In honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of composer Richard Rodgers, Cincinnati Music Theatre is producing the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic if wobbly Carousel in the Aronoff Center's Jarson-Kaplan Theater. CMT is known as one of the area's better community theaters, and they provide a musically satisfying production.

TONY AWARD NOMINATIONS

Play: The Goat, Fortune's Fool, Metamorphoses, Topdog/Underdog.     Musical: Mamma Mia!, Sweet Smell of Success, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Urinetown The Musical.     Book of a Musical: Mamma Mia! by John Guare, Sweet Smell of Success by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan, Thoroughly Modern Millie by Greg Kotis, Urinetown The Musical.     Best Original Score (Music & Lyrics): Sweet Smell of Success, Marvin Hamlisch (music), Craig Carnelia (lyrics); Thoroughly Modern Millie, Jeanine Tesori (music), Dick Scanlan (lyrics); Thou Shalt Not, Harry Connick, Jr. (music & lyrics); Urinetown The Musical, Mark Hollmann (music), Mark Hollmann & Greg Kotis (lyrics).     Original Score: Sweet Smell of Success, Jeanine Tesori (music), Dick Scanlan (lyrics); Thoroughly Modern Millie, Harry Connick, Jr. (music & lyrics); Thou Shalt Not, Mark Hollmann (music); Mark Hollmann & Greg Kotis (lyrics), Urinetown The Musical.     Revival-Play: The Crucible, Morning's at Seven, Noises Off, Private Lives.     Revival-Musical: Into the Woods, Oklahoma!     Special Theatrical Event: Bea Arthur on Broadway, Just Between Friends, Elaine Stritch at Liberty, Mostly Sondheim, Sexaholix ... a love story.     Actor-Play: Alan Bates, Fortune's Fool; Billy Crudup, The Elephant Man; Liam Neeson, The Crucible; Alan Rickman, Private Lives; Jeffrey Wright, “Topdog/Underdog.”     Actress-Play: Kate Burton, Hedda Gabler; Lindsay Duncan, Private Lives; Laura Linney, The Crucible; Helen Mirren, Dance of Death; Mercedes Ruehl, The Goat.     Actor-Musical: Gavin Creel, Thoroughly Modern Millie; John Cullum, Urinetown The Musical; John Lithgow, Sweet Smell of Success; John McMartin, Into the Woods; Patrick Wilson, Oklahoma!     Actress-Musical: Sutton Foster, Thoroughly Modern Millie; Nancy Opel, Urinetown The Musical; Louise Pitre, Mamma Mia!; Jennifer Laura Thompson, Urinetown The Musical; Vanessa Williams, Into the Woods.     Featured Actor-Play: Frank Langella, Fortune's Fool; William Biff McGuire, Morning's at Seven; Brian Murray, The Crucible; Sam Robards, The Man Who Had All the Luck; Stephen Tobolowsky, Morning's at Seven.     Featured Actress-Play: Kate Burton, The Elephant Man; Katie Finneran, Noises Off; Elizabeth Franz, Morning's at Seven; Estelle Parsons, Morning's at Seven; Frances Sternhagen, Morning's at Seven.     Featured Actor-Musical: Norbert Leo Butz, Thou Shalt Not; Gregg Edelman, Into the Woods; Shuler Hensley, Oklahoma!; Brian d'Arcy James, Sweet Smell of Success; Marc Kudisch, Thoroughly Modern Millie.     Featured Actress-Musical: Laura Benanti, Into the Woods; Harriet Harris, Thoroughly Modern Millie; Spencer Kayden, Urinetown The Musical; Judy Kaye, Mamma Mia!; Andrea Martin, Oklahoma!     Scenic Design: John Lee Beatty, Morning's at Seven; Tim Hatley, Private Lives; Daniel Ostling, Metamorphoses; Douglas W. Schmidt, Into the Woods.     Costume Design: Jenny Beavan, Private Lives; Jane Greenwood, Morning's at Seven; Susan Hilferty, Into the Woods; Martin Pakledinaz, Thoroughly Modern Millie.     Lighting Design: Paul Gallo, The Crucible; David Hersey, Oklahoma!; Natasha Katz, Sweet Smell of Success; Brian MacDevitt, Into the Woods.     Choreography: Rob Ashford, Thoroughly Modern Millie; John Carrafa, Into the Woods; John Carrafa, Urinetown The Musical; Susan Stroman, Oklahoma!     Direction of a Play: Howard Davies, Private Lives;, Richard Eyre, The Crucible; Daniel Sullivan, Morning's at Seven, Mary Zimmerman, Metamorphoses.     Direction of a Musical: James Lapine, Into the Woods; Michael Mayer, Thoroughly Modern Millie; Trevor Nunn, Oklahoma!; John Rando, Urinetown The Musical.     Orchestrations: Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus & Martin Koch, Mamma Mia!; Doug Besterman & Ralph Burns, Thoroughly Modern Millie; William David Brohn, Sweet Smell of Success; Bruce Coughlin, Urinetown The Musical.     Special Awards: Julie Harris and Robert Whitehead.     Regional Theater: Williamstown Theatre Festival.

       Carousel is essentially a severely strained love story. Lovable, good-hearted Julie Jordan (Marilyn Langley) falls for violent, self-loathing carnival barker Billy Bigelow (Tom Sanders). Billy becomes a jerk of a husband (surprise, surprise), but Julie's love marches on, though it's hard to understand why. What she sees in him is anybody's guess, but such are the weaknesses of the creaky book by Oscar Hammerstein.

       While the topic of domestic violence was probable cutting edge for musical theater in 1945, Carousel's “it doesn't hurt if he loves you” message is certainly dated now — if not outright offensive. But the full house Saturday night didn't seem to mind. They just sat back and hummed along to the wonderful score. That was a good thing because singing is by far the strong suit in this show for most of the cast of 37.

       Carousel contains several standards from the Rodgers & Hammerstein repertoire, and Skip Fenker's cast delivers with each of them. Ms. Langley and Mr. Sanders are smooth and coy with the duet “If I Loved You.” The ensemble belts out a buoyant “June is Bustin' Out All Over.”

       Mr. Sanders is particularly engaging with his musical soliloquy “My Boy Bill,” while the showstopper of the evening is the rousing anthem “You'll Never Walk Alone,” knocked out of the ballpark by Elissa S. Helfont.

       Mr. Rodgers also has one of his patented extended ballet sequences in Carousel, nicely performed here by Amanda Beelman and Neal Shrader, with choreography by Brian Anderson.

       Kudos also go to vocal director Dave Abbott, orchestra director Charles Wilhelm, and the 26 musicians in the pit.

       The set design by Dennis Murphy and the numerous costumes by Joy Galbraith go a long way to creating the old-fashioned mood.

       Only a handful of interesting acting performances stand out, including David Pyron as the snooty Mr. Snow, Mark Waldfogle as the villainous Jigger Craigin and Bill Harnett as the other-worldly Starkeeper.

       There is also an octet of adorably cute kids on hand to steal the show in their brief appearances.

      Carousel, through Saturday, Cincinnati Music Theatre, Aronoff Center, 241-7469.

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