Revised CARRIE on Broadway?- Page 2

[Fantod]

Posted: 7/14/15 at 6:44pm

Oh, I guess three terrible movie adaptations. Never heard of the made for television movie. Yes, the original is pretty awful because it turns sharp social satire into cheesy 1970's horror with pretty embarrassing performances to boot.

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 3:14am

The new In sucks, The World According to Chris sucks, the new book sucks, De Palma's film is a masterpiece, bring back the 80's camp, throw out the garbage 90's grunge of the revisal, dump the "gritty" atmosphere, the original shuttered because the producers panicked and the worst thing about it was the choreography and maybe some of the lyrics.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 5:10am

The inherent problem with CARRIE: The Musical, is that the high school half is never as compelling as the mother-daughter half. The show is basically split into two separate parts: a kitchy, campy, poppy high school (198 / a angsty, boring, bad Spring Awakening-esque high school (2012), and a gorgeous, horrifying, operatic mother-daughter part. Carrie is the only character that exists in both of these worlds (although during the Stratford run, Margaret was part of the Heaven Octet).

The reason the show is a legend is because the high school section was done so OUT of style with the other half and so campy with the costumes and choreography. Any director who thinks teenagers dancing over a pig stye and rubbing blood over their bare chests is going to mesh well with anything but camp is crazy.

 

In the revisal, the tone was done in a Spring Awakening voice that sucks the show dry. The team obviously wanted to avoid camp at all costs and that backfired, as the show was so legendary that everyone wanted camp. I also have problems with the director, who takes interesting shows like Bare, Carrie, and Ragtime and makes them boring and monotonous. Bare, for all its flaws (and there are many), is far more interesting in the original form than the resent attempt to make it an angsty teen musical. The same is true of Carrie.

Plus, the new songs, book, and orchestrations all sucked so much.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 5:53am

"Oh, I guess three terrible movie adaptations. Never heard of the made for television movie. Yes, the original is pretty awful because it turns sharp social satire into cheesy 1970's horror with pretty embarrassing performances to boot."

 

Two of those "pretty embarrassing performances" were Oscar nominated:

Sissy Spacek for Best Actress

Piper Laurie for Best Supporting Actress

...and their performances still hold up today.

 

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 9:08am

Yes, the original is pretty awful because it turns sharp social satire into cheesy 1970's horror with pretty embarrassing performances to boot.

"Sharp social satire"?  Have you read the book?  It's not satire, social or otherwise.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 9:29am

"Re: Gaveston
EW. I'm so sorry you had to read that!"

I was always the kind of gay friend with whom girls shared all their monthly details, so I wasn't grossed out. I just couldn't imagine any high school where even the "mean girls" would be THAT vulgar in public. (I actually had a situation while teaching college where a girl got her period during a scene in someone else's class and let the menstrual blood run down her leg rather than stop the scene. My students were all gossiping about it when they got to my class, but they hadn't stood up and shouted "Plug it up!" during the event.)

And, anyway, I prefer a bit of lyricism with my musicals, thank you.

***

You all convinced me to download the recording, which isn't half bad, though it sounds very derivative of WICKED. Was that true back in the 1980s? I mean did CARRIE get there first?

And, also, the ending just seems to peter out. Though I didn't see it, I thought I remember a solo or duet at the end as the house seemed to burn down around Carrie. The recording offers a few slamming doors at the gym, but if I hadn't seen the film I wouldn't have known what was happening. And then the very end sounded like Mother was tucking Carrie into bed for the night. ???

[bryan2]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 9:34am

The two reasons that this show lives on is the powerhouse performances from Betty Buckley and Linzie Hateley.,replace them and the the show is a bore with no value .   Marin Mazie did it off Broadway -sung well but no fear in her voice Alice Ripley did it and was awful...her voice is really not what it was..off key and screechy - . Betty Buckleys voice struck fear in Carrie and the audience..and her commitment to the role was 1000 percent....she was Margaret White for every performance. it is a shame the rest of the show did not match the two stars....the Off Broadway version was just blah...

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 9:40am

*Just in case, Spoilers*

 

I can't speak for the revival/revisal, but the original production ended on some giant white staircase (the outside of the school? a staircase to heaven? some other weird, disjointed concept?). Margaret appeared there and sang Carrie a lullaby-like reprise of the title song, lulling her into a false sense of security before stabbing her (Margaret is deranged by this point and determined to correct the mistake she made when Carrie first exhibited her powers as an infant and Margaret failed to kill the "witch" then).

In the novel Carrie uses her powers to stop Margaret's heart after the knife to the back fails to kill her instantly. Carrie leaves the house, slowly dying, and encounters Sue. Sue comforts Carrie the best she can as Carrie dies.

In the film we get Carrie using her powers to stab Margaret with multiple kitchen knives and utensils, leaving her in a pose echoing the pose of a statue of Saint Sebastian that was in Carrie's prayer/punishment closet.

In the original production, as described by those who saw it and from what I could see on the video from Stratford, Margaret randomly drops dead just before Carrie herself dies. No explanation is given, so if you didn't read and/or remember the heart-stopping bit from the novel you are left completely clueless as to how Margaret just died. Of course, since they never actually said "telekinesis" in the original production, or give any indication of just what Carrie's "power" was (at the end of Act 1 her hands burst into flames, which is completely unrelated to telekinesis), it's just one more moment of confusion for those in the audience who were going into the show only knowing Carrie as that movie about the girl who gets blood dumped on her at the prom and then kills everyone. 

 

[philly03]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 10:31am

"The World According to Chris" is a huge improvement on "Don't Waste the Moon"... Are you all forgetting lyrics such as "All we ever do is park/then for hours you grope me in the dark"?!? (Except I hate the sappy ending Chris eventually got on the song - she's such a caricature anyway let her belt out the end)

I do agree though - Linzi Hateley and Betty Buckley were a perfect combination. A ton of their material is also completely amateur, but there performances owe more to Terry Hands and themselves over the atrocious lyrics Dean Pitchford and cringeworthy book scenes that Lawrence Cohen gave them. 

The Off-Broadway version could've been better if they had some fun with it... What a missed opportunity. The creative team really thinks they are masters of the craft, and have gotten away with a lot over the years by bashing Terry Hands and Debbie Allen.

[Fantod]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 10:40am

Not satire. Commentary? I don't know. I stand by my comment about the performances.

[lovebwy]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 12:26pm

"Oh, I guess three terrible movie adaptations. Never heard of the made for television movie. Yes, the original is pretty awful because it turns sharp social satire into cheesy 1970's horror with pretty embarrassing performances to boot."

 Wow. I really disagree. Completely.  

Sissy Specek and Piper Laurie both got Oscar nominations. They movie is scary as hell. John Travolta is excellent, as are Nancy Allen and Broadway World's favorite Betty Buckley.

You're out of your damn mind.

 

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 1:06pm

"The World According to Chris" is a huge improvement on "Don't Waste the Moon"

I heartily disagree.

Are you all forgetting lyrics such as "All we ever do is park/then for hours you grope me in the dark"?!?

No.  It's a scene about raging teenage hormones, which I find far more interesting and essential to the characters and plot than The World According to Chris.  Have you read the lyrics to that one?  Don't Waste the Moon was fun, atmospheric and underlined the perceived important of sex and peer pressure among the teens, which is directly relevant to Carrie's character and the treatment of her by others.  The World According to Chris really tells us nothing other than she's a bitch, which is made redundant by every other scene she's in.  

[newintown]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 2:19pm

Perhaps it's just me, but I think everything about the writing of Carrie the musical is just atrociously amateurish.

Here, for your pleasure, are the full lyrics to "Don't Waste the Moon" from the Broadway score (with comments):

SUE
Tommy, won’t you take me home?
I think I would rather be alone.
I’ve still got homework, and it’s ten o-clock.

TOMMY
Oh, great!
SUE
It’s late.
TOMMY
Now wait! (Wow – three monosyllabic rhymes in a row!)

Hey, baby don’t get mad,
I don’t understand why you feel bad,
But you shouldn’t treat me like I’m just a jock

SUE
Like when?
TOMMY
Just then!
SUE:
Oh, men! (Again!)

See, boys like you never think of someone else.
TOMMY
Me? That’s not true. I’m just tryin’ to help. (Do you like that omission of the final “g” from “tryin?” Just the way the real kids talk.)

So, baby,
Don’t waste the moon,
Now that the night is ours. (This reminds me of early 20^th century operettas)
Oh,
Don’t baby, don’t waste the moon
And the stars. (References to moons and stars NEVER get old.)

DIALOGUE

CHRIS
You don’t hear a word I say
Maybe cuz your brain gets in the way. (“Cuz!” They really know their kidspeak.)
I think your [sic] the victim of an active gland. (Of a what?)

BILLY
Oh, yeah?
CHRIS
Oh, yeah.
BILLY
Oh, yeah? (One could argue that this demonstrates Chris and Billy’s inarticulate natures, but…)

You! What a twisted mind.
Don’t you know that boys are going blind
Cuz they don’t have someone who will lend a hand? (A hand job reference! How naughty!)

CHRIS
That’s smart!
BILLY
My heart! (“My heart?”)
CHRIS
Don’t start! (Discarded lyric: “Aw, fart.”)

See boys like you, wham and bam and “Thank you ma’am.” (Very cutting edge.)
BILLY
Me? That’s not true! Who do you think I am?

So, baby
Don’t waste the moon,
Now that the night is ours.
Oh,
Don’t baby, don’t waste the moon
And the stars. (Let's just decide not to object that each chorus uses exactly the same lyrics - it happens.)

DIALOGUE

OTHER BOYS
Gee, what’d I do? Why’d you have to be so mean? ("Gee?" Gosh, they were doing so well with authentic 70's slang up til now...)
OTHER GIRLS
See boys like you, we should just watch the screen.

SUE/CHRIS/GIRLS (Why are Sue and Chris, such different people, singing the same words?)
Don’t you treat me like some little toy
Or I’m just gonna treat you like one of the boys! (Who’s one of the girls?)
TOMMY/BILLY/BOYS
Well, you don’t know how to handle a man. God damn! (Up-to-date profanity)
I’m doing the best that I can!

DANCE BREAK!

ALL
Don’t waste the moon,
Now that the night is ours.
Oh,
Don’t baby, don’t waste the moon
And the stars.

SUE/CHRIS/GIRLS
All we ever do is park
Then for hours you grope me in the dark;
We would go howling if you really cared. (This one is really hard to get any coherent meaning from.)

You don’t!
TOMMY/BILLY/BOYS
I do!
SUE/CHRIS/GIRLS
You don’t!

TOMMY/BILLY/BOYS
‘Kay. Be that way!
Good girls go to Heaven so they say,
But bad girls they go ev’rywhere. (A reference to the Breakfast at Tiffany’s musical?)

SUE/CHRIS/GIRLS
No fair!
TOMMY/BILLY/BOYS
So there! (Does anyone over the age of 5 say this?)
SUE/CHRIS/GIRLS
I swear!

See! Boys like you, You don’t even care for love.
TOMMY/BILLY/BOYS
Me? That’s not true! I never get enough!

So, baby,
                                                            SUE/CHRIS/GIRLS
Don’t waste the moon,                            See! Boys like you;
Now that the night is ours.                      You can bark, but you
                                                             won’t bite.
Oh,
Don’t baby, don’t waste the moon            Me, I’ll come through
And the stars.                                         If you just treat me
                                                             right. (That's all it takes?)

ALL
Don’t waste the moon,
Now that the night is ours.
Oh,
Don’t baby, don’t waste the moon
And the stars.

Don’t waste the moon,
Now that the night is ours.
Oh,
Don’t baby, don’t waste the moon
And the stars.

BLACKOUT

Updated On: 7/15/15 at 02:19 PM

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 2:28pm

The "howling" line is "bowling", by the way, and while I don't disagree that the lyrics could use some tightening I don't see the issue with words like "'cause" or "tryin'", because, you know, people say them.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 2:31pm

And those lyrics I find more apropos to the characters and serve the story far better than the lyrics to its replacement, The World According to Chris:

Chris:

Guess what, ever since the world began
Same plot, everyone's been dumping on their fellow man
Pounding people they feel better than
I hope you're taking notes cause
You feel everyone deserves a shot
Get real
Some of us have got it, girl
And some got squat
That's the truth, oh honey, like it or not
I hate to break it to you

My daddy taught me you get no where being nice
So now I'm sharing his advice

The world according to Chris is
Better to strike then get struck
Better to screw then get screwed
You'd probably think its bizarre
But that's the way things are

Sue: (spoken) But that doesn't mean it has to be that way
What does it cost to be kind

Chris: (spoken) Ew, what have you done with my best friend? Billy, tell me, am I right, or am I right?

Billy: (sung)
Trust me
I swear
There's a dick in every class
Not fair
Each and every time I fail those losers pass
Hey, everyone of them can kiss my ass

Chris:
You wonder why I love him

Billy:
One year, there was this good looking guy
So queer
And on top of that he has a wandering eye
One day he looks at me
And, huh, bye-bye

Chris:
I bet he got the message

Chris and Billy:
We're here to tell you how this whole damn freak show works

All:
Oh, yeah yeah yeah

Chris and Billy:
If you don't listen, then you're jerks!

All:
The world according to Chris is
Better to punch than get punched
Better to burn than get burned
Learn that and you're gonna go far
Cause that's the way things are

Chris:
Hoo-nya nya nya nya na na na na
Hoo-nya nya nya na na na na

All:
Hoo-nya nya nya nya na na na na
Hoo-nya nya nya na na na na

Sue: (spoken) Do you believe her?

Tommy: (spoken) C'mon, she's just being Chris.

Sue: (spoken) You weren't there. It was awful. We were hurting Carrie.

Tommy: (spoken) Oh, I'm sure it wasn't that bad.

Sue: (sung)
Tommy, you don't understand
What was just a joke got out of hand
We kept on screaming til she hit the floor

Tommy: (spoken) C'mon, everybody was doing it.

Sue: (sung)
Hey, I was in there, too
What came over me was something new
I did things I'd never done before

And now I wish there's something I could do or say
I've never ever felt this way

Tommy: (sung)
Look, Sue
Don't be so hard on yourself
You can tell me to keep my mouth shut
But, wanna know what I'd advise?

Sue: What?

Tommy:
Apologize

Sue: (spoken) Apologize. Oh, Tommy! That's genius!

Chris: (Sung)
Ew, Sue
I know you've been feeling sad

All:
Boo Hoo!
Sure, we clobbered Carrie and that's too damn bad

Chris:
This is why you've gotta love my dad

All:
He's got the right idea

Chris:
My daddy taught me who's on top and who's below
(All: who's below)
And now its time I let you know
The world according to Chris...

Sue: (spoken) You're joking, right? You can't possibly mean all this?

Chris: (spoken) Why are you being such a buzz-kill?

Sue: Chris, grow up.

All:
Hoo-nya nya nya na na na na
Hoo-nya nya nya nya na na na na (and so on)

Billy:
Let's start this party, people!
The World According to Chris (x4)

Chris: (softly)
The world according to Chris is
Better to whip than get whipped
Even if somebody bleeds
Please
Nobody dies from a scar
And that's the way things
Are

 

[newintown]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 2:37pm

Yes, those things (I really don't want to call them "lyrics") are equally bad (if not worse).

It's just a truly idiotic score, in every version.

"The "howling" line is "bowling"" - that's absolutely right, on closer examination - and it makes even less sense that way. "Bowling?" Is that a "new" euphemism for sex?

Updated On: 7/15/15 at 02:37 PM

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 2:44pm

No? It's "if you really wanted to just 'have a nice time' we'd go bowling [aka do something innocent that's not an obvious ploy to make out and feel each other up]". The sexual politics are a little simplistic but it fits with the song's narrative of frustrated sexual pressure vs the social waves Carrie is making.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 4:16pm

""The World According to Chris" is a huge improvement on "Don't Waste the Moon"... Are you all forgetting lyrics such as "All we ever do is park/then for hours you grope me in the dark"?!? (Except I hate the sappy ending Chris eventually got on the song - she's such a caricature anyway let her belt out the end)"

I feel this way as well. It's a shame, because when the show started previews Off-Broadway, "The World According to Chris" did have a very belt-y ending. There are some naughty audios out there that have that version of the song (If you want to hear it PM me).

"And, also, the ending just seems to peter out. Though I didn't see it, I thought I remember a solo or duet at the end as the house seemed to burn down around Carrie. The recording offers a few slamming doors at the gym, but if I hadn't seen the film I wouldn't have known what was happening. And then the very end sounded like Mother was tucking Carrie into bed for the night. ???"

I think that was merely a bad choice for the cast album. The "Carrie" reprise would have benefited greatly if they had included the couple lines after Carrie gets stabbed. The way they did record it, gives no indication that Carrie has just been stabbed. 
 

[SantanaLopez]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 4:19pm

Is the original production cast album out of circulation? I can't find it. I wanted to listen to the score and Betti Buckleys songs.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 4:21pm

^ The original production never recorded a cast album. There is a soundboard recording of the final performance of the original though, it's pretty good quality for its age. 

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 4:22pm

There was no original cast album.  There have been live audio recordings floating around among collectors for decades.

[SantanaLopez]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 4:23pm

K thanks!

[gleek4114]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 4:33pm

This site has a lot of great info and downloads for those interested:

http://carriethemusical.weebly.com/ 

[philly03]

Posted: 7/15/15 at 4:55pm

There's no doubt in my mind that Dean Pitchford was the sole holdout from the creators that took so long for a "revision" (wasn't that a;ways the rumor - one of the creative members wouldn't budge?). The lyrics are atrocious (nearly every song contains at least one terrible line). The music is all over the place - sometimes good, sometimes ballad heavy, sometimes also atrocious (remember "Wotta Night"!?) and the book of any musical gets trashed when a show doesn't work (though the scene before "It Hurts to Be Strong" is one of my favorite pathetic, cringe-worthy book moments ever!).

It's certainly one of my favorite flops ever because of this regardless. That soundboard recording is a hoot too.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 7/16/15 at 1:06pm

An alternate script has quietly been circulating that reinstates a lot of material that was cut in the Off-Broadway revisal, including "Don't Waste the Moon" and "Wotta Night." if you know who to ask, it might be an interesting read for some people in this thread.