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Review: A layered ‘Carousel’ finds new depth

At the core of “Carousel,” which has been revived with breathtaking emotional intensity at the Imperial Theatre, is a dark fatalism that trails the leading lovers like their own shadows.

Jessie Mueller and Joshua Henry in 'Carousel.' (Photo: Julieta Cervantes)

At the core of “Carousel,” which has been revived with breathtaking emotional intensity at the Imperial Theatre, is a dark fatalism that trails the leading lovers like their own shadows. Although the major Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals are broadly considered, with good reason, to be shot through with romance and uplift, in this 1945 musical — their greatest, in my view — they explored the facets of love and of life that bring as much sadness and sorrow as pleasure and joy.

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