CAROUSEL London Coliseum

ENO is short of cash and needs more audiences. One way to raise its profile is to semi-stage famous musicals with big names. Lonny Price revives Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel with Alfie Boe and Katherine Jenkins. There are some people who think it inappropriate for musicals to be staged by ENO but classic musicals have as much right to the Coliseum stage as classic operas; and the advantage of Carousel playing at the Coliseum now is that it gets ENO’s 42-piece orchestra and ENO’s chorus. The sound is great. ENO’s hope is that audiences coming to the Coliseum for the first time to see Carousel will think of giving opera a try next time.