Composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II wrote many musicals that we now think of as classics.  Amongst these Carousel (1945) is said to be one of their own favourites, it certainly stands up to the test of time.  The only visual difference being the stylization of the hobbyhorses, which are both attractive and nightmarish.

UK Productions whose last show in Edinburgh was the recent superb ‘Fiddler on the Roof’.  Their previous ‘Carousel’ 2001 had Darren Day as Billy Bigelow and Sam Kane as Jigger, who then went on to play Adam in   ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers’ and Roddy in ‘Boogie Nights’. 

Sam returns to this production as Billy Bigelow and his physique and phenomenal voice suit the role to a T.  I admit to being a Sam fan, not from his days in Brookside but from the cult Saturday night C5 show Night Fever where we were left in no doubt that he has a great singing voice as well as good looks.  As Billy, Sam goes from being the magnetic flirtatious carousel barker to the despondent out of work newlywed trapped man, from his delight in his impending fatherhood to despair in disgracing his wife and finally from his frustration in being unable to help the daughter who is so like him to the agony of leaving his family again.  I know this is one of Sam’s favourite musicals and think he is ideal in the role, you can also see the devoted family man shining through as he sings “Soliloquy”.

Jane Mark as Julie Jordan is a good foil for Sam, she is pretty and also has a good voice. The role of Julie is not one of the best romantic leads but Jane is excellent in the part, she is totally believable as her character takes her through the full gamete of feelings. 

Geoffrey Abbott as the fiendish ne’er do well Jigger Craigin, is evil yet fascinating, repulsive yet attractive and it is fully believable that a weaker personality could be persuaded to be lead astray on the strength of his character.  His vocal and physical talents are seen in the numbers “Blow High, Blow, Low” and “Geraniums in the Winder”.

Lynsey Britton and Richard Britiff as Carrie Pipperidge and Enoch Snow add the comedy in this production both individually and together.   Carrie is Julie’s best friend and confidant and as soon as she sees the relationship developing between Julie and Billy she is able to confess the impending engagement between her and Enoch.  In the duet “When the Children are Asleep” they discuss the future together and the hopes for a successful fleet of ships and children.

Richard Colson as both the Star Keeper and Dr Seldon is some people’s idea of what God might look like. Zoe Ann Bown as Mrs Mullin, the owner of the Carousel and very fond of Billy, adds a little colour to the production.  Jill Pert is Julie’s cousin Nettie with whom the couple settle after the wedding, her rendition of what has to be possibly one of the best known songs both in musical history but also to football fans “You’ll Never Walk Alone” moved a majority of the audience to tears.

This show is very much an ensemble piece and apart from the characters mentioned above there are some superb company numbers, where Wayne Sleep’s choreography is performed with seeming ease by what can only be described as an extremely talented and versatile group of actors.  At times there is so much going on it is difficult to take it all in.

The set is fairly basic but well thought out through all the different scenes, the inventive use of a variety of lighting effects along with the band, small but extremely good under the direction of Gareth Williams, together with the extremely talented ensemble make this a show which should continue to be popular with audiences old and new for some time.