Barbara Cook "Carrie"

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 10:17am

I was recently alerted as to the ... availability of a clip showing the entire Cook rendition of "And Eve Was Weak" with Ms. Hately. As a longtime CARRIE afficianado -- I saw the Broadway production three times -- and had access to esoteric preproduction memorabilia (a vocally impressive, dramatically empty Maureen McGovern as the mom in the workshop), I'd always hoped to run into a significant byte of the Cook Margaret White.

Hearing it, I recognized a startlingly different take on the role than Buckley's legendary reading. Start with the final operatic "Amen!" and work backwards. Cook resists some of Buckley's more pronounced physically abusive staging, as well as the now infamous mastabatory gestures (which Buckley still used in recreating "And Eve..." at Carnegie Hall.)

Cook apparently grew to resent the lack of work on the material and the creators couldn't get the dangerous performance from her they wanted. I think her departure was a mutually agreed upon decision, not a firing or a quitting. But that sounds too good to be true. As we all know, they eventually got a helluva lot of danger from Buckley -- she bruisd Hately 8 times a week.

Is there anyone out there who saw Cook in CARRIE at the RSC? I'd still welcome any info on how she played it in its entirety, and indeed, on how different the show was. The famous fire hose sequence was intact at that point.

Updated On: 5/19/07 at 10:17 AM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 10:41am

What's more shocking is that you don't have that RSC archive of the London incarnation of CARRIE on DVD. I assumed everyone on this planet already had it by now.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 10:46am

Huh?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 10:54am

Re the DVD

How & where would one get one might I ask?

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 11:17am

Google Broadway Bootlegs and you will find it!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 11:33am

What are bootlegs?

Wink Wink Nudge Nudge

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 12:34pm

Cook was HORRID as Margaret White. She admits to having no idea what she was doing...and the "Buckley" staging was created by Buckley herself to give it more dramatic appeal.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 1:23pm

The Cook performance appears to be partially based on Piper Laurie's take on Margaret in the film. But Laurie's performance was full of an other-worldliness, a sense of a kind of charismatic conversion (no matter how abusive). Cook's stayed very earthbound. Buckley through all of that out, started from scratch, but also found something deeply, mysteriously maternal -- if tragically conflicted -- in the role. Her "When There's No One" was a master class in finding another key layer in this role. The song is a stunning jewel in the sea of dross in the 2nd act, and she performed it like a one act play, as anyone can attest who saw it or the infamou B-roll footage that's ubiquitous.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 1:56pm

Infamous B-Roll? It's quite easily available -- as is that video of the entire Act 1 of the Broadway production.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 2:20pm

Well, he did say ubiquitous...

I don't know why you would bother judging Ms. Send-'em-an-ax's performance. It's painful.

Looking back, Betty Buckley (and even Hately) should have been shoe-ins for a Tony.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 2:26pm

I just googled "Carrie Audio B******" and not the 2nd or the 3rd choices but the *st site has something there that might interest those who have not heard the full show. "When There's No One" is honestly one of the most touching things I've ever heard sung, especially by Buckley. It was also great to understand what the girls were singing during "In" after seeing that video of the crazy choreography.

"I'm not screamin to hear my own voice, don't try to fight me cause you ain't got a choice! You either burn off or you turn off the boys so come on ladies! Burn, burn, burn, BURN!"

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 3:50pm

Actually, Cook's performance only makes you more appreciative of Buckley's work.

Watching the material for the first time in a couple of years, it seems fresher and more compelling (and as flawed)than ever. It's easy to say "today it would've had a shot..." But compared to stuff like LESTAT, or the dreary LITTLE WOMEN, it seems postively groundbreaking, warts and all. Sometimes I think a few changes might've saved it -- real world costumes (the Greek Tragedy via Vegas look -- out) , a couple of recasts (bye bye, 30 year old teens), and a few lyric fixes. The mother-daughter material remains persuasive evidence that this show was ambitious and as some have opined, almost -- almost -- a near miss.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 5:06pm

Auggie - I think all of that stuff would have killed and buried the show. It would have been another OK technical show but poor score, book, and lyrics with a few standout songs. The fact that none of it really worked (save for all of Margaret's stuff) is what makes the show a theatre cult classic.

[dramarama2]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 7:10pm

I saw Carrie on broadway when I was no older than 7. I honestly can't remember much about the show, but I remember Butley's performance absolutely scaring the crap out of me!
Now that I look back on videos I don't find her performance as scary, well obviously, but maybe it was one of those things that you needed to see performed live, but there was something scary about the way she stood there, and stared at Hately with somewhat mischievous eyes.

Updated On: 5/19/07 at 07:10 PM

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 7:48pm

dramarama-
If you say it on Broadway, you saw Buckley...who is actually kinda scary in the show...as opposed to Cook....or as I call the London Production "And Barbara Was Weak"

[dramarama2]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 8:03pm

Oh...oops I got it mixed up.

From what I remember Buckley didn't move that much. The only thing I remember being particularly violent was her pushing Hately into the cellar and giving her this creepy look.

I'll make the changes.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 10:11pm

haha i was the person who erm came across the Carrie dvd from Stratford in the first place(lovely friend at the RSC hehe) and was shocked by Cooks rubbish depiction of Margaret.

I had seen the show in 88 at stratford but was to young to really remember it that well, when i saw the dvd and heard her rehearsal CDs etc i was shocked at how miscast she was.

Buckley owned that role when she took over and gave an intense performance , i still prefer listening to my Broadway DVD over the Stratford one.

[Danielm]

Posted: 5/21/07 at 3:19pm

Barbara Cook was almost killed in this show--another reason to hate this piece of trash #@$%^$& "musical".

The reason Carrie flopped and didn't win any awards is because it was BAD, BAD, BAD, Gruesomely BAD.

[BigFatBlonde]

Posted: 5/21/07 at 3:29pm

Buckely was ultimately better for and in the role.

But I still love Cook.

I'm just biased towards big fat blondes, I guess.

[folkyboy]

Posted: 5/21/07 at 3:56pm

oh god Maureen McGovern?! that sounds HORRIBLE!

i personally LOVE the recording i have of Buckley. some of the score just makes me cry, it's so touching.

by now we've all heard the story about how big chair was when Buckley sat in for Barbara Cook after they transfered to Broadway. hahaha poor Barbara Cook!

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 5/21/07 at 4:28pm

Actually Maureen McGovern was quite good as Margaret. Annie Golden was a great Carrie, Liz Callaway was Chris (I think), and Donna Murphy was in the ensemble.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 5/21/07 at 7:25pm

annie golden was bloody awful as carrie she just screeched through the workshop songs