CARRIE THE MUSICAL to premiere in Los Angeles — Page 3

This is turning into the Rebecca of LA.

That's why LA added strobe lights and nudity, Namo. Someone's blood-stained ass is gonna blink.

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um... where in LA are you because it does not take 2 and half hours to get to La Mirada.... unless traffic is REALLY REALLY REALLY bad... I lived in Burbank and it usually took me one hour to 90 minutes (in REALLY bad traffic) to drive to La Mirada...

Nudity?

Audition information:

http://www.experiencecarrie.com/cast.html

Cast announced.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Emily-Lopez-Misty-Cotton-More-Will-Lead-Reimagined-CARRIE-THE-MUSICAL-in-Los-Angeles-Complete-Cast-Announced-20150209

the cast is unknowns?? skipping.

"Would you be able to tell me how the production is so "immersive"?"

From what had previously been communicated by the La Mirada folks, the audience and actors would all be on stage. I think they are selling only 250 tickets per show. From the most recent info posted on the website, it appears the entire theater is being transformed into the high school.


Important Info (From the website)
CARRIE THE MUSICAL is an audience-immersive theatrical event.

Audiences will stand and move with the actors. Comfortable shoes and clothing are recommended. Wheelchair guests will be accommodated.

The show contains the use of smoke and haze, strobe lights, special effects and loud music.

CARRIE THE MUSICAL contains adult language, themes and nudity and is recommended for mature audiences.

From Playbill.com:

According to press notes, "La Mirada Theatre will be completely transformed into Ewen High School, putting audiences, for the first time ever, at the center of the action in this bold and thrilling twist on the now-classic musical."
Two-time Tony Award-winning Broadway producers Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman (Pippin, Clybourne Park, On The Town) are working closely with Brian Kite, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and the creative team on this developmental production, aimed for major productions around the country.

Producers Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman added, "The story of Carrie has endured in the popular consciousness for decades, but no one has ever experienced it from this point of view. The idea of placing the audience in the center of this world was just too tantalizing to resist. We are working closely with the creative team to present an exciting new production of this reimagined, environmental/immersive staging of Carrie the Musical. If all goes well at La Mirada, we are planning future productions for cities around the world, probably kicking off with Las Vegas, New Orleans and Toronto. It's going to be a thrilling ride."

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/immersive-carrie-will-put-audiences-at-the-center-of-high-school-complete-casting-announced-for-l.a.-premiere-341325

It sounds to me like the immersive aspect is just the set. Perhaps the kind of immersiveness that characterized the CATS musical set?

I can't get past the fact that it's proudly wheelchair accessible. I keep picturing someone in said apparatus being subjected to "immersion" in the "loud music" or "smoke." I'm sure it's my innate co-dependency, but I'd tell my wheelchair-bound loved one "Please, you want interactive, wait for another sing-along SOUND OF MUSIC."

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"Can we just talk about how awesome "In" was? "

I actually would defend the current musical arrangement - it adds some much needed masculinity and sounds incredibly modern and relevant. The line about the boys worrying if they are seen as gay is sorely missed. However, overall the arrangement IMO is far better than the 2009 reading, which sounds too similar to the original version. When I heard them perform "In" for the first time at that MTC preview night thing, I was floored at what they had done to it (back then they even still had the gay lines if I remember correctly, so it was almost perfect). It really sounded like they had saved the show. Unfortunately, I think it peaked at "In".

Marin Mazzie also picked up her game substantially from the 2009 reading. Her performance in the 2009 reading is everything that people would worry about her casting. But in the actual revival and recording she was a ferocious belter. I feel there was some small backlash because the benchmark had been set SO high by Betty Buckley. However, now that it's been a couple of years since the off-broadway revival and there have been a few productions around, it doesn't seem like (from what I've observed or heard) that there are many who can come close to Mazzie's performance. Ripley's performance even (who was one of the early obvious choices) was quite disappointing given the state of her voice these days.

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Though I ended up growing to appreciate Mazzie's performance, I still firmly believe that lowering the keys for Margaret White was a HUGE mistake, one that makes the music between the mother and daughter half as exciting at best. Carrie and Margaret's music has always been the saving grace of the show. I know stafford was incessant on having Mazzie play the part and to have her sacrifices had to be made to the score. However; I don't think I'll ever believe that those sacrifices were worth it. Mazzie was a huge part of Stafford's vision, which is fine, but I wish his vision and her vocal accommodations weren't such a huge part of the licensing and the way the material is done now with Mazzie on the soundtrack and the show being lincensed in her keys.

The way "But the sin never dies" is sung now, will never pack the emotional punch that Buckley's did no matter how fine the actress is in the Mazzie keys. The Buckley keys lend themselves to the high stakes of the White bungalow and force both the actors and the audience into an emotional place that the Mazzie keys simply cannot.

Updated On: 2/13/15 at 01:00 AM

The prom bit makes me cringe. The seating units sound cool.

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