You may have heard of Carrie, one of Stephen King’s most famous novels. The story, King’s first in fact, has been adapted into a film franchise, had 3 different movie remakes, been declared one of the most banned books in America, and even, to most’s surprise, has been made into a musical.
Carrie: The Musical, is one of Broadway’s most infamous musicals. The show had 16 previews before it opened on May 12, 1988. Broadway critics shut down the show so fast, as it only had 5 performances and only ran for 3 days. But why did critics hate it so much? Was it really that awful of a show?
I decided to take a look at the greatly anathematized musical and give it a try. I first started out by listening to the cast recording (which I was honestly surprised they even got), and I found the music to be eerie but also very fun and enjoyable. My favorite song from the album is “The World According to Chris”.
However, Carrie itself is a very dark and offsetting tale. The story deals with extremely heavy topics, such as violence, swearing, abuse, negative and offensive views on religion, and underage sex. It makes sense as to why many did not want to see these themes of such a depressing and altering tale in a musical, they’re very difficult to digest and may not necessarily be enjoyable for everyone.
The storyline follows a teenage girl named Carrie White, who struggles to fit into her high school. She is often the outcast, called names such as “Scary White,” and is constantly picked on. She also faces at-home issues with her very abusive mother, Margaret White, who is a religious fanatic and is mentally unstable and delusional. During Carrie’s high school prom, she gets elected Prom Queen, however, when she goes to claim her prize, she gets humiliated in front of her entire school. After this moment, Carrie discovers that she has telekinetic powers and uses them to seek revenge on her entire high school.
Many people go see musicals to escape and enter the world of theater: a world of fiction, fantasy, and happy endings. Carrie shuts that down. The story is fictional, but it deals with realistic yet terrifying themes that the majority of people wouldn’t be so fond of.
A critic at dailynews.com in 2015 claimed that “the musical was unmemorable and dreadful and wouldn’t inspire or teach confused teens anything.” I disagree with this opinion because I’ve picked up many lessons and morals from the story of Carrie, one being that nobody deserves to be bullied, and another being how a person’s individuality and difference shouldn’t negatively impact their life.
Many other bad reviews were reviews about the cast, saying that they seemed very unprofessional and were not good at showing each character’s stories and experiences. I again disagree, I found many of the actors to be extremely talented and represented each specific character very well, especially the relationship between Carrie and her mother.
Once again, I personally enjoyed this musical and would definitely recommend it. Have you ever seen Carrie the Musical before? If so, what are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments!
