Carrie: The Musical

Carrie is one of those musicals that sits between a rock and a hard place. Some call it the worst musical flop ever written – others have made it an infamous cult icon and worship it for its quasi Gothic/High Camp persona. So which is it? Well the truth is it is a bit of both, and neither. The music is fairly average with just a couple of memorable songs, the book is quite dire in most places – with a few lines forcing laughter because we weren’t sure if they were MEANT to be awful and cheesy (and therefore funny) or serious. What it certainly does have going for it is a totally stellar performance from Emily Milledge as Carrie (more later), a terrific main character trajectory (thanks to Stephen King) and some remarkable lighting from master designer Jason Bovaird. Against it there is the drab and unimaginative set  by Jacob Battista (costuming fares a little better) and the restrictions of stage against filmic special effects and budget. It’s good to see Carrie covered in blood…but the execution of the effect was clunky and disappointing, and the death of Carrie’s mother was an anticlimax. 

So, given that I am not known for fence sitting, which side am I on? The truth is that I quite enjoyed it despite the shortcomings. I loved there being a proper story arc and journey for the characters, I loved the bravery of Ghost Light in association with Moving Light Productions for staging it in the first place, I loved Emily as Carrie, it’s a great lead role (in fact there are TWO lead female roles and all the female roles are stronger than the male); I loved the  band under  Andrew Leach, and I loved Bovaird’s lighting. The rest I can live with comfortably, and for me the “whole” was “greater than the sum of its parts”. There is one exception:-

No-one would dispute that we need “different” musicals to keep the genre alive. Horror is just one area that is seldom tapped. But Carrie is a horror story with supernatural elements, and it can’t be reduced to JUST a story about bullying with a couple of special effects thrown in – a moving picture and book, some slamming windows. Mrs White’s death for instance: it should be the culmination of horror, but instead Chelsea Gibb  just crumples on the stage. Blood is a simple effect to handle on stage….what would have been wrong with some blood capsules in her mouth she could bite on….trickles of blood as she crumples, signifying interior bleeding; a moment to lock eyes with her daughter as Carrie sees the blood and realises what she has done?  It’s about creating magic – and the key element in magic is distraction. 

So, in the blood soaking scene, why not have the overhead strings of pea lights on a colour chaser and turn them red….Why not have a disco ball dotted with pea lights that turn the ball red…or a dozen tiny red pinspots which hit it one at a time – distraction so that we don’t see the blood soaked Carrie getting in place underneath. There are so many ways this could have been more effective without it costing the earth. As it is, the direction was just clunky and disappointing in those areas. A horror story requires horror. The fact that the entire story is told in Flashback and we already know the outcome takes away any sense of tension. The writers have assumed everyone knows the story and that may well not always be the case.

Emily Milledge’s performance is quite staggering in the acting department. She will break your heart and make you cry, as many of us did on opening night. Plus, she has vocal chops that absolutely soar…she is a star in the making, and is reason enough to buy a ticket. You won’t forget her singing “Why Not Me” or her duet with her mother. Chelsea Gibb brings gravitas and presence to the dour role of Carrie’s mother and the most electrifying moments are with her and Milledge. However, much as I am a fan, and no-one belts a number better, Miss Gibb had some pitchiness in the long phrases of the slow dark numbers. Kathleen Amarant is interesting and one to watch for the future, but seemed altogether too young and lacking authority as Miss Gardner. Stephen Wheat shows his experience as Mr Stephens, and Holly James (Sue) and Chernae Howlett ( Chris) do make an impact – but there is some suspect singing from the ensemble, though Ben Nicholson and Emily Mercurio were impressive with their high energy attack of the ensemble numbers.

Carrie as a show is never going to be a triumph until someone can tackle the special effects problems head on and blow our socks off. However, it is far from the worst musical you will ever see, and this production is full of commitment to both the show and the audience, and the producers are to be applauded for that. It’s definitely one worth seeing, if you want something left of centre.

Coral Drouyn