreakingly tender Julie and Declan Bennett’s explosive Billy are perfectly matched. Their yearning duet ‘If I Loved You’ is an early highlight, anticipating the fragility of their chances of happiness.
The parallel might-have-been story of a marriage that does work is embodied by Christina Modestou’s cheerfully affectionate (Welsh) Carrie Pipperidge, Julie’s bestie and fellow millworker, excitedly announcing her engagement in the delicious ‘When I Marry Mister Snow’. John Pfumojena’s ambitious Enoch Snow is a delight, picturing their future as a prosperous married couple enjoying downtime ‘When the Children Are Asleep.’
Joanna Riding’s Nettie Fowler – Julie’s cousin who takes her in when she is pregnant and alone – is a wonderfully warm stage presence, as magnificently upbeat celebrating ‘June is Bustin’ Out All Over’ as she is comforting and tender in that anthem to hope, togetherness and endurance.
The climax dream sequence, where years later the angel-like ‘Starkeeper’ grants Billy a day back on earth to try to make good with his now teenage daughter, gets a telling makeover, reimagined as a supernatural chorus of females reminiscent of The Fates.
As summer showers fell on actors and audience alike, Riding’s words, “walk on through the rain”, seemed especially apt and embracing.
By Judi Herman
Photos by Johan Persson
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel runs until Saturday 25 September. 7.30pm, 2.15pm (Sat & Thu from 7 Aug). £25-£65. Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, NW1 4NU. openairtheatre.com