Paul and Corey Cross the Streams is a bi-monthly podcast in which hosts Paul Pakler and Corey Pepper watch and review streaming content. It’s the Great American Podcast where two friends learn about life as they float down the river of streaming services.

Let’s put on a show! It’s season 8 for Paul and Corey Cross the Streams, and this season we’re watching musicals. It’s a singular art form with a dynamic history, and we get to listen to a lot of cast recordings…

This week, Paul wanted to take on the musical theatre institution that is Rodgers and Hammerstein. And to do that, he chose what has lately become one of their more problematic and difficult pieces, Carousel (1956). The film is based on the 1945 Broadway success, which was their second project together after the homerun that was Oklahoma. Carousel is an adaptation of the 1909 Hungarian play Liliom. by Ferenc Molnar.

So, the question one may have is, “What makes this show so troubling?” Well, it’s about domestic violence and generational trauma. And like so many of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s shows, for as beautiful as the music is or how inventive they were with the form of musical theatre, the shows just don’t age well. Paul and Corey examine how the show tries consciously to engage in the topic, and how and why it falls woefully short.

This Episode’s Focus: Carousel (1956)
Host’s Choice: Paul Pakler
Stream on: Rent on all the usual suspects
Corey’s Recipe Recommendations for This Episode: New England Clambake and Maine Foods

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Special thanks to Tobin for our incredible theme song and Dave Droxler for our podcast’s logo and artwork.