REVIEW: Carousel, Farnworth Performing Arts Company

TALENTED members of Farnworth Performing Arts Company were in fine voice for the opening night of a Rodgers and Hammerstein classic.

Set in a Maine coastal village towards the end of the 19th century, Carousel tells the story of swaggering, carefree carnival barker, Billy Bigelow, who captivates and marries naive Julie Jordan.

Their romance comes at the cost of both their jobs so he attempts a robbery to provide for Julie and their unborn child and, after it goes wrong, he is given a chance to make things right.

Katy Clayton is a delight to watch as kind-hearted and loving Julie, with a sweet voice to match her character’s nature. She performs several numbers with ease, including Mister Snow and If I Loved You.

Sam Cain puts in a solid performance as rogue and ladies’ man Billy, who has never learned to deal with anyone - especially those he loves - with anything other than violence.

His strong and deep vocals are perfect for the songs including his duet with Katy and sing-a-long with the fellas, Blow High, Blow Low.

Natalie Crompton is fantastic as Carrie Pipperidge, Julie’s best friend, bringing comedy to the musical as well as her superb vocals.

Her character’s relationship with traditional Enoch Snow, a fisherman and would-be tycoon played by Ivor Farley, is a stark contrast to that of Julie and Billy's.

There is good support from Sharron Knott, as Nettie Fowler, who sings the show’s most famous song – You’ll Never Walk Alone – and Dean Simons, as Jigger Craigin, a good-for-nothing sailor who leads Billy to ruin.

There is a lovely ensemble performance to June Is Bustin’ Out All Over and it was nice to see a mix of young and older actors on stage dancing to choreography by Susan Crosby. 

Harriet Dean, who plays Louise Bigelow, displays her dance talents during a sequence where she meets Carnival Boy, danced by Connor Parkinson.

The drama and intensity of the scene of the robbery was lost slightly due to microphone problems and actions on stage being out of sync with the sound but the cast soon recovered the pace.

A skilled orchestra, under the musical direction of David Wilson, plays the lively score for the show, which is directed by Rob Margolis and runs until Saturday.