CARRIE THE MUSICAL to premiere in Los Angeles- Page 7

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 11:57am

JoseLee is there still nudity in the show? How appropriate is it for a 16 yo?

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 1:46pm

Carrie is fully nude in the shower scene. It only lasts seconds. The rest of the show is pg-13. And it's not scary at all.

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 5:29pm

I can't imagine there's anything in the musical more intense/sexual than in the De Palma film, which I'm sure most people have seen by the time they're in middle school.

[Wildcard]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 6:07pm

Tickets are now available for COMP on Goldstar

[DAME]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 6:11pm

Plenty of comps also available at AEA and at SAG.  AEA has comps for Sound Of Music as well. 

[Pauly3]

Posted: 10/3/15 at 6:40pm

I went last night and had seen it in La Mirada previously as well, so I will try to compare a bit.  The current cast is largely (maybe as much as 90%) made up of actors reprising the same roles from La Mirada.  This is a good thing as the entire cast was/is excellent.  Emily Lopez simply nails it as Carrie.  She performs the role and leaves you (or at least me) with the impression anyone else attempting the role will likely pale in comparison.  Her performance as a whole was every bit as good as what has been in my memory.  For those wondering, the shower scene is similar to how it was done in La Mirada, however Carrie is not well lit at first – and when coming into better view, she is hunched over protecting herself from being so exposed.

 

I liked Misty Cotton as Margaret, but I didn’t think she hit the same level of commitment-to-crazy as she did when I saw her previously, in which I thought she was fully committed and came off as more scary than mousy.  Her voice was excellent for the most part, and her “When there’s no one” was a real highlight.  Kayla Parker as Sue was outstanding.  She can act and proved it in every scene she was in, and she has a very pretty voice too.  Valerie Rose Curiel was equally outstanding as Chris.  As Miss Gardner, Jenelle Lynn Randall was also excellent.  She imitates a guy who has a perceived cocky swagger – which isn’t what I think of as exclusively ghetto – and that creates a very funny moment.  The rest of the ensemble is great, and they all get to do a bit more than I recall from La Mirada.  Or maybe they just stood out more as the direction is somewhat different in this newer version.

 

The prom scene is done very well, but I think it didn’t (or hasn’t yet) hit the exceptional level it did in La Mirada.  When the prom location is revealed, it is a highpoint and signature element in what is such an intimate show.  This new version holds to this, but physically it did not match what they pulled off earlier this year.  The surprise is not as impressive.  Note I don’t want to undersell the new version because it is pretty impressive in its own right.  The actual scene is played out similarly, but the level of intensity was not matched last night.  It was good, maybe even great.  But the power and intensity of Carrie’s vocals did not come through the way they did in La Mirada.  The flying is very much as impressive though!  Prior to this moment and having taken a good look at the environment, I wondered and could not figure out how they would fly someone off the stage.  But they pull it off, and it is pretty damn incredible!

 

The attendance was much better than what has been reported for the 1st preview performance the day before.  I would guess as much as two-thirds of the capacity was filled on Friday night.  The audience reaction was very positive, with loud and extended applause after several songs – and during curtain call.  Hopefully ticket sales will pick up.  Suggestion to the producing team:  hang a large banner/poster.  The typical smallish lettering of “Carrie, the killer musical experience” written on the well-lit marquis that is there is not eye-catching or compelling.

 

The Los Angeles Theater, which I had never seen before, looks like it was once a very special theater.  It does not appear to be in great shape now, but it would be awesome to see this theater renovated and become special again.  For this version of Carrie, the entire stage, set, lighting, sound (and associated scaffolding and support structure), and the seating area was built from scratch.  All of it fits underneath and between the original ornate structures of the theater.  This could not have been cheap and is an impressive thing to take in.

 

All of this makes for an entertaining night out.  If able, go see this version of Carrie!

Updated On: 10/3/15 at 06:40 PM

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 10/3/15 at 7:47pm

Glad to see a fairly complimentary review here. We're headed to CARRIE tonight (first time seeing a production anywhere) and want to keep our outlook optimistic. Will report back post-show.

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/4/15 at 2:33pm

Looking forward to seeing this in Nov. hopefully it finds a larger audience 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 10/4/15 at 2:47pm

Well that was a unique night of theater in LA-- an actual homegrown production of a show few have ever seen that has just reopened (with most of the original cast) in a purpose-built thrust staging plopped right in the middle of the auditorium of the Los Angeles Theater-- one of those fabulous movie-palaces that still light up the Broadway corridor downtown. And for context, I've never seen the musical CARRIE in any staging till now, so I'm a total newbie to the show.

 

Wow, that's one damn hard show to pull off well! The requirements of soaring vocals, a cast who must be believable as high-schoolers, the telekinesis, the stunt flying, the camp, the kitsch, the crucifix (with a choreographed Jesus!), the pig blood, the mass-murders, and the fiery inferno. And somehow they had to squeeze all of this on to an even smaller playing space than normal since the gym-floor acting area was being constantly shrunk by the rearranging of rolling audience bleachers. Did director Brady Schwind and his intrepid cast succeed? Well it's a mixed score from me, though my husband loved the thing with few reservations.

 

My loudest cheers go to the high-powered cast, for somehow making the crazy nonsense seem legitimate and stage-worthy. My top favorite was easily Jenell Lynn Randall's sympathetic gym teacher Miss Gardner. Great stage presence, great voice in "Unsuspecting Hearts". Knew how to bring humanity to all the cartoons around her. Emily Lopez was an interesting UN-fragile Carrie, with a pop-music belt that surprised me. (Would that really be how Carrie sounds inside her own mind? Who knew?). Misty Cotton seemed far too young for Margaret White (Carrie appeared to be her younger sister), but her voice was strong and she kept the unwanted laughs to a minimum, which is the best one can hope during those insane scenes. The boys? Well, for such underwritten parts, they were cute, I guess. But high marks to Jon Robert Hall for making "You Shine" with Kayla Parker my favorite number in the show.

 

Also on the plus side, the telekinetic magic was always a simple surprise that served the show well. The aerial stunt work was superb-- wish there were a lot more of it. Those rolling bleachers? Well we had friends in those seats who said that the moment when Carrie appears to move the bleachers with her mind was thrilling, but the repeated rolling around got old fast. (Save the extra $80 and stick to a stationary spot on the "Junior" bleachers instead.)

 

Design-wise there's a LOT of scenery here, if you count the entire bleacher structure created for the show. I wish there had been more that was visually evocative before getting to the prom itself -- lots of eye fatigue staring at abstract colored bands projected on black scrims that surround the space. I was not a fan of the lighting, sadly. Really tough to see faces amidst the colored slashes shooting this way and that. And I could embrace the contemporary costume choices for the cast (even though my images of CARRIE are all connected to the 70's disco era), so what's with the hippie clothes that Carrie and Margaret are both saddled with? Shouldn't Margaret be clothed more conservatively than a latter-day Joni Mitchell? 

 

Bottom line, the creators of the show have given an almost impossibly tough challenge to any cast and crew trying to make sense of the daft script and score here. To the extent that this company makes it damn close to a good night of theater, I gotta salute them. Head downtown to see what they're doing so you too can be part of the conversation.

 

 

Updated On: 10/4/15 at 02:47 PM

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/4/15 at 9:23pm

What is the running time?

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 10/4/15 at 10:31pm

Sorry to say, I didn't check my phone as we exited the theater, but I'm guessing we were on the sidewalk by 10:40 (from an 8pm curtain time).

 

Couple more words to the wise: You'd do well to bring a little seat cushion to protect your bum (much like the ones we Angelenos all have for the hard benches at the Hollywood Bowl). And sadly there is no license for selling liquor or snacks of any kind at the theater, so you don't get to slurp a pick-me-up drink at intermission (something we would have enjoyed). But right across the street and a few doors south on Broadway you'll find the swanky new drinking establishment which was once Clifton's Cafeteria. A really cool new place based on the original classic site in which to depressurize after the show!

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/4/15 at 10:37pm

Are all of the seats bleechers? Or are there other options?

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 10/5/15 at 11:30am

Nearly all the seats are custom-built bleachers: mostly 2x12 benches w/ built-in backs. The pricier "Senior" seats ($125) are the castored bleachers closest to the action that are rolled into various configurations throughout the show. Most of the audience are in the "Junior" bleachers, the stationary seating that rings the action on 3 sides that rises steeply to view the action. These run $80 on the show's site, around $47.50 on Goldstar. The "Sophomore" benches comprise basically the last row of bleachers (still fairly close to the action) for about $20 on the show site and comped for some performances on Goldstar. There are a smattering of chairs on the central platform level shared by the tech crew (who weirdly occupy the most prime viewing position facing the stage dead center-- why in hell aren't those choice spaces given to paying customers??)

Updated On: 10/5/15 at 11:30 AM

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/11/15 at 3:36pm

Has anyone been lately? Is the audience any fuller?

[Pauly3]

Posted: 10/12/15 at 12:03am

@XperienceCarrie tweeted the Tuesday show was sold out.  This was before opening night the following Thursday (which had no ticket availability).  When I looked for ticket availability a couple hours before show time on Wednesday, there was a "Sold Out" message. I have no idea if there was a special occasion on the two nights before opening, but looking at available tickets for shows this weekend, ticket sales look to be much improved over what was reported from the first preview.  As an example, Sunday's evening performance showed about 30% of the capacity was available a couple hours before the show time.

[Pauly3]

Posted: 10/12/15 at 12:14am

Found a video showing a decent representation of the new production:

Highlights From Immersive Carrie

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 10/12/15 at 12:47am

Wow, that looks terrific, Emily Lopez seems like a great Carrie, and I love the lighting. 

[missthemountains]

Posted: 10/12/15 at 1:39pm

All I'm gonna say is that Emily Lopez's wig is an atrocity. Even I would bully her if her hair looked like that.

[Pauly3]

Posted: 10/19/15 at 2:27am

Saw the current production a 2nd time today to see Tiana Okoye as Carrie (she is scheduled on Sunday matinees).  She was fantastic and contributed to what is the best experience with this show so far, which includes my very fond memories of La Mirada.  Everything was tighter, with subtle changes since the 1st preview that I think make the show all the better.  The lighting and sound were both improved, and the tech crew has been moved completely away from the stage and audience.  Voices are very clear and excellently reproduced in the space, no matter where I have sat (which is 4 different locations, moving for the 2nd act each show).  In the largest seating area, music and sound effects seam to sound better the closer you sit to the 1st row (row C), and maybe even best slightly on the left side of center.  I am more and more impressed with this version of Carrie, and especially so with the talent in this cast.  Cheap tickets can be had from Goldstar, and getting to see the inside of the Los Angeles Theatre is darn near worth the price of a "sophomore" ticket alone!

 

Note there are 18 seats on the main platform now that the tech crew has been moved out, and those are probably the best seats outside of the mobile platforms.  And I'm sure they are more comfortable as well, being they are more typical chairs.  Think high school desk chair.  There are also 8 tall stools that sit behind these chairs, and those are padded but with no seat backs.

Updated On: 10/19/15 at 02:27 AM

[PepperedShepherd]

Posted: 10/19/15 at 12:14pm

I, too, was at Sunday's matinee performance. Notice that I didn't say I saw Sunday's matinee performance, because that would be far from the truth.

My seat was at the end of the first row of the stationary bleachers. (If you think of the seating chart as a square, I was in the lower right corner.) The seat looked great when I arrived, having a clear close view of the gym stage.

As soon as we got to the shower scene, however, things drastically changed. The bleachers below me moved diagonally out to the center of the gym -- totally obstructing my view of Carrie's humiliation. (She was on the floor and, because of the movable bleachers, it was impossible to see her from my seat. Even her classmates were only visible from chest up. If they were throwing things like in the movie, I have no idea.)

This continued through the entire first act. Carrie crying on the floor -- impossible to see. Mother praying on her knees -- impossible to see. Telekinesis in the library -- started to see it until they moved the bleachers and blocked sight of the table the books were on. And, as I said above, even when people were standing, they were frequently chopped off at the waist or higher, making it impossible for me to engage at any level with the action on the stage.

This was a "Junior" level ticket. $80 and I could not see the show! 

I went to the box office and complained during the intermission and they moved me to one of the 18 "new" chairs on the center platform -- which may just be the best seats in the house as currently configured. (I was told these were the handicapped seats, so have no idea of their general availability. FWIW, I only saw one person with a cane, and there were people younger than me sitting in many of them.) 

I enjoyed the second act much more, since I could actually SEE it.  Unfortunately, the horribly restricted view of the first act had done its damage, and I found it hard to engage or empathize with people I had barely seen for the first hour.

Although I do appreciate having my seat changed, I still feel ripped off as I was really looking forward to, ya know, actually seeing this production.

Updated On: 10/19/15 at 12:14 PM

[Pauly3]

Posted: 10/19/15 at 9:58pm

As mentioned, I have sat in a different area for each of 4 acts, but my moving wasn't motivated by any objections to the view I had.  And I too have sat near the end of the stationary bleachers (the widest set of stationary bleachers).  I hadn't mentioned any obstructed views although there were moments where it was a bit difficult to see a particular moment in a scene.  But most, if not all, of these moments were not objectionable (to me) as they were very brief periods - and it was obvious as to what was happening during these instances.  You said it yourself, "Carrie crying on the floor -- impossible to see. Mother praying on her knees -- impossible to see".  You too knew what was happening.

 

The shower scene you describe is the aftermath, and Carrie doesn't really do anything other than cower.  Having the pods move in very close to a naked (but now towel covered) Carrie adds, what I think, to the audience's discomfort in watching someone so humiliated.  This is one instance where I think the pods are well utilized and become an integral part of the scene.  The pods move in at other times, but I don't believe they got quite so closed in at any other time in the show. And they never blocked anything key to the action.

 

Sorry to hear your experience in the 1st act wasn't so good.  For me, I will likely try to go again and gladly trade the few brief moments of hindered site for the very unique and fun experience this version of Carrie provides.

[PepperedShepherd]

Posted: 10/19/15 at 11:06pm

Pauly3 said: "You said it yourself, "Carrie crying on the floor -- impossible to see. Mother praying on her knees -- impossible to see".  You too knew what was happening.

I only knew what was happening because I've read the book and seen the movie many times. Had I not, I would've been completely clueless about what was going on BECAUSE I COULD NOT SEE.

Having the pods move in very close to a naked (but now towel covered) Carrie adds, what I think, to the audience's discomfort in watching someone so humiliated.  This is one instance where I think the pods are well utilized and become an integral part of the scene.  The pods move in at other times, but I don't believe they got quite so closed in at any other time in the show. And they never blocked anything key to the action.

The audience -- in this case, ME -- cannot feel any "discomfort in watching someone so humiliated" if THEY CANNOT SEE SAID HUMILIATION. I honestly could not tell whether Carrie was towel-covered or naked -- or even present on the stage.

If that is not "blocking anything key to the action" then I don't know what is.

For me, I will likely try to go again and gladly trade the few brief moments of hindered site for the very unique and fun experience this version of Carrie provides.

"A few brief moments of hindered site [sic]"??? It was the MAJORITY of the first act. As I stated, even when people weren't completely blocked, everybody was cut off at waist height or higher.

Stop being an apologist for a stupid directorial decision -- because, honestly, the movable bleachers are nothing more than a gimmick -- that directly impacts a small number people who paid good money to see a show they can't actually SEE.

 

Updated On: 10/19/15 at 11:06 PM

[Pauly3]

Posted: 10/20/15 at 12:36am

^

I relayed MY experiences and the way I feel about the show and am not apologizing for anyone.  Your experience vastly differs from mine, and it's a shame your experience wasn't better.  I am happy 99% who have written comments (the relatively few here and 200+ on Goldstar.com) seem not to have shared your experience.

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/20/15 at 12:49am

We know where not to sit...

where should we sit?

[PepperedShepherd]

Posted: 10/20/15 at 1:07am

Pauly3 said: "^

I relayed MY experiences and the way I feel about the show and am not apologizing for anyone.  Your experience vastly differs from mine, and it's a shame your experience wasn't better.  I am happy 99% who have written comments (the relatively few here and 200+ on Goldstar.com) seem not to have shared your experience.

 

Your entire initial post dismisses my experience at the show. And your invoking Goldstar comments furthers your agenda.  Hence, the "apologist" label.

 

I have been quite clear and quite specific.

I am NOT making this up. I am NOT exaggerating this problem.

I was looking forward to the show.
I was excited heading into it.

The fact that I COULD NOT SEE IT and DID NOT ENJOY IT AS A RESULT was not my fault!

Just what is your problem with that???




Updated On: 10/20/15 at 01:07 AM