BWW Reviews: Mesa Encore Theatre's CAROUSEL Wins The Brass Ring

Mesa Encore Theatre is celebrating the 70th Anniversary of Rodgers and Hammerstein's CAROUSEL with a delightful and dazzling production, directed by Philip Fazio and Sarah Wolter and featuring standout acting and singing performances by Brenda Jean Foley as Julie Jordan, Joseph Cannon as Billy Bigelow, Alanna Kalbfleisch as Carrie Pepperidge, and Harmon Swartz as Enoch Snow.

From the opening Carousel Waltz, regaling the stage with all the wonders and merriment of a carnival to the emotional finale, promising hope and redemption, this show radiates with the brilliance of finely-tuned collaboration and superb acting. Like the shades of the sunset that illumine the stage, the music and moods of the story shift from clambake joy to waterfront desperation. Like the symbolic clock without hands, time on the New England coast seems to stop and we are transfixed by the glories and tragedies of love.

Billy Bigelow is the prototypical bully with the veneer of a tough guy compensating for the wounds and abuses of his early life. He may want to do right, but wrong seems to be his steady companion. Julie catches his eye only to have her eye eventually catch his fist. Their relationship, evolving (or devolving) from a wistful and tender exchange (If I Loved You) to an abusive marriage contrasts markedly with the burgeoning love of her best friend Carrie with the herring fisherman, Enoch Snow (When the Children Are Asleep).

I must say again that Ms. Foley and Ms. Kalbfleisch are exemplary in their performances, capturing in both expression and vocals the essence of their characters. Likewise, Mr. Cannon skillfully unwraps the tensions that eat as his character's soul and, with a powerhouse voice, manifests both the swagger and vulnerability of Billy Bigelow.

As much as Billy may want to go straight and relishes the thought of fatherhood (Billy), his course, under the influence of his felonious buddy Jigger, goes crooked, and, in a heist that goes awry, Billy stabs himself.

As Julie mourns his death, her cousin Nettie consoles her. It's a most memorable and moving moment when Carrie Klofach sings the classic You'll Never Walk Alone.

Billy's almost heavenly spirit, in a deal with the Starkeeper (Daniel Marburger) observes Louise, his now-teenage daughter, lonely and embittered, jilted just as he had abandoned her mother. In an evocative and inspired ballet, Jacqueline Brecker (Louise) and Connor Wince (Carnival Boy), dance the dance of unrequited love. It is poetry in motion!

Billy can seal his deal, heal his child's wound, and uplift her spirit in a fleeting moment of redemption by bestowing upon her ~ and Julie, too ~ a message of deliverance as the attendees at Louise's graduation reprise You'll Never Walk Alone.

The singing and acting are divine. The entire ensemble is a spirited and seamless whole. Jeff Davis and Jackson Potts' lighting effects are exquisite. Jennifer Cafarella's choreography is sublime.

Mr. Fazio and Ms. Wolter have borne a hit and won the brass ring! Kudos for a four-star achievement!

CAROUSEL runs through March 22nd at Mesa Arts Center.

Photo credit to Alastair Gamble

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