Stephen King Meets Judy Blume in ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, CARRIE

The Ringwald Thater will be running a parody musical titled, "ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, CARRIE"  Talk about mash-up!  The musical promises to combine the best of Judy  Blume novels witht he "creepiness" of Stephen King.

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This is from broadwayworld.com

It's the 1970s, and pre-teen Carrie White and her religious nut of a mother have just moved to an idyllic New Jersey suburb. There she is befriended by a group of girls and together they form The PTS's (Pre-Teen Sensations) where they talk about boys and wait impatiently for their periods to arrive. But we all know that Carrie White and blood don't mix. As the girls gear up for the big school party, will everything go off without a hitch? Don't bet on it!

Featuring a jukebox full of 70s pop songs, ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, CARRIE promises to be a bloody good time (sorry, we couldn't resist)!

Featured in the cast are Meredith Deighton (Carrie), Lauren Bickers (Mrs. White), Brittany Michael (Nancy), DeAnnah Kleitz-Singleton (Gretchen), Katy Schoetzow (Janie), Dyan Bailey (Laura Denker), and Joel Hunter (All the Men).

Dyan Bailey will direct with choreography by Katy Schoetzow. Set design by Gwen Lindsay, costume design by Lisa Melinn, and lighting design by Brandy Joe Plambeck.

ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, CARRIE opens Saturday, October 11, 2014 and plays through Monday, November 3, 2014 at 8pm on Saturday and Monday nights with 3pm Sunday matinees. Ticket prices are $20.00 for Saturday performances, $15 for Sunday shows, and Monday nights are HALF OFF the original ticket price at only $10 a ticket. All students can now receive a $5 discount off normal ticket price on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday performances (available at the box office the day of the show with valid student ID). Tickets can be purchased at www.TheRingwald.com or at the theatre box office. The Ringwald box office opens 45 minutes before performances and tickets can be purchased with cash or Visa/Mastercard.

The Ringwald opened their doors seven years ago on May 11, 2007 with Fatal Attraction: A Greek Tragedy. Quickly, The Ringwald became a mainstay of Detroit's theatre community. Past Productions include: Angels in America, Into the Woods, The Motherfucker with the Hat, August: Osage County, When the Rain Stops Falling, The Bad Seed, Making Porn, The Book of Liz, Rent, and Love! Valour! Compassion!. The Ringwald was named 2009, 2012 and 2013 Best Theatrical Troupe by Real Detroit and Best Place to See Local Theatre in 2010, 2011 and 2012 by the readers of Metro Times.

The Unauthorized Musical Parody of The Shining

www.broadway.com writes:

writer/director Joe Lovero and composer Jon Hugo Unger have created a hilarious musical parody of the horror classic, featuring three-time Tony nominee Marc Kudisch as Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson in the film) and a berserk tango choreographed by Broadway favorite Shannon Lewis. The creators hope to do a stage version soon

SHINING : A MUSICAL

Happy April Fools Day

With the Carrie musical about to drop out of sight, again, Andy Williamson, author of Brooding, spent some time wondering what a musical version of The Shining might look like.

Check it out at Williamson's sight, The Wordslinger (that there be a mighty fine web name, Mr. Williamson!

His idea was birthed from a discussion we had at a talkstephenking blog post titled, "Musical Confusion," which you can read HERE.

Williamson offers us some of these gems:

SHINING! – a musical in 3 acts

based on the novel by Stephen King

written and directed by Andy Williamson (HA!)

That's great, Andy.  You direct it, and I will be first in line to watch.  Williamson assures us he is only kidding. . . or is he?  HUH!  IS HE?  He writes, "given the over the top, operatic themes of this story, this might could actually work."  YIKES!  I'm intrigued. 

He offers some production ideas, such as (my favorites),

• O Danny Boy
• Come and play with us, Danny.  (HOLY SMOKE, BATMAN!  I be freaked out by this one.)
• You Gotta Watch Her, She Creeps (Boiler Song)
• Gimme the Bat, Wendy (The Bash Your Brains In Song)

Of course, Andy has these all in the correct order.  I can just hear it!  Unfortunately, all these songs run through my head with the tune of "What's the buzz, what's everyone talkin' about?" from Jesus Christ Superstar.  Well, except O Danny Boy.

The full article is HERE.  There is even a nifty graphic that I am resisting the urge to steal!

Musical Confusion

Sing, Wendy!  Sing!

Am I the only person confused by the Broadway musical, Carrie?  I might be. 

Musicals on their own don't make sense to me.  People do not walk down the sidewalk and burst into song. . . choirs do not leap out of flower beds to join the crazy guy singing. . . taxi drivers don't stop in the middle of the street to join the crazy guy singing with his choir. . .

I can tolerate about two (2) musicals.  Little Shop of Horrors and Phantom of the Opera.  Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote an awesome script for Phantom, and Little Shop of Horrors is simply delightful. 

Something about Stephen King doesn't make me think: MUSICAL!  When a new King book gets announced, I do not think, "Oh boy, I hope it becomes a musical!"  I saw a poll asking what King book should be the next musical. 

Mixing horror and musical seems like more than just a genre buster.  This isn't like Cowboys and Aliens -- it's more like . . .

• Mr. Rogers directed by Oliver Stone
• The Happy Days cast does Nightmare on Elm Street 12
• Frenchtoast and Spaghetti
• A Bible movie with a budget
• Oprah in Star Wars
• Jonathan Edwards teams with Joel Osteen

Seriously, can you see Jack singing away as he swings at Wendy?  Talk about a new take on "Heeeeers Johnny!"  Would the dog sing in Cujo?  Would zombies do a super dance in Cell?  Somehow I just can't really see Misery the Musical.  The only one that might be cool would be IT.  Pennywise sings. . . no, I take it back.

More On: Carrie The Musical

Carrie The Musical is set to open March 1, 2012.  broadwayworld.com has this info:

MCC Theater presents the newly reworked and fully re-imagined production of Carrie, the musical, which features music by Michael Gore, lyrics by Dean Pitchford (Academy Award winning composer and lyricist for the original film Fame) and a book by Lawrence D. Cohen (who also adapted the 1974 novel by Stephen King for the 1976 Brian DePalma film). Directed by Stafford Arima, performances for Carrie begin January 31, 2012, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC). The official opening night is set for March 1, 2012.

Full article is HERE.

I Don't Want Be Buried In The Pet Sematary

Huntsville Times staffer Neil Adams is posting a series titled "13 days of Halloween musical countdown" every day until Halloween.  Al.com explains that the post are certain "to warm the cobweb-matted corners of your heart."  I LIKE IT!

Today's offering, "The Ramones offer some burial tips."

Adams writes,

"The Stephen King novel out-creeped the movie it spawned, but the Ramones provided a highly memorable song for the film's soundtrack. The book/movie/song combo is enough to make you think twice about what you bury and -- especially -- where you bury it."

As for the video, it includes more than a dash of 1980s kitsch, but encasing the Ramones in a burial vault near the clip's end is a nice touch (as are Dee Dee's wicked spider bass and Uncle Stevie's cameo). If there's a rock 'n' roll heaven, it's a shame most of the group already is jamming there. The Ramones were a band that deserved to live forever. One way or another.

The full set of posts are here.

SHE'S BACK! -- Carrie The Musical

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.

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.

http://www.mcctheater.org/currentseason.html#carrie

Can Carrie hold her own against Spidey?

Since the new Spiderman musical has recently dropped in on the world (in the case of one actor, literally dropped in!), suspicion has begun to mount that Spiderman might actually upset Carrie's place as worst musical ever. Gosh golly, it seems someone needs to defend Carrie's position.

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Charles Rosenay writes on examiner.com: Could the new Spiderman musical overtake the "Carrie" musical as Broadway's all-time flops? Our reviews of "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark" last week received a lot of attention, but not as much as the show itself when one its actors plunged 30 feet from the set and was hurt during a recent performance.

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The Sunday New York Post did an article on the biggest stage flops through the years, and voted 1988's "Carrie" as the all-time biggest Broadway bust ever. Playing only five shows, it lost 7 million dollars. The Spider Man musical reportedly costs 65 million! We'd rather see a revised, improved version of the new show than to see it get squashed (bad spider pun).

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http://www.examiner.com/horror-happenings-in-national/spider-man-musical-vs-carrie-musical

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While Spiderman might rival Carrie, I don't think the spiderman will ever be redone in drag. How bad was Carrie on stage?

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How bad was Carrie, really? Rosenay suggests to his readers that maybe Carrie wasn't that bad. Did anyone actually see it? Or does it just have a bad rap? In search of an answer, I found Mike Flemming's article at deadline. Flemming gave Carrie the musical this rining endorsement, "Because Carrie was that big a flop, historic, losing $8 million. As a cub reporter at New York Newsday assigned to cover Broadway opening nights, I went to the 1988 opening of Carrie expecting big things because the Stephen King book is such a chilling coming of age tale and the movie wasn't bad, either. The musical started out OK and, at intermission, I chatted up King, who was encouraged. But then we returned to our seats, the curtain rose, and the bad kids launched into Out For Blood. Meant to be a showstopper, the number cemented Carrie's rep as one of the worst ever musicals. Reviewers were merciless, and the musical closed after just 21 performances. Changing that second act opener seems a no-brainer." http://www.deadline.com/tag/carrie-musical/

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Check out Carrie the musical for yourself: http://heartinajar.blogspot.com/2009/11/theyre-all-gonna-laugh-at-you-when-you.html

Shawshank Redemption On Stage

Playbill.com reprots that Owen O'Neill and Dave Johns' stage version of the Shawshank Redemption will be showing at Wyndhams Theatre. Unfortunately. . . that's in London! So, for those of us who are an ocean or two away, we'll just have to drool and wish we were there. I must say, a stage version of Shawshank sounds a lot better than a Carrie musical.

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http://www.playbill.com/news/article/134297-_West_End_Production_of_The_Shawkshank_Redemption_to_Shutter_Nov%2029

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Get a behind the scenes look on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob-WrG8Mss8

Stephen King Is Everywhere!

Are all things King worthy of a Stephen King fan's attention? I don't know. I like to read Stepen King. Sometimes I like Stepen King movies. Audio books are good. What about. . . dollhouse books? Liljas Library has an interesting article on them. But those are still in the realm of his written work.

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Carrie The Musical:

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What about a Stephen King musical. . . again? Variety.com has an article that suggests "Carrie" might be coming back to Broadway. I really don't know what to say!

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The blog unsungmusicals.blogspot.com has a great entry on Carrie the musical. Here's just a bit of it, but go on over and read the whole thing, it really is funny:

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There is one musical that is considered the ultimate in flops. The ultimate in disasters. This show failed in every category above: Expectations were high (The composers of Fame, a Tony winning actress and choreographer, a bestselling author for source material), critics hated it, it closed in five performances and it lost around $7 million. And it has developed the ultimate of cult followings. Because the music is believed by many to be great. (I find there is a lot of unmotivated belting, but nonetheless there are several haunting melodies)

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Musical theatre geeks now know that I'm talking about Carrie. Yes, THAT Carrie. The one based on Stephen King's 1970s novel about a tormented high school girl with telekenetic powers. The 1979 film made stars out of Sissy Spacek and John Travolta. The musical version was developed by Michael Gore (music), Dean Pitchford (Lyrics) and Lawrence D. Cohen (book). The team was responsible for "Fame". They then teamed up with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Fame + RSC=CONFUSED.The show inspired the wonderful book "Not Since Carrie", which details the disaster of this show.

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A few highlights of the train wreck include a book very difficult to follow, an assault on eyes and ears with special effects to make up for said bad book, the fact that the high school kids were played by overworked thirty year old actors, and the insanity of the music (at the time audiences weren't as accustomed to mega belting, which Carrie was full of)...but it is hard for me to sum up his account here. It sounds like a "You had to be there" situation to really understand. Below is a link to one account of the show that I found.

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http://unsungmusicals.blogspot.com/2009/08/carrie-youre-flop.html

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Pet Sematary Video Game:

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And, on the headlines today is that there is a new Pet Sematary video game. Interesting, indeed. Of course, it does cause me to roll my eyes. Why? I'm not sure. But I think a poster at Pocketgamer nailed it. "Spooky" wrote: "This seems like a bizarre choice for a Stephen King adaptation- surely a Pac-Man stye game in which an axe wielding Jack Nicholson pursues you through a maze would have been more fun? Or perhaps a twin stick shooter based on Carrie, complete with telekinetic powers and a townfull of enemies to exact your revenge upon... the possibilities are endless.."

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There's Stephen King comic books, Stephen King plays (Misery seems to be a favorite), Stephen King Monopoly, and so on.

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Now here's what I find myself wondering: If I really really like Stephen King's writing, but that doesn't always translate into enjoying the other venues that King's work leaks into -- does that make me less of a fan? Probably. Becuase the interest on my part is the story.

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Links:

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http://flavorwire.com/44288/carrie-to-return-to-broadway

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http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/reader_comments.asp?e=16335&t=149051&sec=7&p=Pet+Sematary+game+undercovered+on+App+Store&et=news