Sometime right after the turn of the century (I presume), two unauthorized performances of Carrie the musical were staged at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. Using the Broadway version as the jumping off point, this version was considerably reworked -- no glitzy over-staging, frantic choreography and ridiculously campy sets. The Emerson version featured one set. The script incorporated portions of both the Broadway and Stratford versions as well as dialogue from the script for the '76 film (including one pivotal scene that was cut out of the movie which replaced "Don't Waste the Moon" and was used to lead into "Do Me a Favor"). The "Apologies" scene was replaced with the film's detention scene; "It Hurts to Be Strong" was replaced with Stratford's "White Star;" "Do Me a Favor" was sandwiched around "Unsuspecting Hearts;" and "Heaven" played out as one long song that included the reprise (complete with Margaret White, who was cut out of the song after the Stratford run). And I gotta say, they got it right... almost.
While I have to applaud them for restoring the story structure that was so badly garbled in the Broadway version, there's one area where this version was still lacking: Carrie's telekinesis. The shattering light bulb during Carrie's period is absolutely crucial to that aspect of the story but was omitted. No library research on the word "telekinesis," no shattering mirror. During "I'm Not Alone," instead of making objects fly around, Carrie has a fantasy sequence complete with dancers. During "The Destruction," Carrie merely points and leers at her peers and they fall down dead. The one and only special effect (other than the bucket of blood, which was actually a hanging bucket in this staging) comes at the end of the first act when Carrie makes a cross fall off the wall. Once again, audience members unfamiliar with the basic storyline would be clueless.
Forgiving the T.K. aspect (and the fact that it has the production values of a school play), this version is quite admirable. You can watch the complete performance right here.
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While I have to applaud them for restoring the story structure that was so badly garbled in the Broadway version, there's one area where this version was still lacking: Carrie's telekinesis. The shattering light bulb during Carrie's period is absolutely crucial to that aspect of the story but was omitted. No library research on the word "telekinesis," no shattering mirror. During "I'm Not Alone," instead of making objects fly around, Carrie has a fantasy sequence complete with dancers. During "The Destruction," Carrie merely points and leers at her peers and they fall down dead. The one and only special effect (other than the bucket of blood, which was actually a hanging bucket in this staging) comes at the end of the first act when Carrie makes a cross fall off the wall. Once again, audience members unfamiliar with the basic storyline would be clueless.
Forgiving the T.K. aspect (and the fact that it has the production values of a school play), this version is quite admirable. You can watch the complete performance right here.
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1 comment:
Hello! I have some things i would like to talk about to anyone who is willing to listen to me.
FIRST
Rumor has it that the second act two the broadway preformance was either never filmed, or Ken Mendelbaum is the only person that has it...Ken Mendebaum may have it, but it certainly does exist, and if it does (Which it does) He isn't the only person that has it. About a year ago, i was searching on youtube carrie the musical...well the whole "Carrie" thing was just starting out then, and some of the second act was posted...and then it was forced to be taken off. I saw "Out for blood" "Wotta night" and "The destruction" as well as the finale. I do not know why it was taken off, but it was. Most of the first act was posted too, And i saw "I remember how those boys could dance" and at first, it was shot from the balcony, and then it cut to a B-roll shot, with her hands aflame. And it, (Along with the first few clips of the first act) was also then taken off, and it has since to return. SO IT DOES EXIST, AND KEN MENDELBAUM DOES NOT HAVE THE ONLY COPY OF IT.
SECOND
About last year too, I was searching myspace, and i came across Wonder Waiter's Videos of the very first stratford run. I asked him if he had any photos of any of the runs, Broadway or Stratford, and he sent me a file of a shit load of photos, that aren't even on the net...YET. This was before "The new carrie blogsite" was even re-created. So i hope i was the first person to see them, or receive them. So now he's pretty famous, and i can say iv'e had proof, that their are ALOT more photos that have not been released yet. I don't know what pictures were from the stratford run or the broadway run, except for the ones with Betty Buckley, and Barbara Cook. Iv'e seen many pictures of "The destruction" "Heaven" "Out for blood" "I'm not alone" "Carrie" "Carrie reprise # 2" "Don't waste the moon" and a few others. Oh, and about 8 headshots in action. I used have these on my computer, but it's gone now, ever since it was fixed from a virus, and i was VERY upset, because i felt that i had the holy grail of photos for Carrie The Musical fan's out there...
I hope all of this information benefits to this site, because i am one of the musical's biggest fans. I Only want more for the people out there, searching for carrie stuff like i do. So hopefully, somebody can contact Wonder Waiter, to get those photos, for this site. I have tried asking him, but he has since to reply. But i won't stop trying.
If anyone has questions, answers, ANYTHING, or even just to talk about the musical, and it's "Stuff" that is out there, or might be, feel free to E-mail me at:
sansomrocks1027@netscape.net
I know quite a few things about the musical, that most people don't know... so please.....
Oh, a couple more things....I HOPE THE CREATOR OF THIS SITE READS THIS COMMENT.
START A REVIVAL ALREADY!!!
don't even get me started about that!!!
I HAVE ALSO SEEN PICTURES OF THE GAMMEL HELLERUP PRODUCTION! i was searching yahoo, and i cam across a drawn picture of i beleive was a brochure, and a couple of pictures of what i think was the destruction. So i hope somebody can tell us where to find these pictures and/or video.
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