Review - Carrie: The Musical: an enjoyable night out
StartFragment Sarah Wrobel and Zach Price EndFragment
Carrie: The Musical
Written by Lawrence D. Cohen
Music by Michael Gore
Lyrics by Dean Pitchford
Directed by Drew Der Kinderen
Produced by Prima, Origin Theatrica and R & H Theatricals
Wonargo Cultural Centre
62 Flower St,
Northgate QLD 4013
Season runs until April 1. Tickets at www.prima.org.au.
Carrie: The Musical has an interesting history. From being the most expensive and disastrous flop in Broadway History at the time of its opening, it has spawned many a spoof, and infamy surrounds it.
Since its 2012 revival however, things have been looking up for good ol’ Carrie. Following the story based on the eponymous Stephen King novel, Carrie centres around a lonely and different girl, Carrie White, bullied by her peers. They do not know that she secretly harbours telekinetic powers waiting to be unleashed. Oppressed by her religiously fanatic mother, Margaret, Carrie lives her life under her mother’s bible until she is asked to go to her school dance. Little does she know the outcome of that night.
Prima, in partnership with Origin Theatrica and on behalf of R & H Theatricals, did an admirable job of putting on such an ambitious show.
From the casting choices to the costuming and musical direction, the show was interesting. It was apt that this show coincided with Anti-Bullying day and echoed its sentiments wholeheartedly.
Amelia Burton as the titular character really shone through in her role. Her charisma and voice carried the production and made it work. Despite the somewhat cheesy and cliché music of Michael Gore and lyrics of Dean Pitchford, Amelia’s performance made the show engaging.
There were some discrepancies with the accents used throughout the show with a mix of Australian and American, as well as the interchangeable terms of “formal” and “prom” so I wasn’t sure if the script had been transported to be based in Australia or not but that was the only thing I noticed. That being said it was a small discrepancy and did not detract from the show too much.
What I found most enjoyable about this production of Carrie was the fact that the creative team behind it was well as the cast and crew all worked visibly hard to make it happen.
The enthusiastic applause from the friends and family in the audience made it all worthwhile and really that’s all that matters in the end. It’s a show to create an enjoyable night out for all.