Thursday evening my cousin and I went to see Rogers and Hammerstein's "Carousel" at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle. A friend from church had a couple of tickets and asked if I wanted them. "Sure!" I instantly answered.
I had heard of the movie "Carousel," and may have seen clips from it, but I had no idea what the musical was about. My cousin thought she had seen the movie before. She had been to the 5th Avenue theater once, a long time ago. I have never been, so even that was quite a neat experience.
Before the theater opened, we had decided we wanted to eat at MOD pizza. It was both our first time going there, so we were a little inexperienced on how to order, but we did a really great job of building our pizza. My cousin ordered a Caesar Salad, and doctored it up with a few things. We decided to share a gluten free crust (at my cousin's request), and I was totally fine with that. We started with the Caspian, which is mozzarella, gorgonzola, BBQ chicken, barbecue sauce, and red onion. We were then allowed to add as many toppings as we wanted for the same price! So we added sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, and garlic. I asked the person behind the counter if she would suggest anything else, but she thought we did an excellent job, and definitely improved the pizza.
We took our seats in the restaurant, and my cousin shared her delicious salad. After awhile, we were told that our pizza had accidentally burned, and would we like 2 free milkshakes to make up for it? So, obviously, we did not pass that up! The shakes were super thick! I had to get a spoon to get mine started. It was good, though. We finally got our new pizza, with all the same toppings. It looked absolutely terrific. I went to pick up a piece, and naturally, it was piping hot. Once I was able to taste it, I knew we made the right choice. It was delicious, and filling. Of course, we did have a salad and a shake each first. I would definitely go back again.
By the time we finished our dinner, the theater opened its doors. My first thought was that it was quite different than the Paramount. It had an Asian style to it. It was very colorful, but a muted colorful, in tones of burgundy, forest green, and brown. The lobby was shorter than I expected. The lighting fixtures were spectacular inside the theater. The carvings were exquisite.
We went clear to the front to catch a glimpse at the under-stage orchestra. Because of the angle they were sitting, I wondered how they could see the conductor. A second later, I noticed each seat (or seating area) had monitors for each musician to watch. That was quite interesting to me. I have not seen anything like that before.
We looked at the stage. Beautiful lights hung down. Three performers were sitting silently on stage, each faced in a different direction. I had no idea what it meant at the time. I did not even know right after the play, I think I may have even forgotten about that part. Then, I remembered and thought,
"What was that all about, I wonder?"
Then after a few seconds, I realized,
"Oh........!"
I cannot tell you anymore, because, well that would spoil it for the people who see the play.
One of the first things I noticed was the creative set designs. Beautifully constructed, there were lights, sailboats, a flowery branch of a tree, and of course carousel horses, even a rotating stage!
The rotating stage was put to great use. It was used not only for the carousel part, but to set time and tone as well. Lighting also played a big part in setting the tone. There were dance moves that also contributed, which were very well done.
The costumes were mostly pastels and muted tones. Except for the carnival people. They wore bright colors.
Many of the songs are catchy, and upbeat. There is much happiness going on, while there is underlying sorrow for others. The story is mostly sad, but there is humor and hope in the musical as well. The overall message is a good one.
Laura Griffith, who plays Julie Jordan, has a beautiful voice. Billie Wildrick, who plays Carrie Pipperidge is humorous. Brandon O'Neill did a great job acting his part. Madelyn Koch, who plays Louise, is an excellent dancer. I enjoyed the other performers as well.
Overall, we had a good time. The play runs through Sunday, March 1st, in case you want to try and get tickets. I also suggest you bring tissues, if you have a tendency to tear up. Binoculars can be handy too, if you are sitting in the back. Cameras are not allowed in the performance area.
For more information on Rogers and Hammerstein's "Carousel" at the 5th Avenue Theater, click here.
For more information on MOD pizza, click here.
