Dantes, I've always supported you from Day one and agree with you more as to what you've said...except for two things.
"I'm Not Alone" is far better than "Why Not Me?" I gave "Why Not Me?" a chance, but it's not memorable, and "I'm Not Alone" was such a powerful number. It just needs some revisions...but it's such a catchy number and especially because the audience will be divided between people who know Carrie and people who don't, for the people who don't know it, it will make them feel so bad she sings something as nice, sweet and innocent as "I'm Not Alone" and then have what happens to her happens.
Over the past two years when I've gotten to know Carrie: The Musical, I've come up with the conclusion of that it's great, but I don't know if it is really meant for anyone other than musical theatre fanatics who also love Stephen King and the films. But the thing is, is that Carrie: The Musical is a TOTALLY different incarnation of the story than the '76 or the '02 film version. It's a musical adaptation of the book. So it's a totally different adaptation. Carrie was never meant to be musicalized, and as a piece of theatre it's not amazing, but the story has a great dramatic structure to it.
That being said, Carrie will never find a commercial audience. It's simply not marketable enough. Not that it CAN'T find ways to market itself, but a lot of what keeps Broadway shows are how they appeal to families and tourists. Carrie can slightly pull from the ladder; there are SEVERAL people from the UK who would give their first-born to see this show.
Here's how the process SHOULD go.
-Another workshop, but this time, staged.
-Pre-Broadway Try-Out in I'm thinking D.C. Or C.A. Maybe even Papermill?
-Move Off-Broadway or Encores. If the theatre people there love it, than it moves to Broadway.
I don't think even after any try-out goes it should go straight to Broadway. The hype would need to build from workshop until another professional incarnation. There should be a mutual agreement between Joe Shmoe audience goers who see it in its' try-out and professionals as well who should give it the green light. If one or the other doesn't like it, it shouldn't go. You can't please everyone, but if it's at least more than 3/4ths mutual agreement, then I think it's safe to go to Broadway.
I think something will happen, but they're trying to figure it out now. Either that, or they felt like the new reading was so good as a reading and they want to leave it as that, just to prove it can work.
But Pitchford HAS to go, and Gore needs a collaborator.
Recent Broadway and Off-Broadway:: Carrie, Merrily, Ionescopade
Next On The List :: Clybourne Park, Once, Streetcar, BOM