After a
Sunday matinee performance of Once,
we headed downtown to Christopher Street for an evening performance of MCCTheater’s Carrie at the Lucille
Lortel Theatre. I managed to convince my
hesitant friend to see it by insisting that Marin Mazzie is simply the best,
and that there were some folks from the Spring
Awakening tour who I loved and knew to be crazy talented. Thankfully, he agreed, because it turned out
to be a fantastic night of theatre.
The Lortel was dim, but not
dark, as we entered, and the set was appropriately creepy. They did a good job of setting up the vibe
for the show. I’m not really into horror
movies (as I am the jumpiest person on the planet), but I saw the film Carrie some years ago, and I felt like I
knew sort of what to expect. It wasn’t
scary in the way that a haunted house is scary – nothing jumping out at
unsuspecting patrons, but it was intense and suspenseful.
So, here’s what I liked: the
set, the music, the cast. The set was
set up in such a way that it could go from one place to another without a hitch
– the use of projection was inspired and not over-the-top. The music was, as we discussed after the
show, appropriate for a high
school musical without being High School
Musical. The pop-influenced songs
were perfect for the teenage characters.
The casting was spot-on, with the possible exception of one or two
gentlemen clearly being too old to play high school students (I’m classy, so
I’m not naming names). I especially
loved Christy Altomare as Sue – she brought it from start to finish, and she
was just so kind and gracious at the stage door. Of course, I loved Marin, but I knew I would
before I even got to my seat. Her voice
absolutely filled that small theatre.
Molly Ranson did an excellent job of being the quirky Carrie, and was
convincingly timid. I think it was the
little things – her eyes darting, her lips pulled in – that truly made the
character convincing. The ensemble cast
did a great job of capturing the spirit of high school, and each “minor”
character was well-defined and funny.
As for what I didn’t like? I’m having trouble coming up with
anything. I know that’s a total cop-out,
but I really enjoyed the show. And this
isn’t the New York Times, so I don’t feel too terrible about writing a
one-sided review.
It’s unfortunate that MCC
Theater had to scale back their extension for Carrie, because more people need to see it. I understand why it might be a hard sell,
particularly since the show lasted only five performances on Broadway in the
1980s. However, this isn’t that Carrie.
I mean, it is, but it’s updated for a contemporary audience, and it,
frankly, rocks. Also, whichever gods are
responsible for such things, I’m ready and willing to sacrifice my left hand
for a cast recording.
Oh, I almost forgot to share
this awesome story with you: after the
show, we were headed down Christopher Street to meet a friend at a bar, and we
realize that we had been walking for several blocks right behind Brian Stokes
Mitchell! He came to the show to see
Marin, and we happened to be walking in the same direction. Only in New York.
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