Carnival!
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''Carnival'' is a
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...
, originally produced by David Merrick on Broadway in 1961, with the book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by
Bob Merrill Henry Robert Merrill Levan (May 17, 1921 – February 17, 1998) was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. He wrote ...
. The musical is based on the 1953 film '' Lili'', which again was based on the short story and treatment titled "The Seven Souls of Clement O'Reilly" by
Paul Gallico Paul William Gallico (July 26, 1897 – July 15, 1976) was an American novelist and short story and sports writer.Ivins, Molly,, ''The New York Times'', July 17, 1976. Retrieved Oct. 25, 2020. Many of his works were adapted for motion pictu ...
. The show's title originally used an exclamation point (as ''Carnival!'' ); it was eventually dropped during the show's run, as director
Gower Champion Gower Carlyle Champion (June 22, 1919 – August 25, 1980) was an American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer. Early years Champion was born on June 22, 1919, in Geneva, Illinois, as the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice Car ...
felt it gave the wrong impression, saying, "It's not a blockbuster. It's a gentle show."


Background

In December 1958 producer
David Merrick David Merrick (born David Lee Margoulis; November 27, 1911 – April 25, 2000) was an American theatrical producer who won a number of Tony Awards. Life and career Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick gra ...
announced his intent to produce a stage musical based on the 1953 film '' Lili'', a concept suggested to Merrick by that film's screenwriter
Helen Deutsch Helen Deutsch (21 March 1906 – 15 March 1992) was an American screenwriter, journalist, and songwriter. Biography Deutsch was born in New York City and graduated from Barnard College. She began her career by managing the Provincetown Player ...
. Originally Deutsch was to write the musical's book while the score was assigned to Gérard Calvi, a French composer — ''Lili'' was set in France — who authored the revue ''La Plume de Ma Tante'' which Merrick produced on Broadway. Calvi's lack of expertise with English lyrics would result in his dropping out of the ''Lili'' musical; on Deutsch's recommendation Merrick hired Bob Merrill to write the score. After seeing the musical ''
Bye Bye Birdie ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart. Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The short story "Dream Man", authored ...
'' which opened on Broadway in April 1960, Merrick recruited the production's stage director/choreographer
Gower Champion Gower Carlyle Champion (June 22, 1919 – August 25, 1980) was an American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer. Early years Champion was born on June 22, 1919, in Geneva, Illinois, as the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice Car ...
to act in those capacities for the ''Lili'' musical. Helen Deutsch would soon be dropped from Merrick's project, as Merrick was finding the drafts she was submitting unworkable for the stage. Feeling he could get the desired result more expediently working with a writer with stage musical experience, Merrick recruited ''Bye Bye Birdie'' writer Michael Stewart in September 1960, the invitation being made through Gower Champion. (In its final form ''Carnival'' would credit its book to "Michael Stewart based on material by Helen Deutsch".) A month after Stewart submitted his first draft for ''Carnival!'' — as the ''Lili'' musical project was entitled by November 1960 — the writer was fired by Merrick; however he was rehired thirty-six hours later. Magician Roy Benson was the magical adviser teaching Marco the magic used in the show.


Synopsis


Act 1

A lone figure, Jacquot, is playing " Love Makes the World Go 'Round" on a
concertina A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front. The ...
as the carnival is being set up ("Opening"). Gradually, the other carnival members arrive and parade their colorful banners and bright costumes ("Direct From Vienna"). Lili, an optimistic orphan, enters the carnival, in hopes of a job ("A Very Nice Man"). But instead, Gobert, the souvenir salesman, tries to sexually assault her. Marco the Magnificent, a handsome magician, enters as Lili escapes from Gobert, and performs a magic trick, which enchants Lili so much that she falls in love with him. In another part of the carnival Paul Berthalet, a lonely and bitter
puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, called a puppet, to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden fr ...
who has become crippled because of a war injury, is preparing his new act, which is lifeless and uninteresting. The carnival manager B. F. Schlegel, fires him. Jacquot, who is his assistant puppeteer, tells Paul he can smooth things over; but Paul, unhappy with his new life as a cripple, declares his need to find a meaning for his life ("I've Got to Find a Reason"). Lili happens by at that moment, and Paul dismisses her. Lili tells Paul and a charmed Jacquot that she cannot leave because she has come from a long way from "Mira" and longs to live a grand life. At that moment, Marco returns from the parade and a jealous Paul tells him to leave her alone because "she's not like the others." Marco invites her to his trailer and charms her ("A Sword and a Rose and a Cape"). His longtime mistress & assistant Rosalie learns that Marco has a female friend over and worries that Marco is trying to have an affair behind her back ("Humming"). Marco offers Lili a job in his magic show and an excited Lili takes the role ("Yes, My Heart"). Meanwhile, Jacquot convinces Paul to stay with the carnival because no matter where he goes, he will never be the famous dancer that he once was again. Paul ponders on how miserable he has been since becoming crippled, comparing himself to the smiling
puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to move ...
s ("Everyone Likes You"). At the magic show, unable to keep her enthusiasm under control, Lili ruins one of Marco's magic tricks during his show and gets herself fired ("Magic, Magic"). Despite the mishap, the rest of the carnival goes on without a hitch ("Tanz Mit Mir"/"Carnival Ballet"). Humiliated, she starts to attempt a suicidal jump from the acrobat's ladder, but is stopped by a small redheaded puppet named Carrot Top. Lili meets the three other puppets: Horrible Henry, Marguerite, and Reynardo the Fox. After singing a song to comfort Horrible Henry (" Love Makes the World Go 'Round"), Lili is invited to join the puppet act. When she leaves with Jacquot to find a place to stay in the carnival, Marco taunts Paul through Carrot Top, "Poor old Carrot Top...she loves ME!"


Act 2

The puppet act becomes a hit as Lili becomes close with the puppets, not realizing what they really are ("Yum Ticky"/"The Rich"/"Love Makes the World Go 'Round" eprise"Beautiful Candy"). Paul notices that he pays a lot of attention to Lili and curses his obsession with "Her Face", only to realize the emotion he is feeling is love. All the same, he treats her with increasing cruelty, but increasing care through his four alter egos. Jacquot sees that the carnival is gaining popularity and predicts that the carnival will soon be "The Grand Imperial Cirque De Paris." In the morning, Paul watches Marco and Lili almost kiss and stops them. Jealous, Paul is verbally abusive to her while practicing with Lili, correcting her every move and executes a dance step miserably, causing him to fall. He causes Lili to have a breakdown and he kisses her. Lili, shocked, angry and confused about his feelings, decides to leave the carnival as Paul mourns that she will never know his true feelings. Lili still has not put together that the puppets she loves so much and who are nice to her, are in fact the hated Paul ("I Hate Him"/"Her Face" Reprise). The next day, the circus travels to a new town ("The Grand Imperial Cirque De Paris"/"Direct from Vienna" Reprises). Behind the scenes, Marco practices a magic trick with Rosalie, who has threatened to leave him for a doctor. They pledge their love to each other, deciding to run away together to start their own show ("Always, Always You"). But, Marco tells Lili that he is leaving the carnival and secretly invites her. Even though she has learned of his womanizing ways from Rosalie, a frantic Lili accepts. Paul objects to this and Marco taunts him, ending with Paul attacking him. Upon seeing this, Lili screams her hatred and Paul strikes her. As Paul realizes "She's My Love", an angry Jacquot tells him that he made Lili grow up, teaching her the world is full of cruelty and not of love. As Lili is leaving, she says goodbye to Marco, telling him that she was living a little girl's dream and she must move forward with her life. Marco tries to take her back, but he is impressed with her newfound maturity and lets her go. Carrot Top and Horrible Henry appear to Lili, telling her to take them with her. She sees the puppets are trembling, and lifts the puppets off to discover that the puppets have been Paul all along. (In some revised versions, Lili reveals that she always knew that the puppets were Paul.) As Paul angrily confesses his love for her, she begins to understand the kindness in him and together, they follow the carnival.


Other characters

*B.F. Schlegel: The grumpy ringmaster of "Cirque de Paris" *Grobert: The sleazy souvenir peddler *Princess Olga: A seductive snake-charming mistress *Gladys Zuwicki: Gloria's sassy, loud-mouth partner in the Siamese twin act *Gloria Zuwicki: Gladys' soft-spoken partner in the Siamese twin act *Dr. Glass: Rosalie's wealthy veterinarian boyfriend *Greta Schlegel: B.F. Schlegel's spoiled, pampered daughter


Songs

; Act I * "Direct from Vienna" – The Incomparable Rosalie, Greta Schlegel and Carnival People * "A Very Nice Man" – Lili * "Fairyland" – Puppets * "I've Got to Find a Reason" – Paul Berthalet * "Mira" – Lili * "Sword, Rose and Cape" – Marco the Magnificent and Roustabouts * "Humming" – The Incomparable Rosalie and Mr. Schlegel * "Yes, My Heart" – Lili and Roustabouts * "Everybody Likes You" – Paul Berthalet * "Magic, Magic" – Marco the Magnificent, The Incomparable Rosalie and Lili * "Tanz Mit Mir" – The Bluebird Girls * "Carnival Ballet" – Lili, Carnival People and Townspeople * "Mira" (Reprise) – Lili * " Love Makes the World Go 'Round" – Lili and Puppets ; Act II * "Yum Ticky" – Lili and Puppets * "The Rich" – Lili and Puppets * " Love Makes the World Go 'Round" (Reprise) – Lili and Puppets * "Beautiful Candy" – Lili, Puppets and Vendors * "Her Face" – Paul Berthalet * "Grand Imperial Cirque de Paris" – Jacquot and Carnival People * "I Hate Him"/"Her Face" (Reprise) – Lili and Paul * "Grand Imperial Cirque de Paris"/"Direct from Vienna" (Reprises) – Carnival People * "Always Always You" – Marco the Magnificent and The Incomparable Rosalie * "She's My Love" – Paul Berthalet


Productions


Broadway

''Carnival'' premiered at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. where it ran March 9–25, 1961, with the production next opening in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 27, 1961. The
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
premiere of ''Carnival'' was on April 12, 1961, at the
Imperial Theatre The Imperial Theatre is a Broadway theater at 249 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1923, the Imperial Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was constructed ...
. The original cast starred
Anna Maria Alberghetti Anna Maria Alberghetti (; born May 15, 1936) is an Italian-American actress and soprano. Biography Born May 15, 1936, in Pesaro, Marche, in central Italy, she starred on Broadway and won a Tony Award in 1962 as Best Actress (Musical) for ''Ca ...
as Lili, James Mitchell as Marco,
Kaye Ballard Kaye Ballard (November 20, 1925 – January 21, 2019) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. Early life Ballard was born Catherine Gloria Balotta in Cleveland, Ohio, one of four children born to Italian immigrant parents, Lena (née Nac ...
as Rosalie,
Pierre Olaf Pierre Olaf (14 July 1928 – 16 September 1995) was a French actor, cabaret artist, and clown. He first achieved success as a stage actor in Paris in the musical revues of Robert Dhéry. He achieved particular acclaim in Dhéry's ''Jupon Volé'' ...
as Jacquot,
Henry Lascoe Henry Lascoe (May 30, 1912 – September 1, 1964) was an American actor. Lascoe was born in New York City, New York, on May 30, 1912, and was a screen and stage actor from 1949 until 1964. In the mid-1930s, Lascoe was active with the Little ...
and
Jerry Orbach Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a " ...
making his Broadway debut as Paul Berthalet. Gower Champion both directed and choreographed with orchestrations by
Philip J. Lang Philip J. Lang (17 April 1911, in New York – 22 February 1986, in Branford, Connecticut) was an American musical arranger, orchestrator and composer of band music, as well as a musical educator. He is credited for writing the orchestral arrangem ...
. The puppets were designed and created by
Tom Tichenor Thomas Hager Tichenor (February 10, 1923 — November 18, 1992) was an American puppeteer, most noted for creating the original puppets for the Broadway musical ''Carnival!''. Early life Tichenor was born in Decatur, Alabama, and initially raised ...
. ''Carnival'' was notable for its innovative staging: there was no overture, and before the play commenced the curtain was already raised to put on view a field with a few trees; at the play's beginning actors hauled in wagons and raised a tent as if they were setting up a traveling fair at a new site. Throughout the play actors entered and exited the stage via the aisles of the theater, where occasional bits of the action were played. ''Carnival'' was an instant hit with critics and audiences: John Chapman of the ''Daily News'' declared the play "enchantment from the moment the houselights go down" while in the ''Mirror'' Robert Coleman reported how the premiere's audience "blistered their palms in affectionate welcome to the town's new song and dance triumph." ''Carnival'' ran on Broadway for 719 performances, moving from the Imperial to the
Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...
on January 5, 1963 where it ran until December 17th 1967. In the early stages of developing ''Carnival'', Merrick had envisioned Lili as a dancing rather singing role as in the parent film ''Lili'', and had hoped that film's star
Leslie Caron Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (; born 1 July 1931) is a French-American actress and dancer. She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award, two BAFTA Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. She is one ...
would recreate the Lili role on Broadway. This course proving untenable, the Lili role in ''Carnival'' was developed as a singing role for which
Carol Lawrence Carol Lawrence (born Carolina Maria Laraia; September 5, 1932) is an American actress, appearing in musical theatre and on television. She is known for creating the role of Maria on Broadway in the musical '' West Side Story'' (1957), receivin ...
was for a time a front runner. However, Merrick's ultimate choice for the role was
Anna Maria Alberghetti Anna Maria Alberghetti (; born May 15, 1936) is an Italian-American actress and soprano. Biography Born May 15, 1936, in Pesaro, Marche, in central Italy, she starred on Broadway and won a Tony Award in 1962 as Best Actress (Musical) for ''Ca ...
, an Italian born lyric soprano who, at twenty-four, had eighteen years experience as a singer and had a light resume of screen acting credits, mostly on television. Before ''Carnival'', Alberghetti had two evident credits as a musical stage actress, having appeared at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford CT in productions of '' Rose-Marie'' and '' The Firefly'' in, respectively, 1959 and 1960. It has been reported that Merrick cast Alberghetti in ''Carnival'' after a January 1961 viewing of her cabaret act in Philadelphia, where the singer's audience interaction had made a favorable impression. However, Alberghetti has stated that Merrick had her audition after seeing her at the Oakdale Musical Theater in 1960, and her casting as Lili was reported in ''The New York Times'' as early as November 1960. Despite his early good opinion of Alberghetti, Merrick's relationship with the star of his musical turned acrimonious. Merrick refused to release Alberghetti from ''Carnival'' to avail herself of a film offer she received four months into the play's run, and when Alberghetti was hospitalized August 6, 1961 for anemia and exhaustion, Merrick reportedly either had an independent physician examine Alberghetti in hospital or had the hospitalized Alberghetti verify her illness in a
lie detector A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked an ...
test. Merrick loudly championed
Anita Gillette Anita Gillette ( Luebben; born August 16, 1936) is an American actress. She had numerous roles on Broadway, American television, and in feature films. She also made many appearances as a celebrity guest on television game shows. Early life Gil ...
, the
understudy In theater, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to a ...
who played Lili during Alberghetti's ten-day sick leave, stating :"If I'd known she illettewas this good when we were casting, she would have had the part", and when the company of ''Carnival'' greeted Alberghetti upon her return to the show Merrick presented her with a bouquet of roses variously described as plastic or dead. Gillette's brief stints in the lead of ''Carnival'' – she'd relieve Alberghetti during the latter's two-week vacation in December 1961 – had enough impact to launch a Broadway career for Gillette – although ''Carnival'' would remain the only hit in which she appeared. Conversely, Alberghetti – despite winning a
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...
for her role in ''Carnival'' (tying with
Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll (; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. She rose to prominence in some of the earliest major film studio, major studio films to feature black cas ...
) – would never appear in another Broadway production, subsequently refocusing on her cabaret career. She did, however, occasionally appear in regional theatrical productions.


National tours

The first national tour of ''Carnival'' opened in December 1961 in Rochester, New York and was headlined by
Susan Watson Susan Watson (born December 17, 1938) is an American actress and singer best known for her roles in musical theatre. Watson's first professional role was Velma in the original West End production of ''West Side Story'' in 1958. She created t ...
(Lili),
Ed Ames Ed Ames (born Edmund Dantes Urick; July 9, 1927), who also recorded as Eddie Ames, is an American singer and actor. He is known for playing Mingo in the television series ''Daniel Boone'', and for his pop hits of the mid-to-late 1960s including " ...
(Paul Berthalet), Jonathan Lucas (Marco),
Jo Anne Worley Jo Anne Worley (born September 6, 1937) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Her work covers television, films, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. Worley is widely known for her work on the comedy-variety show ...
(Rosalie),
Johnny Haymer Haymer Lionel Flieg (January 19, 1920 – November 18, 1989), known professionally as Johnny Haymer, was an American actor known for his role as Staff Sergeant Zelmo Zale, a recurring character in the television series ''M*A*S*H''. He appeared i ...
(Jacquot) and Alfred Dennis (Schlegel). In April 1962 Susan Watson joined the Broadway production, taking over from Anna Maria Alberghetti who then headlined the touring company's San Francisco production; subsequently Carla Alberghetti would regularly play the role of Lili in the touring company although Anna Maria Alberghetti again assumed the role in the touring company's Los Angeles production which opened at the
Philharmonic Auditorium Hazard's Pavilion was a large auditorium in Los Angeles, California, at the intersection of Fifth and Olive Streets. Showman George "Roundhouse" Lehman had planned to construct a large theatre center on the land he purchased at this location, bu ...
in June 1962. Also both Anna Maria Alberghetti and Jerry Orbach would reprise their Broadway roles in an eight-week engagement of ''Carnival'' which opened at the Shubert Theater in Chicago in November 1962. The second national tour of ''Carnival'' opened at the Bushnell Memorial Theater in Hartford, Connecticut on October 18, 1962, and ran until May 11, 1963. The cast featured
Elaine Malbin Elaine Malbin (born May 24, 1929 in New York City) is an American soprano who had a prolific international career singing in operas, musicals, and concerts from the 1940s through the 1960s. She made her Town Hall debut at the age of 14. She app ...
as Lili, David Daniels (Paul Berthalet), Don Potter (Jacquot) and Marge Cameron (Rosalie); Ed Ames also played Paul Berthalet at some engagements.


International

The West End production of ''Carnival'' opened at the Lyric Theatre in February 1963; this production – which had premiered at the Grand Theatre in Leeds November 22, 1962 and also played at the King's Theatre in Glasgow opening there December 12, 1962 – featured Gower Champion's staging for the Broadway production recreated by Lucia Victor and Doria Avila. James Mitchell reprised his Broadway role as Marco co-starring with Michael Maurel, Shirley Sands, Sally Logan as Lili, Bob Harris and
Francis de Wolff Francis Marie de Wolff (7 January 191318 April 1984) was an English character actor. Large, bearded, and beetle-browed, he was often cast as villains in both film and television. Life and career Born in Essex, he made his film debut in ''Flame ...
. This cast recorded a cast album before the production had actually opened on the West End, where it would only play for 34 performances. The Australian production of ''Carnival'' opened in Sydney in September 1962. It starred Patricia Moore, who had played Eliza Doolittle in the second cast of ''My Fair Lady''. The male lead was played by Kevin Colson who was a Channel 9 news reader.
Jill Perryman Jill Perryman AM, MBE (born 30 May 1933) is an Australian former stage and screen actress and singer. Combining both her stage acting and her singing, she featured in numerous musical theatre roles, over eight decades and spanning 70 years of p ...
played Rosalie.


Notable revivals

''Carnival'' has not played on Broadway since the original production closed. There have been two
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...
revivals, the first a production by the New York City Center Light Opera Company which began a month-long engagement on December 12, 1968. Peter Howard, who had been the dance arranger for the original Broadway production of ''Carnival!'' was the musical director for the City Center production whose cast included
Victoria Mallory Victoria Mallory (September 20, 1948 – August 30, 2014) was an American singer and actress, best known for originating the role of Anne Egerman in the Broadway musical ''A Little Night Music''. She was also an accomplished martial artist and mo ...
(Lili),
Leon Bibb Leon Bibb (born October 5, 1944 in Butler, Alabama) is an American news anchor and commentator for WKYC in Cleveland, Ohio, and was a member of the BGSU Board of Trustees. Leon Bibb was the first African American primetime news anchor in Ohio. ...
(Paul Berthalet), Richard France (Marco),
Karen Morrow Karen Morrow (born December 15, 1936) is an American singer and actress best known for her work in musical theater. Her honors include an Emmy Award and a Theatre World Award, and an Ovation Award and five Drama-Logue Award nominations. Early ...
(Rosalie), Carmine Caridi (Schlegel) and
Pierre Olaf Pierre Olaf (14 July 1928 – 16 September 1995) was a French actor, cabaret artist, and clown. He first achieved success as a stage actor in Paris in the musical revues of Robert Dhéry. He achieved particular acclaim in Dhéry's ''Jupon Volé'' ...
who reprising his Broadway role as Jacquot. The City Center production is seemingly unique among major productions of ''Carnival'' in making the show's love story an interracial one by casting an African-American actor in the role of Paul. ''Carnival'' again played at
New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and t ...
in 2002 as an
Encores! Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & ...
production directed by
Kathleen Marshall Kathleen Marshall (born September 28, 1962) is an American director, choreographer, and creative consultant. Life and career Born in Madison, Wisconsin, she graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1980 and ...
which starred
Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, she was among the world's highest-paid actresses in 2 ...
as Lili and featured puppets by the
Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...
Company, New York Muppet Workshop; the cast also included
Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 f ...
(Paul Berthalet),
Douglas Sills Douglas Howard Sills (born July 5, 1960) is an American actor. Early life Sills was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Rhoda (Nemeth) and Archie Sills, and grew up in the suburb of Franklin, in a Jewish household. He was friends (and did ama ...
(Marco),
Debbie Gravitte Debbie Shapiro Gravitte is an American actress and singer. She was born in Los Angeles, California. Career Gravitte made her Broadway debut in the chorus of ''They're Playing Our Song'' in 1979. She performed on Broadway in '' Blues in the Nigh ...
(Rosalie),
David Costabile David Costabile (; born January 9, 1967) is an American actor. He is best known for his television work, having appeared in supporting roles in several television series such as '' Billions'', ''Breaking Bad'', ''Damages'', '' Flight of the Conc ...
(Jacquot) and David Margulies (Schlegel).
Ben Brantley Benjamin D. Brantley (born October 26, 1954) is an American theater critic, journalist, editor, publisher and writer. He served as the chief theater critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1996 to 2017, and as co-chief theater critic from 2017 to ...
in his ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' review praised the Encores! concert, describing Hathaway as convincing in the role even though "Lili may be the most unworldly heroine ever in a Broadway musical, dangerously blurring the lines between innocence and mental deficiency". It was announced in January 2004 that Julian Schlossberg planned to produce a revival of ''Carnival'' to run on Broadway. Schlossberg hoped to feature the principal actors from the Encores! concert production in a full-scale rendering of the play, and also hoped that Encores! director Kathleen Marshall and the Jim Henson puppets would come on board for the revival. The announcement also stated that the book for this revival of ''Carnival'' would be reworked by Thomas Meehan. This revival did not materialize. There have been two
Off-Off Broadway Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the prof ...
revivals of ''Carnival'', the first a 1977 Equity Library Theatre (ELT) production which ran November 3 – November 20. This was the first musical directed by
Susan H. Schulman Susan H. Schulman (born July 6, 1947) is an American theater director. Biography Intent on a career as an actress, Schulman studied drama at Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island, New York in the 1960s. She attended Yale University on a pl ...
; the production featured Sue Anne Gershenzon (Lili),
Ross Petty Ross Petty (born August 29, 1946) is a Canadian actor and theatre producer. He is best known for his eponymous production company, which staged what were promoted as "family musical" theatre productions in the British pantomime tradition in Toront ...
(Paul Berthalet), Joel Craig (Marco), Laura Kenyon (Rosalie), Jack Hoffman (Jacquot) and Carl Don (Schlegel). Schulman subsequently mounted ''Carnival'' for the
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (Pittsburgh CLO) is a nonprofit professional theater company based in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Despite its name, the organization presents musical theatre classics rather ...
(CLO) in the summer of 1982 with Gershenzon, Petty and Hoffman reprising their ELT roles; the CLO production also featured Keith Curran (Marco) and
Lenora Nemetz Lenora Nemetz is an American stage and musical theatre actress. Career Nemetz left her native Pittsburgh as a teenager to work on Broadway. Her Broadway debut was in ''Cabaret''. A protégé of Bob Fosse, Nemetz first came to the attention of ...
(Rosalie). In reviewing the CLO production, Terry Hazlett of the ''Observer-Reporter'' observed: "On paper, perhaps, 'Carnival''is a lackluster piece. The show contains only one memorable song: 'Love Makes the World Go 'Round', has few production numbers and asks the audience to believe a young woman is so naive she doesn't make the obvious connection between a puppeteer and his puppets. But director Susan H. Schulman and choreographer Steven Gelfer infuse a great deal of life into 'Carnival' by making it just that – a carnival." Carnival also played at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco in 1961 starting in late April! It was part of the national tour though shorter than other runs within the California segment of its run. In 1993 the York Theatre company revival of ''Carnival'' played at theatre at St Peters Church from March 31 to May 2. This production was directed/choreographed by Pamela Hunt and featured Glory Crampton (Lili), Robert Michael Baker (Paul Berthalet),
Paul Schoeffler Paul Schoeffler (born November 21, 1958) is a Canadian stage, film, television, and voice actor Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice a ...
(Marco), Karen Mason (Rosalie), Robert Lydiard (Jacquot) and William Linton (Schlegel). In his ''New York Magazine'' review of the York Theatre production John Simon characterized the original ''Carnival!'' as "a ramshackle production of a sentimental movie
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
was saved on Broadway by Gower Champion and adept casting" and opined: "The York Theatre production of ''Carnival'' does what York is best at – taking a questionable show and making it unquestionably amateurish." Stephen Holden of ''The New York Times'' found the York Theatre production of ''Carnival'': "a rough-and-tumble singing storybook in which the members of a third-rate French circus troupe smilingly send up their own mediocrity...The show, a double allegory of a girl's growing up and of love overcoming despair, is potentially treacly stuff, and a production this intimate risks magnifying the sweetness to a terminally gooey level. But Pamela Hunt...has tightly controlled its hokier aspects. In her hands, ''Carnival'' becomes a brash musical farce that turns sentimental only when absolutely required." Both the Equity Library Theatre and Encores! stagings were taped for the
New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress) ...
Billy Rose Theatre Collection archives. Anna Maria Alberghetti reprised the role of Lili in a production of ''Carnival'' which played the
Valley Music Theater The Valley Music Theater was a theater-in-the-round performing arts hall located in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. It was just south of the Ventura Freeway at 20600 Ventura Boulevard, in the Chalk Hills of the western San Fernando Val ...
in
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...
for two weeks in February 1966, and which also featured James Mitchell and Ed Ames reprising their roles from, respectively, the Broadway and national touring companies of ''Carnival''. Director/choreographer
Robert Longbottom Robert Longbottom (born March 1957) is a New York City-based director, choreographer and director, primarily for theatre and opera. Early life Longbottom was born and raised in Portland, Maine. He made his professional theatrical debut at age ...
directed a revival of ''Carnival'' which ran from February 17 to March 11, 2007, at the
Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
's Eisenhower Theatre in Washington, D.C., with a cast which included Ereni Sevasti (Lili),
Jim Stanek James Stanek (born August 5, 1971) is an American theatre, film, and television actor. Early life Stanek was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland and raised in Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He attended the ...
(Paul Berthalet), Sebastian La Cause (Marco), Natascia Diaz (Rosalie), Michael Arnold (Jacqout), and Jonathan Lee Iverson (Schlegel). This production, which introduced a revised book by
Francine Pascal Francine Pascal (''née'' Rubin, born May 13, 1938) is an American author best known for creating the Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. '' Sweet Valley High'' was the backbone of the collection, and was made into a popular television se ...
(sister of Michael Stewart) was a critical hit, as evidenced by the reviews of Paul Harris in ''Variety'': "So where has this little gem been hiding? Following the original David Merrick/Gower Champion production's 719- erformancerun on Broadway in the early '60s, ''Carnival'' largely disappeared into the neglected musical dungeon, with only a smattering of noteworthy escapes since, including a 2002 City Center Encores! revival. The Bob Merrill and Michael Stewart tuner has surfaced at the Kennedy Center in delightful shape, under the discerning eye of director-choreographer Robert Longbottom." and Peter Marks of ''The Washington Post'': "No musical in recent years has looked or sounded better on a Kennedy Center stage than the revival of 'Carnival' that has been buffed to a ravishing sheen by director Robert Longbottom...If the Kennedy Center's goal here was to dress a difficult, neglected work in a coat of contemporary artistry, the aim has been achieved." The
Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live i ...
mounted ''Carnival'' in 2006, the play running March 8 to April 19 under the direction of Erica Schmidt with a cast including
Elena Shaddow Elena Shaddow is an American singer and actress. She is originally from Chagrin Falls, Ohio.Nick Wyman Nick Wyman (born May 18, 1950) is an American stage, television, and film actor, and is a former president of the Actors' Equity Association. Early life and education Wyman was born in Portland, Maine and raised in Summit, New Jersey and atten ...
(Schlegel). In her ''The New York Times'' write-up of the Paper Mill revival, Naomi Siegel characterizes ''Carnival'' as "an also-ran among American musicals
hich Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...
simply never entered the Broadway pantheon" and specifies the dark elements she feels make ''Carnival'' overall problematic – "the bleakness of the leading characters -- Lili, a forlorn orphan looking for love in all the wrong places; Marco, a second-rate magician with a Lothario complex; and Paul, a former dancer, wounded in the war and now forced to perform as a puppeteer and miserable in the process... lsothe underlying theme of child exploitation...with a subtle but present sexual subtext" – before assessing the Paper Mill production as " revival
hich Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...
reminds us of the genuine charm of the work and provides several show-stopping numbers for its talented players utdoes little to dispel the shadow that the play casts." Paper Mill had first presented ''Carnival'' in 1964, opening 11 February with
Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...
, then seventeen, in one of her earliest stage roles as Lili. Minnelli debuted in the role in a production at the Mineola Playhouse which opened January 28, 1964. Darko Tresnjak directed a revival of ''Carnival'' which ran from August 12 to September 18, 2010, at the
Goodspeed Opera House Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, th ...
in East Haddam CT under the auspices of Goodspeed Musicals which had previously mounted ''Carnival'' in 1986. The 2010 Goodspeed production of ''Carnival'', which retained Francine Pascal's revisions for the 2007 Kennedy Center production, had in its cast Lauren Worsham (Lili), Adam Monley (Paul Berthalet), Nathan Klau (Jacquot), Mike McGowan (Marco), Michelle Blakely (Rosalie) and Laurent Giroux (Schlegel) with the last-named role taken over by
Michael Kostroff Michael Kostroff (born May 22, 1961) is an American actor. He appeared on the HBO program '' The Wire'' as defense attorney Maurice Levy. Kostroff starred in the fifth season of the series and appeared in all four earlier seasons as a guest star ...
. In his review of the 2010 Goodspeed production, Frank Rizzo of ''Variety'' described ''Carnival'' as being both a "bittersweet tuner that touches on sadness, desperation and remoteness" and "an entertainment...that features magic, puppetry and aerial work as well as a luxurious score ...''Carnival'' isn't a natural for wide crossover appeal, but this tasteful, multilayered production does re-enforce the view that it is still a gem to be valued." The
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east o ...
Stage Company mounted a revival of ''Carnival'' which ran from July 5 to July 22, 2012. The company's artistic director Eric C. Engel directed a cast headlined by Victoria Thornsbury (Lili), Gus Curry (Paul), Daniel Robert Sullivan (Marco) and Shannon Lee Jones (Rosalie). From April 3 to 21, 2013,
42nd Street Moon 42nd Street Moon is a professional theatre company in San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern Californi ...
presented a revival of ''Carnival'' at the Eureka Theater in San Francisco, directed by Greg MacKellan and starring Ashley Jarrett as Lili, Ryan Drummond as Paul, Bill Olson as Marco and Dyan McBride as Rosalie.


Recordings

The Original Broadway Cast recording of ''Carnival'' was recorded April 23, 1961, with Eddie Heller producing in association with Arnold Maxin an
Saul Schechtman conducting
as he had in the Broadway production; the album omits much of the dance music, as well as the songs "Magic, Magic", "Fairyland", and the "Mira" reprise. Rush-released that May as MGM 3946/Stereo S3946, the Broadway cast recording reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' album chart dated July 17, 1961. (The rights to recordings of ''Carnival'' defaulted to
MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...
by virtue of the musical's parent film ''Lili'' being a
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
release.) The Original London Cast album of ''Carnival'' was also recorded by MGM; made before the show's disappointing West End run, the London cast recording was passed by MGM to EMI and released in January 1963 as HMV CSD-1476. The London Cast recording features the same tracks and edits as the Broadway cast album but includes some dialogue. The CD of the original Broadway cast was released on June 8, 1989, on Decca Broadway; it includes nine bonus tracks, of which five are by Merrill. Kritzerland released the original London cast recording on CD, in limited quantities, in May 2011.


Chart positions


Projected film

Arthur Freed Arthur Freed (September 9, 1894 – April 12, 1973) was an American lyricist and Hollywood film producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture twice, in 1951 for '' An American in Paris'' and in 1958 for '' Gigi''. Both films were musicals. ...
hoped to produce a film version of ''Carnival'' for MGM (who automatically had film rights by virtue of having originated the film ''Lili''). Gower Champion and Julius J. Epstein were attached to the project as, respectively, director and screenwriter. Unofficial reports cast the ''Carnival'' film with
Yvette Mimieux Yvette Carmen Mimieux (January 8, 1942 – January 18, 2022) was an American film and television actress. Her breakout role was in '' The Time Machine'' (1960). She was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards during her acting career. Early li ...
mentioned as both a possible Lili and Rosalie,
Robert Goulet Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American and Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Canad ...
as Paul Berthalet and
George Chakiris George Chakiris (born September 16, 1932) is an American actor. He is best known for his appearance in the 1961 film version of '' West Side Story'' as Bernardo Nunez, the leader of the Sharks gang, for which he won both the Academy Award for Be ...
as Marco; Broadway cast members James Mitchell and Pierre Olaf were also said to be reprising their stage roles for the film, and Anna Maria Alberghetti did a screen test for the film role of Lili in the spring of 1963. However plans for the film version of ''Carnival'' abruptly collapsed, and the movie was never made.Fordin, Hugh. ''MGM's Greatest Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit''. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996, p. 518.


Awards and nominations


Original Broadway production


References


External links


''Carnival!''
at the
Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade asso ...

Tams-Witmark synopsis and production informationMusic and Lyrics for ''Carnival!'' by Bob Merrill – Hear sound clips on TheBobMerrill.com siteInterview with Kaye Ballard about ''Carnival!''Theater Mania review of 2007 Kennedy Center production''Carnival!'' on Floormic.com
{{Authority control 1961 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals based on films Musicals based on multiple works Musicals by Michael Stewart (playwright) Puppetry Tony Award-winning musicals Adaptations of works by Paul Gallico