She's Back! CARRIE - First preview !!! - Page 31
She's Back! CARRIE - First preview !!!
#750Margaret
Posted: 2/13/12 at 10:18pm
I interpreted Betty's "dangerous'" comment to mean what we've proverbially referred to in this thread as being "less safe" with the material-- taking more theatrical risks, etc.
That's what she means when she talks about the 1988 production and she's right- if this PG-13, unexciting but respectable version of the show has opened on broadway in 1988 there is no way the musical would be nearly as legendary and talked about as it still is 25 years later.
#751Margaret
Posted: 2/13/12 at 10:42pm
"Taking more risks" is what I mean by "dangerous," too.
Not danger as in either "more threatening" or potentially harmful to anyone.
Whether Carrie walks out into the audience after the prom or not doesn't really matter. It was a suggestion, and I agree it might be weird or too much. It also might be very effective. The point I was trying to make is to be "risky" and "dangerous" with staging and/or acting choices. and do the unexpected. Make the audience uncomfortable right then. There are other ways you could achieve it without having her break the 4th wall. The second point of having her do something at that moment was that I don't think the big event of Carrie going on her rampage and destroying the town should be so minimized. It happens far too quickly (with just two lines of narration). It's all but edited out.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
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FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#754Margaret
Posted: 2/13/12 at 11:13pm
Namo must be bored tonight. No teens to beat up on in other threads. No cats to drown in his neighborhood. I'm surprised he hasn't commented more in this thread, since bullying and teasing are two of his favorite pastimes.
P.S. -- Thanks, Scarywarhol! I think it's been an interesting discussion overall ... with a few minor exceptions.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
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Updated On: 2/13/12 at 11:13 PM
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Owen22
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/24/11
#755Margaret
Posted: 2/13/12 at 11:19pm
"I interpreted Betty's "dangerous'" comment to mean what we've proverbially referred to in this thread as being "less safe" with the material-- taking more theatrical risks, etc."
This.
"That's what she means when she talks about the 1988 production and she's right- if this PG-13, unexciting but respectable version of the show has opened on broadway in 1988 there is no way the musical would be nearly as legendary and talked about as it still is 25 years later."
And this.
Updated On: 2/13/12 at 11:19 PM
MaybeN2N
Swing Joined: 2/14/12
#756Other than Margaret
Posted: 2/14/12 at 1:48am
Sorry to make a slight detour in the discussion, but I was wondering...
Is "Once You See" similar to the song from the 2009 reading? With heavy callbacks to "Her Mother Should Have Told Her"? Or has It changed since then?
Updated On: 2/14/12 at 01:48 AM
#757Other than Margaret
Posted: 2/14/12 at 3:13am
Mrs White is an iconic Gothic villain and as such, her function is to exist in our world but not to belong in it. Think Frankenstein's monster or Count Dracula.
To mould her into a misguided mom may seem more tempting- "oh, we've made her more real", but that is like trying to remove the superpowers from Clarke Kent: it makes the character less interesting, even redundant.
There are some characters with whom we should not be able to identify- Patrick Bateman springs to mind. The original Mrs White, as Stephen King knew, was a monster in human form. Call it supernatural or psychological, but she should have an ineffable madness.
#758Other than Margaret
Posted: 2/14/12 at 6:26amdevonian.t---everyone knows that Dracula is just a normal guy who likes to sleep all day, seduce young women at night, and looks really good for his age.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
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#759Other than Margaret
Posted: 2/14/12 at 7:56am
I emailed Stafford Arima with some suggestions based on what I've read in the thread and got a Thank You email back.
So I guess instead of complaining here all the time, You could do something about it :)
#760Other than Margaret
Posted: 2/14/12 at 9:07am
There's a piece in the Times this morning about Arima incorporating all your suggestions at a specially-called emergency rehearsal today, gabriel.
Whoops, they've just taken it down...
#761Other than Margaret
Posted: 2/14/12 at 10:31am
I saw this on Sunday afternoon as well. I liked it, but I definitely will agree with some of the comments here.
I am a little confused to who the target audience for this show is. That right there could be a problem. But, I could be wrong. I was mostly interested in it because I know the original was a massive flop and I would have been way too young to see it.
For me, I've actually found Marin Mazzie to be a hit or miss. I think for this, she would be a miss, for me. Her character seemed kind of boring, so I'm not sure if it was her acting choices or she was told to play Margaret that way. But, I saw her in Spamalot a few years ago, and was bored by her performance there. She just did not add anything special to make the role hers. But, she was great in Next to Normal.
I don't remember much about the movie, so I might not know what I'm talking about here.
I'm not sure what to think about Carrie, herself. I guess I need to see the movie again to see how she really was. But, she seemed more happy than I would have expected. Is this an off expectation?
I also had problems after Carrie revealed herself to her mother at the end of Act 1. That should have been a huge climax, but I felt like it happened and then up until the prom, there was nothing. I'm thinking just her mom begging her not to go was not enough. Again, if I'm wrong here, let me know.
I guess the other characters were pretty one dimensional as well. They should expand on the characterization and explain more.
"I don't want the pretty lights to come and get me."-Homecoming 2005
"You can't pray away the gay."-Callie Torres on Grey's Anatomy.
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a-mad
Featured Actor Joined: 8/25/11
#762Other than Margaret
Posted: 2/14/12 at 3:53pm
Was anyone at the Buckley-attended show? I wonder how she reacted at the end (did she stand?) Did they acknowledge her?
Also... for any that have gone recently, how has attendance been? Are we looking at near-capacity, or alot of empty seats? I'm just wondering if we can gauge some type of word of mouth 2 weeks in?
#763Other than Margaret
Posted: 2/14/12 at 5:40pma-mad, the show was completely sold out when I went on Saturday night (February 11).
showchoirguy
Broadway Star Joined: 7/14/10
#764Other than Margaret
Posted: 2/14/12 at 6:02pmTrying to take my friend for his birthday. When they mean under 30, do the mean 18-30 or any age under 30?
showchoirguy
Broadway Star Joined: 7/14/10
#765Other than Margaret
Posted: 2/14/12 at 6:02pmTrying to take my friend for his birthday. When they mean under 30, do the mean 18-30 or any age under 30?
#766Other than Margaret
Posted: 2/14/12 at 6:06pm
New in town,
The creative team is very open to suggestions.
So that's what I did. Gave suggestions.
Did I say they are taking every one? No.
It just seems like they want to show to succeed and in order to do that they need lots of audience feedback.
#767Other than Margaret
Posted: 2/14/12 at 7:31pmI have spoke to Mr Arima many times during the putting together of Carrie and he's made it very clear that he's avoiding message boards and fan opinions as he wants to focus on the show they are creating. I totally understand where he is coming from, the Carrie fans are very opinionated but all have very separate opinions, it would be impossible to create a Carrie that everyone is happy with.
Namo i love u but we get it already....you don't like Madonna
#768Carrie Revival
Posted: 2/14/12 at 8:04pm
I saw the show on Sunday (2/12) night. I personally thought the show is in excellent shape. Marin Mazzie knocks the role Margaret White out of the park, giving a going for broke performance. Molly Ranson is heartbreaking as Carrie. The rest of the roles are quite well cast. Yes, the show does not have a Broadway feel- it is done as a chamber piece and has a definite off-Broadway aesthetic.
The show would NOT work as well in a Broadway transfer due to its intimate staging, but as an Off-Broadway production, it is a thrilling ride.
"It does what a musical is supposed to do; it takes you to another world. And it gives you a little tune to carry in your head. Something to take you away from the dreary horrors of the real world. A little something for when you're feeling blue. You know?"
#769ticket prices
Posted: 2/15/12 at 5:20amOk, I never noticed this before but are they now selling $150 premium Mezzanine tickets too? lol. I thought it was only orchestra seats.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
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#770Carrie Article from 1997
Posted: 2/15/12 at 8:49am
I found an interesting article written by Ken Mandelbaum in 1997 in which he calls CARRIE "that flop of flops" and asks some great questions, "Is there any other recent flop that continues to inspire such fascination and discussion? Is there any other score so well known yet likewise unrecorded (at least commercially)? Is there any other show so many lie about having seen? From its highs (those exquisite Betty Buckley-Linzi Hateley duets) to its lows (the pig ballet, those thug-like average American teens), Carrie was like nothing else. I continue to get inquiries from those interested in producing it, and while there has been no staging since Broadway, I suspect that one will eventually have to happen, if only to satisfy the desire of so many to actually witness a production of this legend."
Yes! Mr. Mandelbaum was right when he predicted 15 years ago that CARRIE would come back eventually in a new staging. I am thrilled to have the musical back, I love this new production, especially Molly Ranson, and I will be seeing CARRIE for the third time on Sunday....
#771Carrie Article from 1997
Posted: 2/15/12 at 9:06am
Spider-Man is definitely in the running, although it continues to sell tickets. Even if in the end it's considered a "flop," it won't be on the scale of Carrie. It's already had a longer run that 5 (or whatever) performances.
The reason Carrie is considered such a big flop has to do with several things: the amount of money they spent on it, the "crazy" way they approached the material, the familiarity of the source material, which perhaps, above all else, is the reason it's remembered today. If a gigantic musical had flopped and it was a subject matter that few people had heard of, people wouldn't be talking about it on such a scale today.
So subject matter, colossal budget, creative and financial failure.
Spider-Man might be next in the history books.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
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#772Carrie Article from 1997
Posted: 2/15/12 at 9:14am
I think that the idea of making a musical of Carrie was considered highly ridiculous in the 80's - like the musical of The Elephant Man in that Jeff Goldblum movie.
Today, when anyone will make a musical of anything (Summer of 42, Malthus, Rocky & Bullwinkle), we've come to accept anything with a stoic shrug. Sometimes a ridiculous sounding project works (Urinetown), sometimes it doesn't (Spider-Man, no matter how much money it may make).
#773Carrie Article from 1997
Posted: 2/15/12 at 9:53am
Of my personal friends who've seen this off broadway version, none of them who liked it has ever read the book or seen the original film. I wonder what they'd think of the show if they had?
Oh, I know this is all a matter of opinion, and I respect that, but I do have a hard time accepting this new persona of Margaret as being at all true to the character who was created by Stephen King.
<-----I'M TOTES ROLLING MY EYES
Owen22
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/24/11
#774Carrie Article from 1997
Posted: 2/15/12 at 10:43amThinking about it, perhaps you actually have to know the book or film to have your suspension of disbelief properly rewarded at the end of this revival. Meaning: the white washing of Carrie's power. A lightbulb bursts. She moves a handkerchief with her mind and then two chairs. Then shuts some windows. That's it. Nothing to show she has learned to control her power in any real way. And then with precision, she pins kids against a wall and blows up a building. At least the blacklight "I'm Not Alone" routine with her prom gown from the original showed an evolution of her powers. But for some reason I think the creators of the show are now embarrassed by the sci-fi nature of the story. And again, part of the problem is Ranson. Nothing to suggest she has this enormous power, nothing uniquely odd about her in any way. Eventually she's basically like Rachel from "Glee" discovering she's telekinetic. However, this is a nitpicky complaint when there are other things (like the depiction of Margaret White) holding this show down.
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