Carrie: The Musical

The Roguish Players

Photo credit: Zander Hall

There’s no cost to be kind.

After all, you never know who might be a telekinetic out for blood.

In the Roguish Players’s premiere adult production of Carrie: The Musical, the cast and crew imbued this cautionary tale with chilling vocals and punchy choreography. 

Throw in a repulsive amount of fake blood, and this production was equal parts thrilling and terrifying.

Got the bones of it? Let’s take a tour through this Stephen King classic.

Carrie

Published in 1974, Carrie was horror legend Stephen King’s first full-length novel… but it almost wasn’t. 

After years of living off of short stories in the newspaper, King had been noodling with a draft for a novel called Carrie before opting to throw it out after three pages. Luckily, his wife Tabitha found his old pages in the trash and convinced Stephen the story was worth finishing.

In other words, she was hooked and needed to know how it ended. We all know the feeling.

So, Mr. King finished the novel, published it, and unknowingly kickstarted his legendary career as the “King of Horror.” The book went on to score a movie adaptation just two years later, and a disastrous musical adaptation in 1988 that absolutely bombed on Broadway. 

(Hint: the director confused a request for costumes inspired by the movie “Grease” with costumes inspired by Ancient “Greece.” The hodgepodge of 80’s wear and togas was atrocious).

Luckily, Carrie: the Musical was rewritten and revived off-broadway in 2012 (by the same creative team), and achieved much greater success. Premiering in an era where tons of cult-classic movies were getting killer musical renditions, Carrie thrived among the likes of Heathers and Evil Dead in the early 2010s.

Psst: If you’re interested in an in-depth look at this musical’s messy origins, check out this video from Wait in the Wings. It’s a personal favorite channel of mine.

Now, the story itself.

We follow Carrie White, who grew up under a fiercely protective, religious-zealot of a mother. Her extreme upbringing brought her immense bullying in school, and cemented her status as a social outcast. As the annual prom grew near, she secretly honed a set of deadly telekinetic powers… despite a few olive branches of kindness, all it might take is one wrong move to incite deadly consequences.

This Production

The Roguish Players performed Carrie at… say it with me, now… The Great Falls Grange!

I think I deserve a pat on the back for seeing quite possibly every production to have ever been staged at the Grange. Yet, I’m happy to admit that these companies keep it fresh; no two productions in this space have ever been staged the same way.

Carrie was set in the round, with a majority of the action happening at floor level. Director and choreographer Kay Leigh Nix had actors constantly using the aisles to traverse the space; her clever staging immersed the audience into every moment. 

It made the prom sequence about fifteen times more terrifying, I can tell you that much.

Pro tip: audiences in the front rows definitely had the optimal viewing experience. I was sitting a few rows back and missed some of the main action, so be sure to come early and grab a seat closer to the actors. There were backflips, cartwheels, murderous sequences… tons of floor work not to be missed.

The entire ensemble was consistently committed, dynamic, and energetic. Props to music directing team Apple Persephone Rose DeGeorge and Alexandra MacKeown as well as sound designer Reid M. Simmons for harnessing insanely powerful and well-balanced vocals across the ensemble, with spine-chilling harmonies that elevated the onstage action. Coupled with Nix’s sharp choreography, the full effect was downright grotesque at moments.

Nix opted to work projections into this production, filling scene changes with montages of the ensemble hanging out in high school hallways or navigating the stairwells. The clips were choppy and filled with static, perfectly delivering an eerie atmosphere between scenes. This production of Carrie even opened with a clip of Sue Snell, Carrie’s classmate, as a series of offscreen voices interrogated her with questions--a divergence from the character’s typical opening narration. One of the best uses of projections I’ve seen thus far, it was a brilliant way to bring the audience into the minds of the school’s student body… both before, and after the tragedy that surrounded them.

In a layered performance of the titular character, Peyton Aronow crafted a Carrie White worth rooting for. Innocent to the ways of the world and utterly desperate for connection, Aronow illustrated her character’s ambition with frenzied pleas and powerful vocals. Meanwhile, Jenna Doulong portrayed Margaret White, Carrie’s horrifying mother. Doulong demonstrated an impressive balance between nurturing and cold; she stroked her daughter’s hair while crooning a lullaby one minute, and stared fearsome daggers into her the next. The actors mastered their characters’ initial power imbalance in “And Eve Was Weak,” and impressively navigated their shifting relationship as Carrie honed her telekinesis.

Carrie’s cutthroat perpetrators, Cassidy Loria and Jax D. Berg expertly portrayed the cruel Chris Hargensen and Billy Nolan. Loria sneered at anyone beneath her, rolling her eyes and flicking her hair to establish her role at the top of the school’s food chain. Berg always sidled up to her side, whooping and hollering at any given moment to build his character’s aggressive persona. 

In her performance as Sue Snell, Chris’s best friend, Hope Carey delivered confidence and complexity in her character’s decision to go against the grain. She approached Carrie with genuine kindness and compassion, and delivered a terrified recollection of the events she was inadvertently responsible for. As she danced alongside her boyfriend, Shohan Thapa’s sensitive jock Tommy Ross, the duo performed a moving rendition of “You Shine” as they reflected on the sweetness of their relationship. Their incredible synergy as a couple reflected (or… shone through) in their stunning vocal blend.

One final shout out goes to Caleigh Pierce, for her memorable performance as the stern yet caring Miss Gardner. A lifeline for Carrie in her most troubled moments, Pierce graciously took Aronow’s hands and raised her hopes with a soaring vocal performance in “Unsuspecting Hearts.” 

Naturally, I do have to give props to stage manager Ollie Maxted for the creation of Carrie’s iconic pig blood. Maxted delivered its desired gruesome effect with flying colors… the splash of the blood on the stage floor was wonderfully disgusting, paired with Alexandra Tugman’s lighting, which bathed the entire Grange in red. The blood even stained the set wall (and Carrie’s prom dress) for the rest of the production, serving as a grim reminder of the horrors that took place in the school auditorium. 

Who is it for?

Carrie is certainly for horror fans, but also for anyone who might love an underdog story with a malicious twist. 

Plus, I have to applaud The Roguish Players for filling the relatively empty market of summer productions and opportunities for college students. With most local productions holding auditions prior to college students returning, it’s hard to find options that fit strictly within summer schedules for students over 18. Carrie managed to unite talent across all backgrounds and experience levels, and boasted an ensemble full of upper high schoolers, college kids, and adults: one dynamic cast and crew.

I’d recommend this production for ages 14 and up. Not only does Carrie contain abuse, violence, and onstage blood, but the immersive nature of this particular production made some of the show’s more intense moments feel downright disturbing… the type of experience that would make Stephen King proud.

The Roguish Players has three more performances of Carrie: 7pm tonight (August 15th), an understudy performance at 2pm tomorrow (August 16th), and a final performance at 7pm tomorrow night. 

Visit roguishplayers.org for tickets and more information.