Carrie the Musical for Sydney’s South

The Regals Musical Society is bringing the cult classic Carrie the Musical to Rockdale Town Hall for a limited engagement in June.

Based on Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie tells the story of a teenage misfit who is bullied by the popular crowd in school and at the mercy of her loving but cruelly over-protective mother at home. Things change, however, when Carrie discovers she has a special power, and prom night becomes “A Night We’ll Never Forget.” This story, now 49 years old, has become ingrained in popular culture through three movies adaptations, a move sequel, and even a special musical episode of the TV Show Riverdale.

The musical itself has become legendary after closing after only 5 performances on Broadway in the 1980s due to its exorbitant costs. The writers (Lawrence D. Cohen-screenwriter of the 1976 film version, Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford—writers of “Fame”) then refused hundreds of requests to stage the musical. Interest and demand finally convinced the authors to revisit the piece, and in 2012, an updated version hit Off-Broadway.

This is the version that will be presented from June 9-18 starring Ebony Cooper and Michele Lansdown as Carrie White and her mother Margaret, who face off in intense scenes and duets.

Image: Michele Lansdown (Margaret) and Ebony Cooper (Carrie).

The pop-fueled numbers at Carrie’s school are led by Hannah Fletcher and Michael Kilbane as the well-intentioned Sue and Tommy, and Zoe Allsopp Lander and Patrick Finch play the vindictive Chris and Billy who mastermind the brutal act that leads to the dramatic finale. Olivia Bailey (previously a Diva in The Regals’ Priscilla) plays the gym teacher, Miss Gardner, who takes Carrie under her wing.

The cast is led by director Jason Oxenham, musical director Thomas McCorquodale, and choreographer Lauren Butler. McCorquodale says, “The story and music of Carrie capture teenage angst and emotions in a very powerful way. As a high school teacher, I am drawn to these shows as a personal challenge to deal with these themes in a sensitive way, and to shape the music to support the storytelling.”

image: Patrick Finch (Billy), Zoe Allsopp Lander (Chris), Ebony Cooper (Carrie), Hannah Fletcher (Sue) and Michael Kilbane (Tommy).

Carrie the Musical paved the way for some of today’s most popular musicals like Heathers and Mean Girls that also deal with teenage bullying, it still packs an unforgettable punch that is not to be missed this winter.

9-18 June

Rockdale Town Hall, 448 Prices Hwy, Rockdale NSW

Prices from $39-$49 (Transaction fees apply)

Parental guidance is advised for those 12 and under

More details and tickets can be found at https://www.theregals.com.au/

Images by Grant Leslie Photography