ABOUT THE MUSICAL

 

Voted the best musical of the 20th Century by Time Magazine, Carousel is the classic American musical, with a timeless score that includes the songs If I Loved You, June Is Bustin’ Out All Over and the iconic You’ll Never Walk Alone. This imaginative interpretation from Morphic Graffiti illuminates the immediacy of this heart lifting story; the belief in forgiveness and the power of the human spirit.

When mill worker Julie Jordan falls for the masculine charms of Billy Bigelow, a chain of events unravels that suggests their destiny is predetermined by the hand of fate. Set on the New England coastline, against the backdrop of the Great Depression, this reimagining of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel charts a story of recklessness, regret and redemption.

 

CAST &CREATIVE

 

                               

Mr. Bascombe/Starkeeper/Doctor Seldon - Paul Hutton 

Billy Bigelow - Tim Rogers 

Carrie Pipperidge - Vicki Lee Taylor

Mrs. Mullin - Valerie Cutko 

Captain/Carnival Boy - Anton Fosh 

Nettie Fowler -  Amanda Minihan 

Enoch Snow - Joel Montague

Jigger Craigin - Richard Kent -

Arminy/Firebreather - Charlotte Gale 

1st Heavenly Friend/Acrobat - Katrina Dix 

Policeman/2nd Heavenly Friend/Acrobat -Joseph Connor 

Louise - Susanna Porter 

Enoch Snow Jr. - Michael Carolan       

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Producer - Morphic Graffiti

Director - Luke Fredericks

Musical Supervisor - Larry Blank 

Creative Consultant - Kim Poster

Musical Director - Andrew Corcoran 

Choreographer - Lee Proud 

Orchestrator - Mark Cumberland

Set and Costume Design - Stewart Charlesworth 

 

QUOTES & REVIEWS

 

Reviews for Morphic Graffiti's CAROUSEL:

"Stewart Charlesworth’s fluid and playful design of both set and costumes is ingenious"

"The ensemble makes such a mellifluous sound, headed confidently by the three outstanding leads"

★★★★★ Evening Standard

"A stunning evening"

"This revelatory fringe production reveals haunting new textures in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s richly patterned tapestry of life and romance"

"Performances of aching sincerity and wonderment"

★★★★★ The Stage

"Morphic Graffiti's intimate and thoroughly sensitive production not only shows incredible creativity, but also manages to unearth a simple honesty and rawness which cements it as a definitive reworking and a necessary addition to the London fringe."

"thoroughly respectful and sensitive re-imagining of this classic show"

★★★★★ LondonTheatre.co.uk

"Everything about Fredericks’s production pulsates with intelligence and focus"

★★★★★ The Telegraph

"A first class lesson in how to reinvigorate a show for a fresh audience"

"Seductive, bold and spine-tinglingly emotional"

★★★★★ So So Gay

"A company that drips with perfection"

"Luke Fredericks has fashioned a production of flawless technique and artistic excellence"

★★★★★ Jonathan Baz Reviews

"The supremely talented ensemble cast hit all the right notes"

★★★★ TimeOut

"A pint-sized powerhouse of a show thanks to some zippy direction and effervescent choreography"

★★★★ WhatsOnStage

"Lee Proud’s choreography is thrilling throughout"

"Tim Rogers is the perfect Billy"

★★★★ The Public Reviews

"The two leads are magnificently cast"

★★★★ Entertainment Focus

"Gemma Sutton shines in the role of Julie Jordan"

★★★★ West End Wilma

"Morphic Graffiti are fast establishing themselves as a mainstay of London musical theatre: they are definitely one to watch"

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Morphic Graffiti’s production for the Arcola Theatre takes the inspired liberty of shifting the setting forward almost half a century, so the narrative begins in the American depression and concludes as the Second World War is ending…. Everything about Fredericks’s production pulsates with intelligence and focus, from the women’s limp homemade dresses, to the dangerous energy of Lee Proud’s choreography, in which festivity constantly trembles on the edge of violent chaos. The result is an emotional wringer of a revival. Spirited, funny and achingly sad, it finds every nuance of tenderness and danger in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic, and expresses them as though for the very first time. Jane Shilling

The Telegraph ★★★★★

 

This revelatory fringe production reveals haunting new textures in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s richly patterned tapestry of life and romance among millworkers, fairground staff and fishermen in Maine. That’s partly thanks to a gentle timeshift - the action has been relocated from the 1870s to the 1930s, which puts the show in a more recognisable and tangible past - but mainly thanks to the thrilling intimacy of Luke Fredericks’ beautiful production at the Arcola. … performances of aching sincerity and wonderment from Gemma Sutton and Vicki Lee Taylor as the two millworker friends whose marital lives have such different outcomes. Tim Rogers gives a stunning account of Billy Bigelow’s Soliloquy that reveals the tender heart behind the troubled man. A terrific five-strong band, led from the piano by Andrew Corcoran with a rich harp provided by Alex Thomas, adds musical muscle to a stunning evening. Mark Shenton