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Here's one way to revamp your life: run away to join a carnival. That's how the innocent heroine of the musical "Carnival!" trades in her unhappy existence. She attaches herself to a small travelling circus and its family of unusual and colorful characters. With music and lyrics by Bob Merrill, "Carnival!" opened on Broadway in 1961 and ran for 719 performances. It was the first starring role for the late Jerry Orbach, who started his show business career as a song and dance man. Later, new generations of fans followed him on TV as "Law and Order" Detective Lennie Briscoe, a dramatic role he inhabited for 12 years until his death in 2004. "Carnival!" was also revamped. It was based on the 1953 film, "Lili," which starred Leslie Caron as the naive fugitive. In 2006, New York Times writer Naomi Siegel described one of the show's highlights. Magic is what 'Carnival!' is all about, and magical moments pop up regularly throughout Michael Stewart's fable of a book. Sleight of hand performed by the deliciously egocentric Marco the Magnificent may delight an impressionable Lili, but for the audience nothing beats the magic of the opening scene. Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam brings its own charming hocus-pocus to its production of "Carnival! running now until Sept. 18. Come see the spell it casts with a riot of acrobats, jugglers, music makers and clowns, as well as the drama, romance and lovely music. For ticket and performance information, visit Goodspeed's website.
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