The Broadway Show that Closed in 3 DAYS: The History of Carrie the Musical

Carrie the Musical is known as the flop to end all flops. Lasting only five performance, the mystery and lore surrounding the Broadway production of Carrie has kept it in the minds of theater enthusiasts for the past 30 years. In this season finale of WitW, the true story is finally unveiled.
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Thumbnail Design: Brendon Henderson
Executive Producers 🎭 ($20+ on Patreon):
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Brent Black
NoxieZeBat
Nate Gardner
Ethan
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LAZTM Productions
Tommy Kindall
Abigail Verzella
John Fogg
Autumn
JC
Chase Eujene McCants
Katherine Esperanza
Briana Michelle Meyer
Schaffrillas Productions
Melissa Marquette
Aidan Lam
Justin Lawrie
The Drawer Kring
Sammi Kornecki
Musicals with Cheese
Sebastian Canino
Emily Charouhas
Marc S.
Best in the Biz 🎟 ($10+ on Patreon) :
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Max Rohtbart
Anon
Clarissa Wee
Malpertuis
Nicofo
Todd Ramsey
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Ruben Esquer
Harry Thornton
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/ waitinthewings

[@WaitintheWings]

Special thanks to Carolee Beck for the perfect song to end the season. Go listen to her stuff and fall in love with an artist that truly deserves more recognition. Tell her that WitW sent ya! kzbin.info/door/BJhRUwHrbuIgSHotzjI3Ng

[@nomdeplume7537]

OMFG ... the musical, not the country. I doubt he still didn't know what they were talking about, Grease not Greece That's what happens when ... I've done Shakespeare at the Royal Shakespeare Company. One does, Merry Wives of Windsor, the Play That Shall Not Be Named. One DOES NOT do, the rendered fat of animal parts.

[@nomdeplume7537]

The sum up, that even a commercial flop is a success. Wrong, it's an everyone gets a participation trophy. It's not reality. If it's a flop, and shuts down. That's not success. If it's closed its not paying the people that were employed, who need to pay bills and feed families. You can't eat "at a boys" Unless its a Bob's Big Boy. Then you need money. From a job. Not from the warm fuzzies, of feeling good about your flop. Especially if the train wreck could have been mitigated Yes, theater changes, and there's no true measure of whether a good show will, be a hit. But you can tell a turd, and that reeked. The minute the director confused Greece for Grease, that was the moment to pause it, and get someone else. That is someone who's concrete in their thought process. That does not inspire confidence, when what you really need, is outside the box thinking. Especially if you're attempting to reinvent the wheel, and bring it to Broadway. The final iteration, isn't togas and crap. It did what the original didn't. The original is a horror, that took itself way too seriously. It needed a tongue planted firmly in cheek, that the 2nd had. You're not going to get that from a self styled auture.

[@simonjames1604]

what is the name of the song?

[@bluenerd8297]

Please do a video about Ragtime :)

[@ScratchthechalkBoard]

Knew they were going at least mention Spider-Man 😂

[@EllieC130]

...I cannot believe the problems with Carrie started with someone confusing Grease with Greece.

[@chrismcgovern1647]

It probably also doesn't help that Hands knew nothing of American culture or pop-culture and likely never even saw Grease, so it's no wonder that wasn't even the first thing that came to his mind.

[@Chrisyt272]

EllieC I totally agree with you. 😂 It is so random. I guess if I closed my eyes and tried really hard to picture it, I could see Carrie as a Greek Tragedy. Actually, no..I can’t. LMAO.

[@wareforcoin5780]

@@Chrisyt272 Maybe some drama the gods got in to that had some kind of "don't steal your neighbor's pigs" moral.

[@DaWhiteWolffie]

I can! xD What's surprising to me is that he wrote the whole book in 2 weeks!!

[@Chrisyt272]

@@wareforcoin5780 That's entirely possible. 😂😂

[@steveweinstein3222]

I love this! But one correction: When people boo when the curtain goes down but cheer when it goes back with the principals taking bows, it means they hated the show but liked the performers. I saw the 2012 redo at the Lucille Lortal in the Village. It was pretty good!

[@coolgirl3890]

My teacher who saw Carrie told me about this! He said the loudest applause was for the mother

[@steveweinstein3222]

@@NeonCherryBlossum I think they do.

[@GlennDavey]

People from the 20th century were wild, they would yell their Dislikes out loud to actual people on stage who just performed for them. Imagine being so flush with entertainment content but having no internet that you're loudly booing live shows, instead of just leaving and being like "huh, I won't be recommending that one to my Twitter followers..."

[@skylarjohnson7779]

"Joey Tribiani was not the worst part of this show"

[@generatoralignmentdevalue]

@@GlennDavey Live shows still exist, yo. The performers are right there. It would be pretty weird to carefully avoid betraying any opinion as you quietly leave the theater, then post your review to all 12 of your followers and tell yourself the performers will check the tags. Maybe go outside.

[@leocelente]

"He saw the musical as a modern greek myth " ... Spiderman flashbacks

[@jazzycat8917]

They should make that a warning in theatre: if your creative director starts talking about making something that is not a greek myth into a greek myth, run for the goddamn hills

[@silvercheetah92]

I guess that's why Hadestown is so good. They went, "hey lets take this Greek myth and making it something else instead."

[@giovannirastrelli9821]

More like “flashforwards.”

[@KDHRproductions]

Literally! Like what’s up with THAT obsession, not everything has to be like a greek tragedy 😂

[@tophers3756]

Wasn't it Greek tragedy. Interestingly, a Greek tragedy is exactly what DePalma said he was going for in the film. That was his justification for Ms. Degardin/Gardner dying whereas she lived in the book.

[@KaiseaWings]

The director sounds like a piece of work: bullying actors he doesn't like, warping a story beyond recognition just so it fits into his comfort zone, shoving the rest of the creative team aside... I mean wow. It's a shame they didn't have the power to pull the plug.

[@jazzycat8917]

Also being completely out of touch with contemporary theatre. If your first instinct to being told "make it like Grease" in a theatre setting is to assume they meant Greece the country, you need to resign immeadiately.

[@RobertJW]

@@jazzycat8917 When the togas were still in the show on opening night in the West End, I wanted to yell. It's so stupid.

[@barbarahannon6033]

​@@RobertJW Star Stratford is in the county of Warwikshire not the west endthe west end.

[@julianblatt9630]

@@RobertJW I feel like he was too embarrassed to admit his mistake and prioritized his pride over the success of the show lol

[@monicacarranco8525]

Poor linzi hateley, carrie was her first and only broadway show and it closed so quickly and she was only 18.

[@edvaira6891]

Man, THAT is just a cruel fate! Unlike a LOT of these train wrecks, this didn’t even last a week!

[@ajitter89]

She was in the smash hit Mary Poppins on the West End, so she is still getting work at least.

[@Retrotude]

@@ajitter89 She also was the narrator in the 1991 revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, so it didn't hurt her career for very long afterwards in her home country at least.

[@jdmollohan]

I’m sure it was a disappointment for her at that age, but it turned around very quickly: Cameron Mackintosh saw her in CARRIE in NYC, and offered her Eponine in Les Mis immediately afterward. Since then, Linzi has had a pretty enviable career on the West End. Just from the top of my head: Secret Garden, Mary Poppins, Joseph, Mamma Mia, Grease, On Your Toes, Chicago. She even was called in for the film versions of Mamma Mia and Les Mis, and for the latter she actually dubbed Eponine’s scream. I hope she realizes Betty Buckley was right: whatever went wrong with CARRIE, it wasn’t Linzi’s or Betty’s fault.

[@TumbleFourYa]

But how many eighteen year olds can say they've been on Broadway anyway? I'm sure she was disappointed at the time, but she seems to have happy memories of the show and looks back on it fondly. She did it; that's what matters!😊

[@MysticBloodRose_]

"THE SHOW- NOT THE COUNTRY!"

[@luthientinuviel3883]

I died

[@GamingSaturnMoonManBoy]

😂 Terry Hands should’ve been fired because of that

[@rosebyanyname]

NEW T-SHIRT PLEASE?

[@daveatron_]

I literally spit out my drink

[@PartyPorter89]

This is so MEATIER, NOT METEOR

[@fausttheatre1862]

The Grease vs. Greece element is THE best part of the entire history

[@giovannirastrelli9821]

I’m really torn on that. I always thought it was an urban myth meant to make Terry Hands look like a bigger buffoon than he already was?

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

@@giovannirastrelli9821 Apparently not! 🤣

[@Polexia00]

I literary said OH NO when that started hahaha

[@jamesbearvr]

Now there needs to be production of Grease using greek gods and goddesses 😂😂😂 and the jokes are based on the mythology and the music covers is reminiscent of the time period. Grease lighting could be like a chariot of horses 😂😂😂

[@arosenthal3318]

@@jamesbearvr There was a joke about that in the Disney show ANT farm. Not sure why I remember that.

[@VeWatchesVideos]

What I've learned from this series: - An insane idea isn't necessarily a bad idea if it's executed by the right people. - Things don't always flop simply because they're 'bad'. - It takes multiple factors for something to turn out 'bad'. - Flopped/'bad' things might still have potential when executed differently and by the right people.

[@rachelf5466]

To your first point: I remember hearing some girls talking about "a rap musical about Alexander Hamilton" back in 2015 and thinking, "Wow, that sounds like it'll be a tremendous flop." This was before I'd heard the musical or even before it became popular in the mainstream, I think. Hamilton is an insane concept that was executed so, so well.

[@moonrabbit9621]

and -clarify what you mean. "Greece" and "Grease" are two *very* different things lol

[@afowler13]

this is such a great summary of...kind of a lot of things actually! brava 💜

[@rosebyanyname]

“...but Terry Hands had other plans” is the phrase that best summarizes the whole boondoggle.

[@this_Joe_Smith]

Right? Hardly a collaborator.

[@chrismcgovern1647]

Not to mention it rhymes beautifully

[@nomdeplume2213]

Boondoggle 🤣 I didnt even know that word existed until now and im definitely adding it to my favorite word list

[@theninjamaster67]

@@nomdeplume2213 It's one of my personal favorite uncommonly used words along with hinky and hullabaloo lol

[@somedragonbastard]

That sounds like a dr seuss line from a book where the villain uses their numerous mechanical hands to like, steal cookies or something

[@jenneacubero1036]

Not to self: When making a musical from scratch, know what everyone's doing, don't have too many cooks in the kitchen and (most importantly) MAKE SURE YOU'RE SPECIFIC WITH THE WORD, "GREASE"!!

[@knuckle12356]

💭 _Did I pack my copy of The Big Book of Homonyms?_

[@youtubehastakenovermylife4979]

Too many chiefs... not enough Indians.

[@gravesidepoet5405]

Too many crooks

[@DeathnoteBB]

@@youtubehastakenovermylife4979 😬

[@AtlanticGiantPumpkin]

This story of the production was such a trip that THIS could be turned into its own musical.

[@kallen868]

Ryan Murphy is the one to direct that!

[@jemp4291]

Ohhh, kinda similar to what they did with Smash!

[@bellameaux4530]

@@kallen868 I want to watch this now!

[@darwincity]

Sounds like a ready-made for project for a Mel Brooks.

[@MovieFan1912]

Why not?

[@Kaefilms]

I cannot express how frustrated I was hearing about the cup of blood in the original!! I was yelling at my computer "RED SPOTLIGHT!! STROBES!! IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY!" So happy to see the 2012 version got it right!!

[@mariamnasser8807]

Ikr it actually looked like blood from a distance. I was confused thinking “wait is that fake blood? It looks like it.” Then realized “Oh its lighting, looks cool.” Btw I prefer the 2012 revival I LOVE IT!!!

[@Kahtisemo]

Man, when hearing how all those directors coming in heard the demo and script and told the trio how good it was makes me wish we could see a version of the show as it was originally intended before all the cuts and changes 😞

[@ukuleleeddie1953]

I agree with this. I don't think the revival was their original vision;.

[@giovannirastrelli9821]

The new version that’s available for licensing is close to what they originally intended.

[@wickedfeylady]

The new version of the show has a much stronger book and concept but I feel like "Carrie" should be set in the 70's when the book was written, and the high school numbers should reflect that, so the school scenes don't feel too dated too quickly. The high school stuff from 2012 is going to seem VERY DATED in another couple years. it's not their fault, that's just the nature of changing culture.

[@giovannirastrelli9821]

It’s been only eight years and it already feels dated, very “High School Musical” with a (literal) bloodbath.

[@wickedfeylady]

@@giovannirastrelli9821 I agree. It feels very much like they are TRYING to be like Spring Awakening/ 'emo' and just didn't get there.

[@giovannirastrelli9821]

@@wickedfeyladyI was shocked by some some of the new songs they claimed were “improvements” over the cut material. “The World According to Chris” and the new “Prom Climax” were pure cringe and not a patch on the songs they replaced and it made no sense to cut most of Margaret’s arias and duets with Carrie to ribbons; “Open Your Heart” lasts for about a minute with whole chunks missing and don’t get me started on the new orchestrations and tempo. At least keep songs set in the White home gothic and operatic to contrast the energetic pop music set in the high school, keeping the sound the same throughout robs Carrie’s sense of isolation through the language of music.

[@wickedfeylady]

@@giovannirastrelli9821 That's a good point about Carrie's isolation and how the music reflects it. The new tempo of Open Your Heart is not my favorite either. I really did not care for "World According to Chris" or "Night We'll Never Forget".They were bland and forgettable like middle of the road pop. In my ideal version I think the high school songs should evoke the 70's but be simple in their orchestrations; these are average kids and Carrie is not living in that world, her world is centered on religious guilt and the 'fire and brimstone' imagery her mother puts in her head. For a 70's version I would like not ACTUAL rock music but something reminiscent of angry stripped down rock, similar in tone to Cheap Trick or early Ramones. The 80's school numbers like "Don't Waste the Moon" and the original "In" have great camp value and sound like things kids in the 80's would have listened to, but their MTV nature makes them feel less sincere.

[@gojewla]

It’s to dangerous to dance in bell bottoms.

[@floranuko2854]

Tbh u don't have to pour actual liquid over the actor to get the blood scene. It can be done with cloth, a curtain, other visuals and a quickchange into red clothes or something. Use creativity. It doesnt have to be exactly like the movie to be good. Someone else mentioned Starkid here and imma say they are masters of using everyday stuff to make us understand what's going on in what could be a complicated scene. If you've seen the musical Spies are forever, by Tincanbros, there is a motorbike chase-scene with two desk chairs. It's genuis. In Sweeney Todd they use red cloth as blood. Use the stage as a stage, not as a movie set. That's the magic of musical in my opinion.

[@iwakeupandboomimarat]

honestly a quickchange into a 'blood soaked' dress and a red strobe light could do the trick, maybe even use the slo mo in the og movie to their advantage with a quick change

[@GoaWay...]

I hope Steven truly appreciates that his wife convinced him to finish writing that book. It is a classic.

[@draconiusultamius]

She's such a real one for convincing him to finish it. I imagine the world of pop culture and horror (and Stephen King's life) would look incredibly different if the draft had been left in the trash. From the interviews and the fact that they're still together, I'm sure he appreciates her. It's probably also hard to win an argument when your wife claps back about how she was the one who made you publish the book in the first place lol. Though it seems like he treasured her far before that as he took her ideas on board and listened to her.

[@GoaWay...]

@@draconiusultamius 😸

[@gemmakendall1523]

What is it with bad theatre shows and nearly killing their actors? Spider-Man, Starlight Express, and now, Carrie. Actors, stay safe out there! No award (Tony or otherwise) is worth this!

[@jazzycat8917]

Because the Phantom is real and whenever there is trash on Broadway's stage he manifests ready to start dropping people

[@emilypadden6406]

I'm just grateful no one had died yet!! In movie production, people aren't so "lucky", and time and time again I hear/read of someone passing because they did something unsafe. (Plus I used to work in a prop house, so I would occasionally hear of unsafe conditions and warn the renters that if anything ever happens, it's on THEM, not us; they were the ones renting the wrong thing to save a buck or two.) So ya, performers, entertainers, crew, ANYONE: You don't feel safe, DON'T DO THE THING. YOUR LIFE IS NOT WORTH THE THING. #StaySafeOutThere

[@meirionamaddy2096]

.....Starmites

[@ianbrennan9635]

Steven Spielberg once said, “No movie is worth dying for.” That applies to all forms of performance arts, including stage productions.

[@QuikVidGuy]

it's like construction sites. the danger is always there, but you only hear about it when the parts get moved wrong

[@k.m.186]

It feels like all of these people really wanted to do essentially Heathers, except that one dude who wanted to do More Shakespeare but his Own Musical. Actually it was kinda funny that Fosse saw it as a dance musical, it’s like all of these people follow that one saying: “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” Maslows hammer.

[@madiis18account]

I totally saw the similarities to Heathers in their original script/concept too! It's so disappointing that it got absolutely butchered, because Heathers has shown that it absolutely had the potential to be incredibly successful.

[@dogeneedsthetea4569]

Honestly, they should’ve known Hands was sus when he thought the og producers meant “Greece” instead of “Grease”

[@phleughbotomy4324]

how did he even make that mistake, and how did no one correct him, maybe go "hey are you sure they meant the COUNTRY GREECE?" the time he was coming up with concepts???

[@ErikChampney]

Myth. False. Untrue anecdote. Misinformation.

[@ARS1508]

@@ErikChampney there are literal togas on the stage

[@ErikChampney]

@@ARS1508 yes. The vision, agreed upon by ALL, was Carrie should be a neoteric Greek tragedy, as the story aligns perfectly with that genre. The structure of the production was a modern adaptation of the tragedy structure, created by Aeschylus. There was no misunderstanding.

[@thepinkestpigglet7529]

Idk I feel like that's an understandable mistake they're the same word just different spellings and ones a musical comedy like the exact opposite of Carrie

[@joli1320]

The original script sounded amazing and I wish we could see it on stage. It's really amazing how one single person can up and ruin an entire production like that. Also what cruelty to tell your crew you found the funding only to abandon them with a closing notice. Like... wtf...

[@Hugo_Tate]

Betty is a freaking warrior and legend. those words to the young girl was amazing. I hope her career got better after

[@catherinezaegel5500]

Please do Love Never Dies. As an OG phantom fan I’d love to hear how that show came to be, especially since it’s disliked by many phantom fans (including myself haha)

[@AliciaNyblade]

"Love Never Dies" is based on a book called "The Phantom of Manhattan" by Frederick Forsyth. It basically has the exact same plot and began with a foreword by Forsyth himself that said to the effect of, "Gaston Leroux was a shitty writer and got his novel, the original novel, of 'The Phantom of the Opera' all wrong. Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical is the true version, which is why my book is based on it rather than Leroux's work." Forsyth wrote a book based on Lloyd Webber's musical and then, years later, Lloyd Webber wrote a musical based on Forsyth's book. Artistic incest, essentially.

[@angelstime3895]

^^^^^^^

[@jessica23claire]

ohhh i'd love to see that

[@theladyfausta]

If you're still interested in a video about this Lindsey Ellis just released one a few days ago! :)

[@MarcusMartn]

I always wanted to see phantom and now they have a sequel WOW

[@otaking3582]

Ya know how a lot of kids shows have that one episode where they try to "modernize" their Christmas play by having Mary and Joseph be space aliens or Ebeneezer Scrooge rapping, only for them to decide "This was getting away from the message, we should go back to the vanilla version"? This feels like that, except if they didn't get rid of the revised version.

[@pedroxqui]

"The revival never made it into broadway"... this broke my heart :(

[@TarotMage]

I believe it was planned only as a limited run.

[@BrendanJSmith]

Now I really need a Top 10 video of the greatest musicals that never made it to Broadway.

[@sillygoose420]

local theatres do it! my community theatre did a production about ten years ago that was quite good

[@kamryngray8978]

What makes me sad about Carrie is that it has good bones but the director kind of killed it. I've heard the music from this musical and it's not bad at all. I feel like if the script was fixed a bit with better direction this could be a hit

[@MissBuyNLarge]

"you said, think Greece!" "the SHOW, not the COUNTRY!" that cracks me up

[@SuperBatSpider]

“The most horrifying setting a teenager can imagine: High School” American Middle School:Pathetic

[@albertnortononymous9020]

*American Middle School: “Cute.”

[@tiffanielafleur6597]

Middle school is so much worse. I sometimes had fun in high school, but hated every second of middle school.

[@realhuman4396]

Naw middle school for me was chill I had a lot of cool homies and nobody really bullied

[@SuperBatSpider]

@@realhuman4396 Good. For me, it was the first time I was ever punched, which the school did nothing about. I was also mocked every day while making 0 new friends.

[@scylla1772]

I'll settle on the entire American educational system being altogether terrible tbh

[@ArtisticCeleste]

My animation/storytelling professor was a huge fan of the original Carrie film and always had a lecture going over its cinematography, which also included an extra talk on the musical since he and a group of his colleagues were there on that first Broadway opening night. Its interesting hearing someone's first-hand account of how much of a disaster it was-people laughing, some appalled, others leaving, he was sat near this duo of well-dressed old ladies who had no idea what Carrie even was, so he had to explain to them the story. One of their reactions was funny since she didn't believe him when he said that Carrie gets a bucket of blood dumped onto her, and made her friend stay till the end just for that XD

[@mentalotaku]

Carrie was the first musical I was ever in, it was my first year of high school and of course my introduction to musicals ended up being the controversial one lmao. I’m excited to actually learn about its history 6 years after I was in it since it’s what brought me to my love of musicals 💜

[@kaileykrantz]

The story of Carrie’s production actually gave me an idea for a concept I could work on. The main concept is based on three different kinds of people: The Artist, The Composer, and the Producer

[@chrismcgovern1647]

This is the greatest documentary on Carrie the musical we'll probably ever see.

[@WaitintheWings]

You're too sweet Chris. Thank you so much. Thanks again for having me on your I Pod What I Like podcast to talk about it!

[@insertwittyname5649]

I tried to look up "Carrie musical greece costume" on Google and I got "Did you mean: Carrie musical GREASE costume?" Even Google knows. 😅

[@jj-reads]

I found this musical after taking interest in Christy Altomare and Derek Klena when I saw Anastasia on Broadway. There were parts I didn’t love and parts I was obsessed with from the cast recording. I’d love to see a production of it someday.

[@madeleine.exists9207]

When you like the video beforehand because you know it'll be that good😀

[@fusetunes]

already in my likes too. carrie is one of my favorite musicals and i’m fascinated by its history

[@AddamsrUs13]

I am so desperate for you to tackle the RIDE that is ‘Rebecca’s’ attempt to be on Broadway and all the behind the scenes that came with it.

[@colonyofrats4193]

Tina Marie OMG WHAT

[@emilypadden6406]

OOOoooooo! Good call!! This!!! ^^^

[@breebie6912]

This would be so good!!

[@MadameCorgi]

Absolutely, such a good topic. 'leonardo: portrait of Love" also has a great story behind it

[@chrissyschhhh]

YES!!! That'd be amazing.

[@bbluekyanite]

Never have I rolled my eyes so much at someone’s name than I have when you mention Terry Hands. The guy sounds insufferable and his ego cost them the entire show and more

[@susanalopez5052]

Honestly it kinda seems like every director was telling them to make the show scarier, or wanting to give it a new interesting angle (ie: Fosse with a highly choreographed show) and them not wanting to compromise their vision. It just sounds doomed from the start to think it could have worked as a classical opera and Greek myth/a pop high school opera those are two very wildly different artistic visions. Even now I feel like carrie’s biggest issue as a musical is that it doesn’t commit fully to being a horror show and to me the High school scenes just bring it down. My favorite production is the immersive LA one, that one at least feels like it’s trying to amp up the horror elements. At least the show is watchable now and was able to redeem itself a bit.

[@Kahtisemo]

If they had to pick a side, I'd honestly want to see the Greek Myth take on it because that interpretation could be so cool in the right hands.

[@iniuppa]

I completely agree. You can't ignore the source material. And I'd go even further to state that Carrie isn't about bullying. It features bullying, but the story is about the horror. It's Stephen King.

[@susanalopez5052]

@@Kahtisemo the myth take on it sounds actually really interesting, quite frankly all their options sounded very intriguing, to me the least interesting one is the “high school musical” angle which is the one the latest revival goes with, but I mean at least it’s more cohesive and consistent now

[@susanalopez5052]

@@iniuppa exactly! To me Carrie is more interesting when it focuses on the mother/daughter relationship anyways. The story is set in high school yes, it features bullying, but above that its about womanhood, about religion, sexuality, parental abuse, revenge...Carrie is a horror novel that uses real life issues to enhance the supernatural elements of the story, when writing the musical that kinda got lost

[@giovannirastrelli9821]

Ironically, it did turn out ol to be a highly choreographed show, just as Bob Fosse envisioned, perhaps even more so, thanks to Debbie Allen.

[@jacksonowen1021]

A- thank you for reviving my Carrie obsession B-Carrie is a weird show, I've seen intimate small productions styled after the revival, and large productions styled after the original. much like the story of goldilocks and the three bears, for me the best experience was a small cast with no ensemble, but a powerhouse of bending the fourth wall. It was a small maybe fifty seat theatre in the garage of an abandoned firehouse in my town. Everyone had the same basic costume ( black jeans, black t-shirt, shoes from the period, and maybe a black jacket) for when they were the "ensemble of this show with only actors playing principal roles. They also each had their character costume Ex: Carries school outfit, and they had their prom outfit. I'm telling all of this in hopes that you can visualize what I saw , smelled, heard, and felt. The set was much closer to the revival, looking like a drained swimming pool in an abandoned highschool, a dense smell and a light fog in the house( they had a fog machine running in the house before they opened it ( I had cast friends in the cast). when you entered the house you felt unsettled, you could feel the thickness in the air. I remember very distinctly, the amount of pure fear I felt in the room as the first guitair chords played opening the show. One thing to note is the how much more involved i felt in the story when i was in a small theatre, when carrie's eyes are constantly moving and she makes eye contact with you , but quickly looks away you feel the same way sue does later in the show. the next thing to note( i just realized how long this comment is omg im sorry, but im too invested now to stop) is the destruction, as for the blood drop, due to the set up of the theatre it would be very difficult to do a literall blood drop. This directors response was, to do a red light sweeping onto carrie and the it spreading over the cast, then when carrie exits the stage, her switching to a plastic dress covered with fake blood. As for the destruction- the cast is flung onto the floor and then lifting up their bodies to carries whims, and as Carrie leaves the stage their bodies start lifting themselves as though they are being pulled up by a string tied to their waist, reaching out to the audience on the front row, getting impossibly close , making you think they will take you with them. Just as they are an inch away... their bodies drop to the floor .Then a blackout and you don't even notice them leave. Lastly Carrie(reprise/ Epilogue, all i'll say about this, if you've watched the pro shot of sweeney todd, think of the very beggining of the final reprise of the ballad of sweeney, almost if out of character but not entirely Sue rises , the others enter. They sing , blackout , *name please*, sue screams ,curtain falls. One of the most bone chilling experiences of my life. Carrie is one of the best shows i've seen, better than some one broadway today.

[@maxalexander1596]

thank you for sharing your experience i hope to see the show live someday no matter who does it

[@lookingstunning]

my heart was breaking in the middle of this with the breakdown in communication and creative takeovers. so glad they had that 2012 off broadway run closer to their original vision!

[@GlennDavey]

10:46 Sissy made me feel so sympathetic for her, like please everyone, just take care of this girl, don't hurt her, don't break her spirit...

[@mattdeans9873]

I saw the RSC Carrie in Stratford. I dont remember much about it except for the staircase and Barbara Cook, whom I was familiar with. I do remember that I liked it but was in the vast minority. As a performer, etc. I recognized that it had 'something.' It was great to see this video and learn more about it. Of all the Playbills I brought back from London and eventually threw out, for some reason I saved the big glossy RSC program and a couple of brochures and have kept them in pristine condition. I thought they might be worth something someday, if only for some morbid reason.

[@AnnaItem]

screaming over “think greece”

[@TarotMage]

What an amazing video - thank you so much for this! As a big fan of the musical (as my avatar will attest), my own "Carrie" story when I called the Virginia Theatre on Monday, May 16, 1988. A male voice answered. I explained that I lived in Florida and was making arrangements to see the show. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. Then the man said, "I'm sorry, we closed." Now it was my turn to be silent. I was so shocked that the only thing I could say was, "Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" "We are too," the voice said. He then thanked me for calling and then hung up. As for my "Hindsight is 20/20" moment, I was in such a state of shock that I completely forgot to ask about the merchandising. Turned out it all had come in the same day that the closing notice had been posted. If I was thinking a lot clearer I would have whipped out the Master Card and bought the entire stock. As it is, I have been able to collect "Carrie the Musical" memorabilia over the years. That includes the original NY showcard, a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, the Playbill, and the souvenir program. There are two items, however, which I classify as my pinnacle items. Thanks to a short-lived fan club called "Friends of Carrie" I was able to get a cast jacket. The other was thanks to a friend of mine who bid on and won one of the black studded leather jackets worn in the show. According to "Friends of Carrie" there was also a silver Tiffany pendant that supposedly was given on opening night but I've yet to see a photo of one. Anyway, thanks again for such a fantastic video and for allowing me to share my memories!!

[@chrisa31]

Hey! If you see this, please could you message me about Carrie via my Twitter (@chrisa) - thanks!

[@qwellen7521]

Given Broadways weird pension for adapting horror stories into musicals, I cannot wait for a Hellrasier or Candyman Musical. No joke though, would definitely pay to see ether of them.

[@this_Joe_Smith]

I love that I've seen two stagings of Evil Dead the Musical ❤

[@suckit1335]

The Exorcism musicals special effects will be beautiful

[@dianakosianka5344]

A Hellraiser musical would be great, especially if they focus on the human drama of it all and they don't try to make it campy. I know Clive Barker had a background in theater, and some of his stories would be great with the theatrical, Broadway touch.

[@qwellen7521]

@@dianakosianka5344 they should use the og hellraiser theme. Half the score could be operatic; the other half 80s glam/punk rock like in 3. Plot wise? I’d mash 1 and 2 together.

[@sevenandthelittlestmew]

*penchant

[@waterlemonandfriends]

Dude, the way you make all of the previous episodes in this season connect to this one... you really know how to do a finale!!

[@kestreldomann2787]

The college I transferred out of did Carrie and I think my favorite thing is you can VERY easily tell which songs were from the original and which aren't. Also Chris's 'bullying' is... dumb. As someone who was mercilessly bullied as a child, I heard worse on the playground in elementary school

[@isabelleassaf589]

i played carrie about 2.5 years ago and it was one of the greatest experiences ever. i’m so happy the show was updated and the rights were available for purchase

[@Mistoffelees999]

The togas were the true star

[@casuallykye5985]

You guys should check out the Percy Jackson Lightning thief musical.

[@dillonohlemiller9027]

Artsy Academic please tell me that didn't happen

[@casuallykye5985]

@@dillonohlemiller9027 it did and trust me I had your exact same reaction, but it's not half bad- the soundtrack is pretty catchy and has some gems hahaha

[@cecilb8287]

Dillon Ohlemiller it's actually quite clever and creative! It's one of my personal favorites, it knows what it is and works with it well.

[@tatehildyard5332]

@@casuallykye5985 I honestly wasn’t a fan. I didn’t like the whole teen rock thing they we’re going for with the music.

[@introxgrunt]

oh god it’s so bad. and not even fun to watch bad just plain BAD

[@Percussiazania]

you guys should do school of rock next

[@PhantosTheHedgehog]

Either that or the Lestat musical!

[@Percussiazania]

@@PhantosTheHedgehog yeah

[@qwellen7521]

@@PhantosTheHedgehog def Lesat. I keep hearing things about how bad it was and big a bomb it was.

[@jcoster8291]

The idea of some hardcore 1950s enthusiast spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and telling a bunch of interior designers they want thier home to be just like Grease then coming back and finding a bunch of marble columns, Corinthian leather and a big stone fire pit in the middle of the living room because they thought they said Greece is hilarious.

[@ShelbyTaylorExists]

This channel is so underrated. Best theatre video essays on KZbin BY FAR.

[@AmbeeLee]

SO worth the long wait and the build up to this episode. Noooooow........ where is my "What Went Wrong: Dance of the Vampires?"

[@MrRezRising]

Oh wow. I saw this show in previews. It was so bad. I mean, all that tech and they just had Billy run on stage and dump blood on her at the prom. I literally thought something had gone wrong and they just shoved the actor out there and said, "Go dump it on her!"

[@edavis0423]

my roommate worked in the costume shop for our colleges production and she played 'and eve was weak' on repeat (in all fairness, it is a bop). apparently, our production was also not a good time cause they had to figure out how to clean the blood out of carrie's white dress so it would be ready for the next days performance

[@Olivia-dg4fb]

Thats why you just have a bunch of them 😂 getting red out of white is so hard, trust me I've tried.

[@dearpax6020]

jesus christ, my heart breaks for the poor actors and creatives who really thought they could turn the show around only for it to be ripped from them

[@ms.marvelous8156]

The subjective thing you mentioned reminds me of when me and my mom saw The Great Comet. She’s more into traditional musicals and mostly was not a fan (I think she liked parts of it but it was too weird for her) but I loved it because I don’t really have a musical preference (though usually I’m not a fan of movie musical adaptions with some exceptions) and I found the music, story, and staging very creative and intriguing.

[@FormalFilmsProductions]

Great season finale! Can’t wait for what comes next!

[@rinneil]

Every episode this season has been an emotional rollercoaster, but I think this one managed to top them all. Was well worth that wait! And I think the main takeaway I got through this whole season is that the creative process is harsh and uneven, but despite everything, we need to keep making art. Thanks for the inspiration ❤

[@bishoukun]

I really appreciate your wrap-up. Validating all of the art and the work that went into them and how even perceived failures have value. And you're right - it is subjective. It's parts and pieces wrapped together with strings of music, in this case, and it's really okay to love and hate a show at the same time. You had great respect throughout this whole thing for all of the people who worked hard and put their hearts into it. Thank you.

[@carriethemusical7289]

I am SOOOOOOOOOOO READY FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@darthneon0701]

Linzi also played Eponine in the original West End production of Les Miserables, ironically in the same 1988-89 theatre season, before going on to play Madame Thenardier in this same production! Ain't that a coincidence?

[@MusicalLifeARUM]

Wow, I didn't know that Carrie has such an interesting background story!! I listened to the workshop recording from 1984 and I watched the recording of the Stratford performance... well, I do understand why some people may didn't like the former production...

[@breawycker]

This was amazing. As an aspiring theater writer, it's so amazing how inspiring a so-called disaster like Carrie can be!!

[@OcpCommunications]

I couldn't help but shed a couple tears by the end of this story. For years, I heard that this was just a universally reviled show. And the truth is much more complex and bittersweet. In many ways, it was ahead of its time and it was not universally hated at all. It had it's fans. And it never had a chance to switch its reputation because the main producer was a snake and stabbed the production and everyone else in the back. It sounds to me the real horror of Carrie was behind the scenes. With a producer who had no faith in the project and whose financial status was sketchy and a new director whose vision was the opposite of the writers and the other people involved who came up with the idea in the first place. This was a great eulogy to this show.

[@BeesBeesBees248]

Tbh I feel like there needs to be a mini series on the Wildhorne musicals (wonderland, bonnie and clyde, jekkyl and Hyde, you get the idea) also maybe could you do heathers?

[@Arinesart]

Just discovered your channel today and I'm hooked. Great videos, you can feel the passion and love. Also, it makes a great double program along Defunctland 😊

[@dogeneedsthetea4569]

Holy goodness. Never in my whole entire life have I watched a KZbin video about musical theatre that captivated me from start to end. I am SPEECHLESS.

[@dogeneedsthetea4569]

ok this was actually a lie

[@leabernhart8546]

I love it when you go in so much detail about the background, but it makes me feel SO bad for everyone who was invested in a project whenever it goes wrong :(

[@user-oj7bn5fq4m]

This musical has never been salvaged fully. The off Broadway revival from 2012 still has SO many problems. Honestly, if a musical theatre director ever decides to look at Carrie again, it should REALLY lean into the gothic horror angle it had. Sorta like southern gothic with female rage thing. In today’s age it would be so popular.

[@DaveLH]

If only someone had suggested the idea of a musical of "Carrie" to Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom!

[@Hessed3712]

I’m not a theater person and I have only seen a few broadway shows on YT. But I am so glad this was recommended to me. Subscribed.

[@DoubleDReviews]

Incredible analysis! You should do "Dance of the Vampires" at some point :)

[@queenmedesa]

Hey , the original German musical is great, they ruined it on Broadway

[@David-pt8ge]

I saw a smaller scale production in London with Kim Criswell as Margaret. She was great and really centred the show emotionally. It is not the greatest show, but I felt that it was very enjoyable and was cheered by an audience all on their feet. It did not transfer into the West End though.

[@HaydenofEverything]

Do you have plans yet for the finale of Season 3? If you don't have an idea planned already, you could probably do it on By Jeeves, which many consider to be Lloyd Webber's most famous flop.

[@ChickenGeorgeClooney]

This is the finale I'm pretty sure

[@HaydenofEverything]

@@ChickenGeorgeClooney Hence "Season 3"

[@thomasbradley4505]

Also Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love. It had an exquisite score but a very problematic story.

[@emilypadden6406]

@@thomasbradley4505 Gee, Lloyd Webber doing something problematic? That's weird.... ;) (For real, the British show searching for his Dorothy Gale alone is "UGH", if everything else is ignored. :p)

[@queenmedesa]

It was better than Love Never Dies, which I hate

[@kaitlin9288]

This whole scenario would make for an amazing movie

[@ThatTheologyTeacher]

I love your format - how you tie in all your previous videos. It maintains a story-arc and an additional incentive to watch them all and in order.

[@constructionproduction4965]

They’re almost needs to be a musical about how much of a wreck The Carrie musical was

[@DAv2003]

As ever, a fascinating insight into a musical that was hampered much more by what was off the stage than on it. Really enjoy your features on Broadway and its hits and misses, do a great job with it all. Final note worked well, showing just how things can change going by the things behind the stage.

[@catabat49654]

I’m always fascinated by the stories of how plays/musicals come to be, because it takes such a huge amount of work from multiple people and making sure investors get back what they’re putting in. That said, batshit behind the scenes stories for shows like Carrie and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark! are like a three car pileup on the interstate: devastating, but absolutely fascinating to watch

[@AuthenticStories]

It's SO interesting isn't it!?

[@toyamwarr]

The confusion between “Grease” (the movie) and Greece (the country) should have been an omen for “Carrie: the musical”. How do you not clarify what your looking for if you have a specific image you’re looking for?

[@V00doo1Xim]

🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓

[@MysticBloodRose_]

I'm excited, one of my favourite musicals, and one of my favourite books.

[@BrendanJSmith]

I think this might be the only time in entertainment history where the director made all the baffling creative decisions that would end up dooming the project and ruining the producers' vision of the work and not the other way around!

[@ebagentj]

This was an incredible video. I expected a teardown, but instead it's a wonderful examination of a passion project that went tragically awry, but with a happy ending. I am so glad I watched it and so glad you made this.

[@amorfm4071]

Over the course of quarantine I’ve become fascinated with this musical. As a theatre kid, I’m more interested in acting but this would be something that I’d actually want to work on and being back to Broadway. Lately I’ve been listening to all the recordings and seeing what could be done. Carrie is one of my dream roles, but I feel like this show needs a Carrie that can perfectly do the role.

[@moonmannd7501]

A high school production of the Carrie rework is the only theater experience I've managed to take part in, and it was a lot of fun. I'm happy to finally find out how and why the original exploded. Surprise surprise, its basically trend chasing and clutter of creative vision. Disasters like these in most mediums are typically because of that.

[@connerrose6116]

The Greece vs. Grease mixup was major foreshadowing for the tragedy to come

[@TheNormExperience]

All I can think when I hear that word now is Trixie and Katya saying, “Hi flop! Bye flop!” Also, “To a suddenly relatable tale of a writer being driven to insanity after being stuck in isolation with his family.” Omg…i would kill to see a movie essay on how The Shining can be seen as a modern day statement on Covid.

[@concertgoer40]

Really solid job. Love what you are doing with keeping Broadway stories alive.

[@itsthatshorty4031]

Not so fun fact and actually VERY SAD FACT: Linzi actually came home crying that night saying that everyone hated her to her mother, I feel so bad! Imagine after that nightmare, you’re getting ready for a preview, and you see everyone on the news talking shit about the musical that you were in.

[@albinjohansson5975]

I feel like you somewhat misrepresented Barbara Cook's career. Sure she hadn't been in any musicals for a long time, but her career as a solo singer was met with critical and public acclaim. She sang at Carnegie Hall, and toured other venues, so it wasn't like she had disappeared from the scene, and become a gas station attendant, she was very much still involved and respected in showbiz.

[@arrow_of_ravenclaw5155]

I lost it at “we wanted Grease, not Greece!”

[@Fullmetal1890P]

If you think *that's* tonally inconsistent and jarring beyond belief, go watch the end of their production of Moulin Rouge on Broadway. Satine dies, everyone's crying, Christian gives his heartbroken outro, then you hear "hey, sister, go sister, soul sister, flow sister..." SHE ISN'T EVEN COLD YET. Oh my God, I cannot believe no one is talking about it.

[@Guineakitties]

My dad’s copy of Carrie has the RSC cover, same design as the show poster & above the title says “The 4-million copy bestseller is now an electrifying musical!”

[@Jangobadass]

My god...I always thought it was just a bad musical the off Broadway revival was someone doing a better job with it...Turns out the creators were screwed over at every turn and the revivals was (a lot) closer to what they wanted in the first place...😢

[@slava1839]

It's 2:33 CET and instead of sleeping I'm watching this amazing masterpiece. What a great video , so informative.

[@SalimDoodles]

I got online clases in 30 minutes so I'm gonna leave my like beforehand bc I love y'all and come back again to watch it later

[@rayjay1543]

Moral of the story: If you aren't sure whether or not to hire someone - DON'T - and if you do hire the wrong person, fire them as soon as they start to ruin things. 🛑

[@lukeb247]

I saw the 2012 revival (flew to New York to see it) and really liked it. I have also seen productions in Soutwark and Belfast. I never thought it would become one of my favourite shows.