10-11-2013, 07:29 PM
I've said before I'm a sucker for Groupon.
This time it was a pair of tickets for the musical version of Stephen King's "Carrie".
We weren't expecting much, just a night out at an indie theater in The Mission with maybe some 'Gwar' blood and bad improv. What we got were front-row center seats at a Broadway quality musical. There was a live (hidden) orchestra, a large cast with those 'Madonna' face mikes and top-notch singing and choreography.
According to the S.F. Gate review it was a relaunch of a failed New York production. One of the biggest flops in recent Broadway history.
The singing was stellar, the songs memorable and choreography very tight. The only weak point was the script. While the book (and movie) were about a young, abused girl who discovers a latent talent for telekinesis, the musical focuses on the high-schoolers around her who want to hurt/forget/help her as prom approaches.
The first act, showing Carrie's humiliation in the gym, and subsequent acts of redemption by the gym teacher and one of Carrie's classmates overshadow the hints of Carrie's psychic awakening. The religious devotion of Carrie's mother is displayed, but not enough as a tool of delusion as the book suggests.
The second act, taking place at the prom was not nearly bloody enough, and the ensuing massacre could not be adequately be reproduced on a small stage. Carrie's dress was barely pink for chrissakes.
Ultimately this show was about the score and performers. I felt the music was better than 'Wicked' and was blown away by the production.
This time it was a pair of tickets for the musical version of Stephen King's "Carrie".
We weren't expecting much, just a night out at an indie theater in The Mission with maybe some 'Gwar' blood and bad improv. What we got were front-row center seats at a Broadway quality musical. There was a live (hidden) orchestra, a large cast with those 'Madonna' face mikes and top-notch singing and choreography.
According to the S.F. Gate review it was a relaunch of a failed New York production. One of the biggest flops in recent Broadway history.
The singing was stellar, the songs memorable and choreography very tight. The only weak point was the script. While the book (and movie) were about a young, abused girl who discovers a latent talent for telekinesis, the musical focuses on the high-schoolers around her who want to hurt/forget/help her as prom approaches.
The first act, showing Carrie's humiliation in the gym, and subsequent acts of redemption by the gym teacher and one of Carrie's classmates overshadow the hints of Carrie's psychic awakening. The religious devotion of Carrie's mother is displayed, but not enough as a tool of delusion as the book suggests.
The second act, taking place at the prom was not nearly bloody enough, and the ensuing massacre could not be adequately be reproduced on a small stage. Carrie's dress was barely pink for chrissakes.
Ultimately this show was about the score and performers. I felt the music was better than 'Wicked' and was blown away by the production.
![[Image: magpie13.gif]](http://imagegen.last.fm/LastfmLiveJournal/recenttracks/magpie13.gif)
