Probably the most symphonic of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, this ranks as my favorite of their shows. It doesn't matter that I spent occasional summers in New England on the ocean eating pails of clams (fried or boiled) and dining on smaller sized chicken lobsters, collecting shells and exploring some of the oldest settlements in the United States. It's also the bittersweet romantic story, a combination of fantasy and hard as nails reality, a desire for atonement and the urge to leave love ones behind in peace. It's also that lush score and the beautiful lyrics, starting with a waltz that has to be heard with a huge orchestra, preferably a Philharmonic. Toss in some of Broadway's great talents, and you have the dreamiest of Live from Lincoln Center specials ever produced.

With a deep romantic voice yet a not quite leading man look, Nathan Gunn is a combination of brutish masculinity and hidden spirit underneath all that bravado. Billy Bigelow is far from perfect, certainly no Curly ("Oklahoma!") or Emile ("South Pacific"), but far more realistic for his time period when most men weren't passive in any sense. Kelli O'Hara, one of the greatest finds on Broadway since the turn of the century, is a sensational Julie Jordan. Even in dark hair, O'Hara shows a loveliness that is real looking, far from assembly line gorgeous, yet appealing in every way. When she breaks into "If I Loved You", have Kleenex handy. Both seem older than the actual characters, but that is transcended by their chemistry and respect for the material.

Rising star Jessie Mueller has matched O'Hara's popularity as a Tony winning leading lady, but this is her towards the beginning of her career, just before winning acclaim for playing Carole King in "Beautiful". She doesn't play Carrie like a ninny (the original conception), so Carrie is more well rounded and easier to take seriously. Plump Stephanie Blythe is big boned, big voiced, and big hearted, and with a cousin like that on your side, I imagine you'd never walk alone. Her earthy love has her as an angel on earth, ironic considering who ends up the angel here.

The large stage is overwhelmed with male testosterone, with golden voiced Jason Daniely filled with humor as he is with many manners over his awkwardness as he is with sardines as Carrie's intended. Shuler Hensley, quietly brutish as the misunderstood Jud in the 2002 revival of "Oklahoma!", switches gears as the roguish Jigger who leads Billy astray. Stage vets Kate Burton and John Cullum round out the cast of known actors, with Burton very funny as the vain Mrs. Mullins and Cullum poignant as the voice of spirituality leading Billy to eternity. The staging is absolutely spectacular, with the actors running around the huge orchestra on platforms and other devices to creatively move the action around. There is no use of wondrin'. A better "Carousel" concert would be impossible to find.