BWW Reviews: CARRIE, THE MUSICAL at SoLuna Studio

Carrie, The Musical - music by Michael Gore, Lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and book by Lawrence D. Cohen - has had an interesting life; one of the most popular movies of all time, one of the biggest Broadway flops of all time, and, after many revisions by the original creators, had a successful off-Broadway limited engagement in 2012.

This incarnation, running through November 2nd at Long Island's SoLuna Studio, is directed by SoLuna's Artistic Director Karen Braun who is a very busy bee in the production (indeed as she is with every one of her productions). Ms. Braun also handles the choreography (along with Nick Caron as her assistant choreographer) and co-designs costumes with Dan Kiernan (who doubles as Ms. Braun's assistant director). Furthermore, Ms. Braun portrays Carrie's kind hearted but no nonsense teacher Ms. Gardner.

As we know, the story centers on Carrie White, superbly portrayed by Leighann Martone. We follow her being bullied by her classmates, pitying awkwardness, having a manic religious woman as a mother, and, oh yeah, the fact she realizes she has special powers to wreak havoc on those that hurt her. Ms. Martone makes a great Carrie and fantastically plays on all of her emotions; meek and vulnerable turning confident and smiling then becoming almost demonic during the infamous prom scene.

Carrie's reserved demeanor is due to her mother, Margaret, portrayed by Melody Rodriguez. Margaret is by the book when it comes to faith and is very aggressive, almost to the point of abuse, to instill this in Carrie. Ms. Rodriguez is extraordinary as Margaret proving to be one of the strongest performances in the production. In particular, Ms. Rodriguez's rendition of "When There's No One" is startling and her maternal connection to Carrie - even though she's actually not that much older - is convincing.

The entire cast is stellar, really, even making it an interactive experience. In character, the cast socializes with the crowd before the show and during intermission. They go all out to celebrate the Halloween season and it is a young cast, so you can understand their enthusiasm. And for the intimate stage, the ambiance is highlighted by Megan Pietroforte's superb Lighting and Sound Design. Devilish red lights and loud slamming windows abound throughout the two act show. You will notice also that they have posters set up in the lobby for "prom" and "homecoming". Additionally, the timing works well as October is also Anti-Bullying month and the vital message of this story is "What does cost to be kind?"

It is also always refreshing to see a live band accompany the cast. Musical Director Danny Passadino leads the fantastic band comprised of Tom Serabian and Matt Klein.

And so, Carrie, The Musical is a great Halloween show with an important message to be intolerant of bullying. The cast is outstanding and make it a fun, if disturbing, night of theatre.

Carrie, The Musical is presented by SoLuna Studio of Hauppauge through November 2nd. Music by Michael Gore, Lyrics by Dean Pitchford, Book by Lawrence D. Cohen, Direction (and Choreography and Costumes) by Karen Braun, Assistant Direction by Dan Kiernan, Assistant Choreography by Nick Caron, Musical Direction by Danny Passadino, Lighting & Sound Design by Megan Megan Pietroforte. For more information and to purchase tickets, please call 631-761-6602 or visit www.solunastudiony.com.