LATEST NEWS

I too can't wait to see Hugh Jackman do Carousel on screen. Fantastic. He's the only proper singer in Hollywood at the moment. But who will play the part of Julie Jordan. There are no Shirley Jones's around these days it would seem. She was the quintessential Julie, and her lyric soprano perfect for the role. I can't think of a single actress who would appear to have a voice remotely suited, but there must be hundreds of so far unknowns. Maybe a trawl of university students doing singing as their main subject would be a good idea, or even a BBC "How to solve a problem like Maria" competition which produced Connie Fisher who currently reigns supreme on the London stage as Maria Von Trapp in The Sound of Music.

Happy to see that a re-make of this musical play is underway. The 1956 film version, debased because it was told largely in flashbacks, certainly has done nothing for the play's reputation. That said, I still feel that this is probably the one Rodgers and Hammerstein play that belonged exclusively on the stage. Its somber tragic themes certainly didn't endear itself with 1950's film audiences, though the glorious score remained its major charm.

First of all, there are several ways to interpret these roles. The approach is the result of many styles of acting, and particular the style of Musical Theater of 50 years ago. This was a different form than the theatrical acting style that preceeded it in earlier generations, and styles continue to evolve with each succeeding generation. Yet they do have some common elements based on the standards established by those performers who originated the roles. To say that the performances of Gordon McCrea and Howard Keel are "stiff" is not qualified for a number of reasons. First of all, both gentlemen enjoyed a successful career in a succession of major musicals based on their particular talents that encompassed singing and acting of the Musical Comedy variety. Howard Keel, as an example was discovered in the London production of OKLAHOMA! in the late 1940s and was signed to an MGM contract as a result of this. Gordon McCrea had a similar run in the Warner Brothers' musicals of the 1950s, many times teamed with Doris Day. It should be realized that film studio Talent Scouts certainly knew what they were doing whenever the engaged performers for their respective studios. The nature of the acting first of all is dictated by the medium worked in. Film acting is more subtle than theatrical acting since the camera is up closer and the image of the performers is magnified 1000 times. What appears to be "stiff" is a performace that is drastically subdued when seen on a television screen. So if the appraisal of the acting is based on seeing the films on television, this is an inaccurate standard of measurement. The fact that these gentlemen had such a run in successful musical films is due to the fact that their personalities came off of the screen and reached the audience. Therefore it is the medium that defines the quality of the "acting." And let us not forget that these people also had directors who determined what was a good performance and guided them through the process. I have seen samples of Hugh Jackman's performance in OKLAHOMA!. While is it a remarkable performance, he seems misdirected for the type of material he is working with. OKLAHOMA! is a light, comical/dramatic musical. The acting is staged as if it were a serious, dramatic play. As such there are moments of comedy that are lost due to this approach. Perhaps it was forgotten that this story takes place 102 years ago, and the people were a lot simplier, and less sophisticated in their attitudes and understandings. It is the simplicity and lack of complication that makes the musical so much fun. Aside from my appraisal, others I've spoken with agreed that Mr. Jackman's singing performance was certainly noteworthy, but the rest of the acting was wrong for the material to the extent that they found the show a bit boring and the characters not consistently believable for the reasons cited.

I can't wait to see this! I've been a huge Jackman stage fan for years...I nominate Kristin Chenoweth for the role of Julie! Girl could get it done.

I vote for Amy Adams. She is the most talented actress,singer in movies these days. She has the theatre background. She would be perfect!!

Aside from anything else, can't anyone spell Gordon MacRae's name correctly?

Perfect cast for Carousel, How's this Hugh Jackman as Billy, Amanda Seyfred as Julie Amy Adams as Carrie Jack Black as Mr Snow Catherine Zeta Jones as Mrs Mullins Meryl Streep as Aunt Nettie Dennis Underwood as the starkeeper, that's me