Herald & Review (Decatur, IL)
October 7, 1995
Section: Life
Page: C8
‘Carousel’ a long, lavish ride
Review
Theresa Churchill
DECATUR -Drama moves center stage with Millikin University’s lavish, artistic production of “Carousel.”
What it lacks in intimacy, staged on the Kirkland Fine Arts Center’s cavernous stage, the production makes up for with energy -not to mention elegant music, choreography and sets.
The 1873 New England fishing village where the story takes place, is grand in scale and rich in detail. A dimly lit factory suddenly gives way in the opening scene to the bright lights of a carnival, complete with a curtained stage for the dancing girls and (you guessed it) a working carousel.
Populating this circus are more people than the eye can track -a juggler, sword swallower, cotton candy vendor, a carousel barker, an acrobat, some sailors and a group of girls from the cotton mill looking for a bit of excitement.
One of them, Julie Jordan, finds her heart’s desire in the tall, blond barker who lifts her onto her carousel horse.
As Julie, senior Kate Dawson of Champaign brings great feeling and a remarkably beautiful voice to her role as the kind-hearted mill worker.
Matching her emotion, if not her extraordinary singing, is senior Joshua Edwards of Chicago as the barker, Billy Bigelow. Cocky when they meet, he loses the best part of himself when he abandons his job for her.
Supporting players are equally strong. They include senior Jessica Wright of Green Bay, Wis., who plays Julie’s best friend Carrie with humor and sings sweetly about her husband-to-be; senior Tim S. Howard of Illiopolis, who amusingly portrays Carrie’s straight-laced betrothed; senior Mike Meyer of Franklin, Wis., whose goatee makes him look the part of the pirate, and senior Alison Ewing of Decatur, who belts out the musical’s most famous song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Their classic voices don’t always do justice to the meaning of their songs, but they blend superbly with the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra on the Rodgers and Hammerstein score.
The production also features original dances by Agnes deMille; indeed, three lengthy numbers are devoted entirely to dance. It’s mostly ballet, but there’s a dash of tap thrown in here and there.
Multi-level set pieces allow the choreography to fill the stage, both vertically and horizontally, with more than two dozen dancers at times.
But what really sets the show apart is its emphasis on the drama. Unlike many productions of “Carousel,” which edit heavily because of the musical’s length, the dialogue and songs are played out in full.
This attention to each and every aspect causes the production to run nearly three hours long. Some theatergoers might be bothered, but with quality like this, take this advice: Make a point of stretching your legs at intermission and think about how you’re really getting your money’s worth.
That is, if you find yourself thinking about anything but the magnificent show unfolding before you.
‘Carousel’
Principal characters
Julie Jordan...Kate Dawson
Billy Bigelow..Joshua Edwards
Carrie Pipperidge..........Jessica Wright
Enoch Snow...Tim S. Howard
Jigger Craigin...Mike Meyer
Nettie Fowler...Alison Ewing
Crew
Director.Lauren Winslow-Kearns
Musical director..Kenneth Lee
Conductor...Paul Christman
Set design..Barbara Mangrum
Lighting......Liming Tang
Costumes....Beth Emerson
Makeup..Amy Kahne-Dickinson
Presented by Millikin University at Kirkland Fine Arts Center. Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes. Remaining performances are 8 p.m. today and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8. Tickets are $6 for the public and $5 for senior citizens at the Kirkland box office, 424-6318.
October 7, 1995
Section: Life
Page: C8
‘Carousel’ a long, lavish ride
Review
Theresa Churchill
DECATUR -Drama moves center stage with Millikin University’s lavish, artistic production of “Carousel.”
What it lacks in intimacy, staged on the Kirkland Fine Arts Center’s cavernous stage, the production makes up for with energy -not to mention elegant music, choreography and sets.
The 1873 New England fishing village where the story takes place, is grand in scale and rich in detail. A dimly lit factory suddenly gives way in the opening scene to the bright lights of a carnival, complete with a curtained stage for the dancing girls and (you guessed it) a working carousel.
Populating this circus are more people than the eye can track -a juggler, sword swallower, cotton candy vendor, a carousel barker, an acrobat, some sailors and a group of girls from the cotton mill looking for a bit of excitement.
One of them, Julie Jordan, finds her heart’s desire in the tall, blond barker who lifts her onto her carousel horse.
As Julie, senior Kate Dawson of Champaign brings great feeling and a remarkably beautiful voice to her role as the kind-hearted mill worker.
Matching her emotion, if not her extraordinary singing, is senior Joshua Edwards of Chicago as the barker, Billy Bigelow. Cocky when they meet, he loses the best part of himself when he abandons his job for her.
Supporting players are equally strong. They include senior Jessica Wright of Green Bay, Wis., who plays Julie’s best friend Carrie with humor and sings sweetly about her husband-to-be; senior Tim S. Howard of Illiopolis, who amusingly portrays Carrie’s straight-laced betrothed; senior Mike Meyer of Franklin, Wis., whose goatee makes him look the part of the pirate, and senior Alison Ewing of Decatur, who belts out the musical’s most famous song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Their classic voices don’t always do justice to the meaning of their songs, but they blend superbly with the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra on the Rodgers and Hammerstein score.
The production also features original dances by Agnes deMille; indeed, three lengthy numbers are devoted entirely to dance. It’s mostly ballet, but there’s a dash of tap thrown in here and there.
Multi-level set pieces allow the choreography to fill the stage, both vertically and horizontally, with more than two dozen dancers at times.
But what really sets the show apart is its emphasis on the drama. Unlike many productions of “Carousel,” which edit heavily because of the musical’s length, the dialogue and songs are played out in full.
This attention to each and every aspect causes the production to run nearly three hours long. Some theatergoers might be bothered, but with quality like this, take this advice: Make a point of stretching your legs at intermission and think about how you’re really getting your money’s worth.
That is, if you find yourself thinking about anything but the magnificent show unfolding before you.
‘Carousel’
Principal characters
Julie Jordan...Kate Dawson
Billy Bigelow..Joshua Edwards
Carrie Pipperidge..........Jessica Wright
Enoch Snow...Tim S. Howard
Jigger Craigin...Mike Meyer
Nettie Fowler...Alison Ewing
Crew
Director.Lauren Winslow-Kearns
Musical director..Kenneth Lee
Conductor...Paul Christman
Set design..Barbara Mangrum
Lighting......Liming Tang
Costumes....Beth Emerson
Makeup..Amy Kahne-Dickinson
Presented by Millikin University at Kirkland Fine Arts Center. Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes. Remaining performances are 8 p.m. today and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8. Tickets are $6 for the public and $5 for senior citizens at the Kirkland box office, 424-6318.
Copyright, 1995, Herald & Review, Decatur, IL