It seems Stephen King musicals are on the prowl! Ghost Brothers is on the lose, and wouldn't ya know it. . . someone has decided that Carrie should be resurrected -- again. This time the musical! Now, a while back it was done in drag -- but I think this effort is totally serious. Exciting, since it got such great reviews last go-around.
So with a new Carrie movie in the works, I guess someone decided it was time to dust off that old Carrie musical. I understand how The Sound Of Music is good musical material. But may I ask. . . who out there seriously thinks Carrie belongs in the "musical" territory? South pacific, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, The Wizard of Oz, Music Man, Oklahoma, The King and I, Paint your Wagon, Seven brides for seven brothers, Show Boat, State Fair -- all belong in that coveted "musical" genre. Isn't Carrie kind of a square peg?
The Associated Press expressed their excitement this way: "It will be the first time the show has been professionally produced since its 1988 Broadway flop." Or, in other words -- whoopieeeee.
MCC theaters has announced Carrie the musical in their line up. Here's the info from their website.
She's not like other girls.http://www.mcctheater.org/currentseason.html#carrie
Begins Jan 31
Carrie
Book by Lawrence D. Cohen
Music by Michael Gore
Lyrics by Dean Pitchford
Based on the novel by Stephen King
Directed by Stafford Arima
Carrie White is a misfit. At school, she’s an outcast who’s bullied by the popular crowd, and virtually invisible to everyone else. At home, she’s at the mercy of her loving but cruelly over-protective mother. But Carrie’s just discovered she’s got a special power, and if pushed too far, she’s not afraid to use it...
Based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel, the musical of Carrie hasn’t been seen since its legendary 1988 Broadway production. Now, the show’s original authors have joined with director Stafford Arima (Altar Boyz) and MCC Theater for a newly reworked and fully re-imagined vision of this gripping tale. Set today, in the small town of Chamberlain, Maine, Carrie features a book by Lawrence D. Cohen (screenwriter of the classic film), music by Academy Award winning composer Michael Gore (Fame, Terms of Endearment), and lyrics by Academy Award winning lyricist Dean Pitchford (Fame, Footloose). The cast will be led by Tony Award nominee Marin Mazzie (Next to Normal, Kiss Me Kate) as Carrie’s evangelical mother, Margaret White, and Molly Ranson (Jerusalem, August: Osage County) as the lonely, vengeful, yet fragile girl at the center of it all.
You know, I've been kinda fascinated by "Carrie: The Musical" ever since I first heard that there was such a thing. I found some bootleg audio recordings of some of the original shows and listened to them around Halloween last year, and I have to say ... it's not as bad as I'd always assumed. Don't get me wrong, it's not good; but I've heard worse.
ReplyDeleteI'd actually love to be able to go to New York and catch a performance of this, but I doubt I'll be able to. My budget for next year is probably only going to be able to accommodate one road trip, and I think I'd rather try and catch a performance of "Ghost Brothers of Darkland County."
If "Carrie" catches on, though, there's always 2013...