Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...by cutting back the chorus, nixing the kids from the show and re-fusing the musical numbers inside the dialog, Newell forges an involving, intimate and provocative musical experience that will show you things about this great American musical you've not experienced."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...Ernestine Jackson brings gravitas and humanity to several crucial roles. Hollis Resnik adds spice as the carousel owner. And the ensemble, whether blissed out after a clambake or gussied up for a status-conscious high school graduation, is fully committed."
Daily Herald
- Highly Recommended
"...Newell reduces the scale, paring the cast to 15 and setting the action on Culbert's nearly bare stage, whose small patch of sand suggests the New England coast. Jacqueline Firkins' plain, sturdy costumes are muted. And the only bright spot, aside from the glittering pony, are Mark McCullough's vivid lights (the carousel's sole physical manifestation) flashing from behind the washed-out, blue-gray slats of wood that make up the upstage wall."
SouthtownStar
- Highly Recommended
"...Mounted in the intimate Court Theatre, the production is the best, most affecting and triumphant version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1956 masterwork to grace a Chicago stage."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Directed by Charles Newell with associate director Hollis Resnik, with musical direction by Doug Peck and choreography by Randy Duncan, this intimate staging succeeds on the strength of textured performances, exquisitely transparent chamber-orchestra arrangements, and—most important—the seamless interplay of speech, song, and dance."
Windy City Times
- Highly Recommended
"...My musical disagreement with Newell may continue in the future, but I lay it aside to praise his achievement with Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel. He and musical director Doug Peck don't go as far as I wish, but more than ever before Newell finds a balance of ideas and feeling and vigorous staging to illuminate the work as he wants, but also to allow its inherent musical emotionalism to sweep the house."
Chicago Free Press
- Somewhat Recommended
"...amidst its jaded look at love, Hammerstein’s book still contains some sharp characterization and some genuine laughs, and Rodgers’s score offers everything from down-home ditties “A Real Nice Clambake” to rousing rallies like “Blow High, Blow Low”—reinterpreted, per Newell’s aims, without the big dance you’d anticipate elsewhere. This approach reaches a high point during the show’s emotional climax: When Ernestine Jackson delivers “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” she earns every ounce of pathos. The rest of the cast, meanwhile, also work some magic, winning as much sympathy as they can for largely unsympathetic characters, and Jessie Mueller’s fresh-breeze performance as Carrie brings a levity as welcome as June’s busting buds."
EpochTimes
- Highly Recommended
"...Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved classical musical Drama ( probably the first of its type), "Carousel" is currently being staged at The Court Theatre at The University of Chicago and what a solid production it is.Artistic Director, Charles Newell creates pure magic on the small stage and gives the audience a much more intimate look into the lives of the characters. He has put together a superior cast of actors ( actors who can sing) and with choreography by Randy Duncan and musical direction by Doug Peck, Newell shows us that we do not need the glitz and glamor, but instead a solid script, great music and a talented cast to provide us with a memorable theatrical experience."
Time Out Chicago
- Recommended
"...unsentimental director still makes a significant dramatic impression. He never shies away from the show’s oft-neglected core, a story of badly judged romance among violent white-trash characters, which today wouldn’t be out of place on COPS. (A mature, haunted turn by Miller as a hard-luck Julie Jordan and Belton’s early-Brando take on Billy Bigelow go a long way.) Meanwhile, the revelation of this production is Doug Peck’s new orchestration, which preserves as much as it reduces for a modest chamber orchestra."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...This natural sounding Carousel sings wonderfully, is acted as strong as any musical can be. The seamless flow of the show heightens the impact of the material. This is a musical to be experienced. Rather than a commercial Carousel, Charles Newell and Doug Peck have raised Carousel to new heights of art. Kudos to them! Their Carousel is a major achievement."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Recommended
"...Overall, the acting stood out as the strongest attribute and yes, of course, good acting in a musical is very important but the singing needs to be equal if not stronger. Original dances choreographed by Randy Duncan served as strong and well-executed scenes in this show. The ballet sequence consisted of two equally talented dancers, Louise (Laura Scheinbaum) and the Carnival Boy (Tommy Rapley), whose dancing was graceful and strong. I did enjoy this production of "Carousel" but did not feel the vocals were on par with the acting. I appreciated the artistic approach that was taken to make it different from most productions of this popular musical."
