Carrie Revival?- Page 7

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 6/8/06 at 2:01pm

Well, she was all the way back upstage.

Obviously no fire walls, but little fires all about the stage?
Plus lighting effects that can make it look like the fires are bigger than they appear...

I'll miss the stairway to heaven though. That was ridiculous. But oh so right.

[ticenewyorkcity]

Posted: 6/8/06 at 2:27pm

While I am very excited to be hearing all of this I am not going to hold my breath.

The script that is being talked about sounds like, alot like, the orig. script that was being worked on for the orig. work shop. It is possible that they are using that, parts of that, script as well.

I think that it should be exciting to see what happens to the old girl. I mean it has been nearly 20 years since she was around and I would love to see a new version. I will miss "In" that was amazing to me. And the Staircase to Heaven...ohh it didn't get much better than that.

I certianly think that if this is going to be brought back they need to pull out all the stops with the special effects. Really have those tables fly...knives being flung...funiture floating. And please kids...if they can dump gallons and gallons of water for "Singing in the Rain", "Bombay Dreams", "The Sound of Music" I think we can find a way to have blood drop and for Carrie's mic to be safe...I think that should be the least of the productions worries...the orig. was pitiful...very sad.

any way....I think we can all agree that it will be interesting to see what happens with her....I hope she comes back....because as she always said

"Someday, someone WILL know my name"

d

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 6/8/06 at 3:04pm

Well nobody in those shows gets an actual bucket of water dumped on their head before singing a ten minute piece of music - except for that time when Ethel Merman was up in the flies of SOUND OF MUSIC after Mary Martin stole her Tony for GYPSY - oh nevermind.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 6/8/06 at 3:13pm

Yea, but no mics.

[rocker05]

Posted: 6/8/06 at 4:22pm

I think (I'm not sure though) if "Carrie" comes back to Broadway it will probably make more money than it did in the 80's, only if it really becomes a spectacle. I was actually shocked that it didn't have a huge advance sale because of the name! The trouble with shows is if there is no spectacle, no money is made. The only shows at the moment that are non-spectacles that are at high attendance and make a lot of money are Avenue Q and The Drowsy Chaperone. "Wicked" is a great example of a show that stays open because it's a spectacle. The book is flawed and the score is mediocre (in my opinion). We do not want "Carrie" (if she comes back) to run for 5 performances. "Carrie" closed after 5 performances, because after the horrid reviews were released, the public cancelled many of their ticket orders. The producers also pulled because of the well...horrid reviews. I saw it during previews and I wasn't sure of what I was seeing. The Overture was great and then, the curtain lifted. OUCH. The set was very weird. The opening number was great, but I didn't think for a minute that we were in a gym or that the girls were in high school. It only got stranger from that point. The mother daughter scenes were both frightening and captivating. Betty Buckley's voice was commanding and Linzi Hateley had a really pure innocence to her singing. Then when the ensemble numbers came on, I started to grunt, it was as if I was watching a poor imitation of Grease (like others have said). When the prom began, it was ridiculous. The disco ball was amazing because of the way it shined all over the audience, but that was it. Nothing else resembled a prom! When that fatal moment happened, it was very disappointing. I was waiting for that blood to spill from above and when I saw Billy spill a bucket of a tiny amount of what looked like strawberry ice cream topping, it was ridiculous. "The Destruction" was a great number, it really showed off Linzi's vocal talents, but the way it was pulled off was dumb. When the lasers flew over the audience, it was awesome. I thought, "this is gonna be good", then I realized that was it. Every person at the prom just crawled around the stage in looks of pain, but it didn't even look as though they died. It didn't have a dramatic effect...at all. When the staircase came down, I started laughing. Where the hell did Margaret come from?! The heavens?! She stabs Carrie then Carrie touches her chest and she dies...okayyyyy. They both die, Sue is waiting at the bottom of the stage and holds Carrie in her arms and she dies and the lights go down. I wasn't sure whether to boo or applaud. I ended up giving the cast a standing ovation. As absurd and as horrible as the show was, I actually ended up having a fun time. The audience went wild, and some, well, walked out during the Curtain Calls in horror. It was an interesting yet flawed production because of it's overall look and story structure. Sorry if this was long and annoying, but I just wanted to give you guys my WHOLE opinion on the 1988 Broadway production. I have high hopes for this production, but they are really going to have to spruce this thing up a lot. Meaning that they must spend as much as they can on effects!
Updated On: 6/8/06 at 04:22 PM

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 6/8/06 at 4:27pm

Well, to be fair, in the book (I think) Carrie crushes Margaret's heart - literally.

Then there is the rock avalanche that crushes the White home and kills Carrie. Or does it?

(That scene was in the remake of the movie and also, I think, in Carrie 2: The Rage....or it was just in THE RAGE.)

The other thing was that Sue and Billy are killed in the car when they try to run Carrie over, not in the Gym.

They should keep Miss Gardner (whose novel form stays alive) alive with Sue at the end. Visiting Carrie's grave. And they can work a PILLOWMAN scare effect in there.
Updated On: 6/8/06 at 04:27 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/8/06 at 4:57pm

If I remember correctly, after Carrie crushes her mother's heart with her powers, she leaves the home which demolishes in her wake and wanders down the road. She collapses into a ditch and is found by Sue and communicates telepathically with Sue until she dies in Sue's arms.

Updated On: 6/8/06 at 04:57 PM

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 6/8/06 at 5:50pm

With all the postings going on about this show, before the real work has really started, "Carrie: the musical" could become the Broadway equivalent of "Snakes On A Plane"...

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 6/8/06 at 5:56pm

I think this show has to be revived. Look at all the posts it is causing! It is something that we need back somewhere at some theatre! Its short lived life shall be resurrected!

[west end artist1]

Posted: 6/8/06 at 7:11pm

dont think anyone needs to worry about the fire thing ive seen many shows where fire has been used on stage and i think the producers will know that they have to go all out with the effects to give it a shot
The ending is written very well actually (quite sad) and the scare at the end sounds fun.
I really hope this gets off the ground coz at the moment they have 1 hell of a script

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 6/8/06 at 7:39pm

Very true and I am very excited! I really really really hope its playing somewhere when I am in the UK next year!

[rocker05]

Posted: 6/8/06 at 10:13pm

I am definitely hoping for some great fire effects and not some ridiculous (small) fire like in this season's Lestat. A firewall is dangerous, but lighting effects and fire possibly surrounding the people at the prom could make it both frightening and entertaining. Maybe then they could have water spraying from the top of the stage which drenches Carrie towards the end of "The Destruction" as well, they can cover her microphone with something! I'm sure the sound is going to be crazy in the new revival as well, the 1988 production had some of the loudest amplification I have ever heard in a theatre. The overture was REALLY loud (I sat 4th Row Center)! They should have some effect to show that Carrie's house collapses, it would be so cool! Didn't they try something like that in London's "The Witches Of Eastwick"? The hand coming out of the grave sounds like a cool ending, but what are they going to do, it's a dream! Is Sue going to see Carrie's hand come out of the grave run to her bed, fake she was sleeping and scream or something?! The staging wouldn't work, and I think after all of the drama it would just create major laughter, even though the ending of the movie was going for the camp factor. The ending sounds great with Carrie's reflection in the mirror, but it just seems like there needs to be more!

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 7:18am

Didn't they set a wall on fire at the end of the reworked Martin Guerre? The flames weren't particularly powerful, but with lighting were quite effective (from the back of the stalls)

And yes, Witches had a collapsing church which was fairly impressive (though not so much after the show moved theatres).

[west end artist1]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 8:57am

oh god yeah the church in witches and your absalotley right once it switched theatres it looked a bit naff.
I think ending the show with carries reflection ends it fine as it allows us to see that the only person who survived carries wrath is now going to be haunted by her for the rest of her life.
I was talking to one of the guys who works on our set at footloose in the west end about the fire wall thing and he said the chances are (if there smart)they will use a huge projector screen with flames on it and real fire mixed together.
As for MARTIN GUEERE yes they did use fire on the stage in that(bloody awfull show)but did look quite effective.

lol

[rocker05]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 4:00pm

westendartist1- do you know anymore information about the unnamed shower scene song? "Dream On" was brutal, and I hope they came up with a song that the singers won't crack terribly on. Also, how much has "Don't Waste The Moon" changed, the staging was terrible because of the abstract look, but for the 80's the whole 3-level drive-in set was kind of cool. I just wanted to know if you knew how the drive-in set is planned to look like (if it's in the script-details) and if the lyrics have changed tremendously or just a little bit. One other thing, are they going to have any sort of scenes in the cellar. We never really got to see where Carrie went to pray, and if maybe the set designer created a sort of enclosed cellar set piece with spiritual items inside, it could almost match the horrifying claustrophobic feeling of the movie. I'm just mentioning this because in the original production, Sue just walked to the front of the stage and Carrie's voice was played in the background, which didn't make much sense.

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 4:17pm

What about Out For Blood? They should make a lot of lyrical changes to that. I think the song is Fine. And Chris's stuff is fine...but the male chorus lines, not so fine.

[rocker05]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 4:39pm

I'm not sure how much they can change the lyrics, I think "Out For Blood" should stay a memory. In Stratford, it was called "Crackerjack", which to this day, I have no idea what it means. It sounded really stupid, except the orchestrations sounded a little bit better in Stratford. I honestly think most of the original RSC orchestrations were great with the exception of "And Eve Was Weak" because it made a major improvement from Stratford when it hit Broadway, it had much more intensity than it did when it played Stratford. When "Out For Blood" was placed in the Broadway production it was just a dumb excuse for a dance number. The song was catchy, but was completely ridiculous! They were dancing (pelvic thrusts and other sexual movements) to the killing of a pig! The whole scene was horrible, I was just in awe at what I was seeing. As much as the music is catchy, I completely understand why Charlotte D'Amboise disliked the song, It made absolutely no sense and the lyrics were really, REALLY bad. If only you heard this song during the original workshop, that was even worse. Maybe as a homage to "Out For Blood", they could use some of the orchestrations for the pigs blood scene, but when it comes to the song itself, it should stay a distant memory.

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 5:32pm

If ever it did come back to broadway, I think an amazing Carrie White would be Allison Fischer. I just think she would be perfect as Carrie. Unfortunately, I wouldn't want her to risk being in another flop. But she just seems perfect for the part.

[rocker05]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 5:48pm

I stuck on that one, I mean Allison Fischer is a great singer and was really the best part about "Lestat". I just can't see her being Carrie White, she doesn't look like she can really bring out that innocence that Carrie needs. Linzi Hateley was perfect because she fit the role, she was plump and had a very strong amount of innocence that the role required. I actually felt for her when I was watching her sing "And Eve Was Weak" and "Evening Prayers". I think they should find an unknown to play the part, there is so much talent waiting to be found, that's the way they happened to stumble upon Linzi. I just really hope some of the original cast considers participating in the revival if it happens to come back to Broadway. I don't think that Charlotte will do it because she is a bit older, but she definitely hasn't lost her charm! Linzi is also a bit too old to be playing Carrie again and I don't think Sally Ann Triplett will jump to the offer as well, and sadly Gene Anthony Ray has passed, he was the most energetic dancer I have ever seen, it's really sad. The only possibility is that Betty Buckley might sign on because "Carrie" is so close to her heart. If anyone has seen the Act I Broadway dvd (i know westendartist1 has), Betty Buckley briefly talked backstage about how upset she was that the show was closing and said towards the end of her little interview, "this is what happens in showbusiness". Then "Carrie" was history. Back onto the original subject, I don't think Allison Fischer would fit the role, and I'm sure there is another show waiting out there that can use her great vocal talents.

[west end artist1]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 6:37pm

hi there

the shower scene song doesnt have a name yet but the lyrics are ok(not the best lyrics in the new production)but better than dream on.
As for dont waste the moon they lyrics have changed on about 3 lines but thats it its pretty much the same.The stageing is still set in a drive through but it makes refrence to a big screen showing a B horror movie.
As for out for blood PLAIN AND SIMPLE IT WAS BLOODY AWFULL and now its gone thank god.
That song diddnt have 1 thing going for it and we want the production to work this time and if that song stayed in it wouldnt

[rocker05]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 7:29pm

westendartist1- Thanks for the info! I hope the unnamed shower song takes place in a locker room and then a REALISTIC shower! In the original production, it was almost laughable, the shower floats?!I completely agree with you on "Out For Blood", it was REALLY awful. It has absolutely no place in this new production because of the tone the new revival is going for. It seems as though it is really going for the true meaning of the story and if "Out For Blood" was to stay all the seriousness would turn to camp! After 18 years, does anyone actually think that the producers would even think of putting this song back in the show?! It would be insanity, and plus, this song was one of the major reasons why this show closed so fast on Broadway. The show has potential as it stands now, but let's just hope the new songs end up great while staying within the true seriousness of the story about a tormented girl who just isn't accepted.

[west end artist1]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 11:38am

just heard(dont know how true it is)but carrie has been in touch with a few venues in the uk about playig there.So i guess this indicates a national tour

[west end artist1]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 9:10am

A soap star from the uk called michelle ryan is been looked at for the part of sue according to one of her freinds who came to see footloose even though she has never really sung professionaly before yikes

[SweeneyPhanatic]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 7:46pm

If anyone is interested, in addition to the London clips we've all seen on YouTube, there are also some clips from Broadway and some pro footage as well. Links here: http://www.yuppiesofzion.com/2006/06/someday_ohh_ohh_ohh_someday_someone_will_know_her_name.php

[pippin2]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 11:12pm

Dear Lord i would love to see Celia Kennan Bolger as Carrie.