STAGE REVIEW : This Go-Round of ‘Carousel’ Is a Classic Spin

“Carousel” is still a heartbreaker.

It is Starlight Musical Theatre’s fourth go-round for this 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, but the story of the out-of-work carnival barker, Billy Bigelow, who commits an ill-fated robbery in a misguided attempt to provide for his pregnant wife, is as poignant as ever.

The show is an update of “Liliom” by Ferenc Molnar, and is set in a fictional late-19th Century New England fishing town.

But “Carousel” can be transposed to fit anyplace where people are desperate and poor and vulnerable to predatory influences.

That’s the feeling that emanates from the emotionally charged staging by Don and Bonnie Ward, the company’s co-artistic directors.

The Wards went for operatic casting and the voices here, especially of Rodney Gilfrey as Billy and Rita Baretta as his wife, Julie, are impeccable.

Gilfrey’s Billy Bigelow is more than a charismatic face with a deep, rich voice. He is a tough guy with a swagger. Which makes his underlying vulnerability all the more wrenching. When he sings “Soliloquy,” in which he wonders what it would be like to be a father, all the longing and loneliness of his upbringing come through like waves crashing against cliffs.

If Billy’s soft, bewildered heart is hidden under rough edges, Baretta’s Julie possesses tensile strength under a veil of softness.

More than a beautiful face with a beautiful voice, Baretta makes us believe that Julie is not a fool for loving Billy; she is not blind to his limitations, and she knows the story won’t end well. But she loves him anyway--for an ineffable, shimmering quality in his heart that she sees better than he does himself.

The only real disappointments in this lyrical production are the costumes by Tara and two of the dance numbers by Francelle Fuller.

Tara’s costumes are pretty--too much so for this tale. Billy’s clothes and those of the men in general are fine, but as is characteristic of Carousel productions, the women, who are meant to be poor to working-class, are all primly and spotlessly dressed enough to go to a garden party.

Accentuating the unnaturalness of fine clothes is Francelle Fuller’s inappropriate dance design for chorus numbers such as “June is Bustin’ Out All Over” and ‘A Real Nice Clambake.”

Instead of having the community come to life through the dance numbers, Fuller goes for a generic look in which everyone lines up, puts on grins and just taps their toes.

The silliness of this staging is in sharp contrast to the understated eloquence of this production’s ballet numbers, with the opening carnival pantomime choreographed originally by Agnes De Mille as the high point. The opening pantomime tells us everything we need to know about all the characters.

But the uniformly excellent cast rises above even the nonsense numbers.

Under Lloyd Cooper’s musical direction, the voices do justice to what may well be Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most exquisite score. And, for once, Bill Lewis’ sound design projects without an excessive amount of microphone static.

Stacey Scotte, as Julie’s best friend, and Dennis A. McNeil as the comically pompous fisherman she marries, bring a touching counterpoint to the Julie and Billy story.

William Nolan strikes the right, dark chord as Jigger, the parasitic rogue who preys upon Billy’s fear for his family while leading him astray.

Elmarie Wendel plays the carnival owner who will hire Billy--for a price--a character with her own desperate agenda, and not a caricature.

Mark Morton’s sets are simple but effective, with the gaily colored carnival scene the crowning glory of it all.

Barbara Dubois’ lighting moves smoothly from this world to the next, where the dead Billy Bigelow pleads for one more day back on Earth to try to help his daughter.

The planes, which must be mentioned in every Starlight Bowl review, still roar overhead throughout the performance, making the action freeze at odd moments.

But, whether the freezes are less numerous in ‘Carousel” or only seem so because the story makes one forget the distractions, this critic can’t quite tell.

One thing is for certain, though. This fine production of “Carousel” reminds us of the virtue of keeping some classics alive, even while we applaud Starlight’s campaign to include some newer musicals in its schedule.

“CAROUSEL”

Richard Rodgers. Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Based on “Liliom” by Ferenc Molnar as adapted by Benjamin Glaser. Original choreography by Agnes De Mille. Directed by Don and Bonnie Ward. Music director/conductor is Lloyd Cooper. Choreography by Francelle Fuller. Sets by Mark Morton. Costumes by Tara. Choral direction by Fred Rigby. Lighting by Barbara Dubois. Sound by Bill Lewis. Technical direction by Larry Kane. Stage manager is Brett Finley. With Rodney Gilfrey, Rita Baretta, Dennis A. McNeil, Stacey Scotte, Jacquelyn Giles, William Nolan, Elmarie Wendel, Tracy Ray Collins and Gordon Benson. At 8 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday through Aug. 12. At the Starlight Bowl, Balboa Park, (619) 544-STAR.