Track By Track: Carrie: The Musical (Off-Broadway Cast Recording)

Like so many musical theater fans, I was thrilled and excited to see the revised version of Carrie: The Musical back in 2012. For decades, I read everything I could get my hands on about the ill-fated Broadway production of the 80's. And I listened to my share of leaked songs. But, even with all of that, plus staring at the few production photos that are out there, I just knew I had to see it as a full production for myself. I finally did, and I loved it - flaws and all - and marveled at the talent - the stunning performances of the great Marin Mazzie and relative new comer Molly Ranson, backed by a youthful company of unknowns. Of course, now names like Carmen Cusack, Wayne Alan Wilcox, Christy Altommare, Derek Klena, Andy Mientus and Jeanna De Waal are known and beloved by theater fans. I'm a bit disappointed that (so far) it didn't go farther, but with a pedigree like this one, the cast recording is worthy of continued regular play. 

Track By Track:

Carrie: The Musical  Off-Broadway Cast Recording

Track 1: In ****

Puberty and teen angst prove to be a lethal combination in this show, and this opening number gets right to the root of it. The explosive outbursts and building tension not only sets the mood, but also reveals the ultimate irony - they all have the same fears and insecurities. They are all just different versions of Carrie White.

Track 2: Carrie *****

What a roller coaster ride of sadness, anger, self-realization, and dare I say it? Hope. "The sound of distant thunder, the color of flame...someday everyone will know my name." Great title number and performance by Ranson.

Track 3: Open Your Heart ***

"Let Jesus in." This is the closest we will ever see to a genuine mother - daughter love.

Track 4: And Eve Was Weak *****

This song, where Margaret turns the Bible's words against her own daughter is frightening - not only in the context of the show, but in context of today's evangelical Christians. It is also our first glimpse of the power of the late, great Marin Mazzie. They are truly a match made in Hell. And it is glorious.

Track 5: The World According to Chris ****

The pop sound and deceptively simple platitudes are perfect for this diatribe on teen self-centered existence. "Better to burn than get burned." This number also serves to move the plot when an unlikely friend emerges in defense of Carrie. De Waal and Ben Thompson are perfectly evil, soaking up the "everyone else is doing it" vibe. But the last lines are the most revealing about our villainess.

Track 6: Evening Prayers ****

A haunting duet between mother praying openly and reverently, and daughter locked in a closet praying to make sense of what is happening to her. The moment she first discovers her "gift" is a subtle one for Carrie, who still wants nothing more from her mother than love and acceptance. Another gorgeous duet. One wishes for a fuller orchestration here.

Track 7: Dreamer in Disguise ***

Jocks can have a heart and be poetic, even if they use clumsy metaphors. Here Derek Klena sings the heck out of a song that nails the awkwardness of young men and their emotions.

Track 8: Once You See ***

Another tender moment of teenage self-actualization and growth. We realize that Carrie's greatest allies are the kids who became adults. Christy Altomare is lovely here.

Track 9: Unsuspecting Hearts *****

This ballad could have been a top 40 pop hit for sure. Easy on the ears, and a welcome moment of clarity and understanding. When I saw this, I knew Carmen Cusack was going to be a star.

Track 10: Do Me a Favor *****

This dialogue-as-song moves the plot, sure, but it is so catchy you are forced to listen. The juxtaposition between competing Carrie White goals almost gives you hope that poor Carrie will have a happy ending. Almost. The real star here is the vocal arrangement.

Track 11: I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance *****

The act ends with a powerful aria for Margaret, with a duet with Carrie as a preamble. Mazzie's performance here is miraculous in its ability to make us understand why this mother is the way she is. We almost pity her, yet we are thrilled by the unleashing of Carrie's powers: the daughter effectively imprisons her mother the way she has been imprisoned.

Track 12: A Night We'll Never Forget ****

With ominous chords, act two beings in much the same way act one began, with the teens expressing their common fears and unrealistic hopes - this time the Senior Prom. Again, the vocal arrangements are exceptional. "You ain't seen nothing yet.."

Track 13: You Shine *****

Here's a sweet moment of reconciliation between two kids (who are showing a lot of adult selflessness) who have no idea how little time they have left. Klena and Altomare really do shine here. No wonder Anastasia fans love them so much.

Track 14: Why Not Me? *****

Ah, the prom night angst. It is a universal experience. For Carrie the uncertainty is outweighed by simply having the chance to have a night where she's just like everyone else. Her bravery and optimism is heartbreaking. Molly Ranson's best number.

Track 15: Stay Here Instead ***

Desperation can be cruel. Perceived rejection can be even more cruel. The way Mazzie speaks then sings, "Don't go," is both achingly sad and terrifying.

Track 16: When There's No One *****

Marin Mazzie's last big number sounds so beautiful and sad. And then you realize this mother is planning to kill her own daughter to "save" her. A chilling, stunning delivery.

Track 17: Prom Arrival ***

Tracks 17 - 22 may as well be one long number, such is the epic nature of this operatic Greek tragedy sequence.

Track 18: Unsuspecting Hearts (Reprise) *****

We find out that Carrie and Miss Gardner have a lot in common. A lovely reprise that makes the impending finale all the more poignant.

Track 19: Dreamer in Disguise (Reprise) ****

What a difference context makes! Another lovely reprise. Tommy really is Prince Charming. Another reason the finale is crushing.

Track 20: Prom Climax ****

The crude, simple language set against the driving rock guitar is fitting for the rotten kids who carry out their cruel plot against a sweet outsider. I love how "a night we'll never forget" weaves in and out of it. 

Track 21: Alma Mater ****

The dialogue and the sound effects here are the star, even as the song is the tune of the act one church song.

Track 22: The Destruction ****

As I said about the last song, the sound effects here are thrilling, as is the weaving in and out of musical themes and snippets of songs. I remember feeling the theater tremble as this was happening.

Track 23: Carrie (Reprise) *****

See the picture below.  It perfectly captures the sheer terror of this reprise sung as a lullaby. A quiet end for tortured souls.

Track 24: Epilogue *****

"One day you finally see her." What a beautiful vocal arrangement and song delivered by a cast full of musical aces. "Once you see, you can't unsee."

Overall Score:  4.25/5 Stars

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Mr. and Ms. Broadway 2018

All year long, we celebrate the people of Broadway who influence, create and represent the very best of the art form. Mr. and Mrs. Broadway 2018 are the very definition of the best. This time we chose two people whose reach is far beyond the 41 theatres on Broadway. We are all better for their having touched our lives.

MR. BROADWAY 2018

DAVID YAZBEK

David Yazbek won a much-deserved (and overdue) Tony Award this year for The Band's Visit. But the real accomplishment, to us, was that his music brought us a world that proves that despite our differences, we can learn from and embrace different cultures when we show humanity toward one another. A powerful, desperately need statement in this era of hatred and chaos. Thank you.

MS. BROADWAY 2018

MARIN MAZZIE

People much more eloquent than I am have said it better, but the loss this year of Marin Mazzie really hit me hard. But there is so much comfort to be found in knowing that she touched so many lives onstage and off. Her strength is inspirational. Gone but not forgotten. Our thoughts are with her husband Jason and her family always.

#1970

The Friday 5: 5 As Good or Better Replacements

There's something special about seeing the original cast of a Broadway show. But seeing replacement casts (and/or individual replacements) can be great, too.  In fact, over the years, we've seen replacements that were as good or better than the originals. This week's Friday 5 celebrates the Broadway second stringers, who are really first stringers.

The Friday 5

Our 5 Favorite 

Broadway Replacements

5. Rachel York as Christine Colgate in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

If I'm being completely honest, she was better in every way... funnier, sexier, better singer than her predecessor, Sherie Rene Scott.

4. Petula Clark as Mrs. Johnstone, David Cassidy as Mickey, Shaun Cassidy as Eddie in Blood Brothers

By the time the show closed, I saw pretty much every iteration of the cast. I loved the show each time, but there was something truly special about this mother/sons combination. Just devastating. And so wonderful.

3. Michael C. Hall as Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch

We saw three Hedwigs: Neil Patrick, Darren and Michael. All three brought something different and terrific to the Belasco Theatre stage. But Hall was the best. Can't put my finger on the specifics, but with NPH, I never really forgot it was NPH, and with Criss, as great as he was, he seemed a shade too young. Hall was the right age, and best of all, he disappeared in the role.

2. Vanessa Williams as Aurora/Spider Woman, Howard McGillin as Molina, and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman

As much as I loved the original cast (I mean, c'mon...Chita Rivera!), I have to say this replacement cast was better all the way around. Williams was dangerous and so tempting and was Aurora. Mitchell was a tower of strength and defiance, but had a wonderful undercurrent of warmth and empathy that made his Valentin somehow accessible. McGillin was just sublime as Molina - he didn't overwhelm the production with affected histrionics. This trio hit the perfect, compelling and riveting notes from overture to curtain call.

1. Marin Mazzie as Diana, Jason Danieley as Dan, Kyle Dean Massey as Gabe, and Meghann Fahy as Natalie (the Goodman Family) in next to normal

As you know, if you read this blog with any regularity, n2n is one of my all-time favorite shows. I loved each and every original cast member (I mean, c'mon...Alice Ripley!), but there was something positively electric (no pun intended) about this company. In light of recent events, this memory is all the more special, but it has been my opinion since seeing the closing night performance. It was just so real...

#1916

Remembering Marin Mazzie

Like so many of you, I am completely devastated by the passing of Marin Mazzie. It just seems to impossible to believe.

My history of enjoying the power, grace and beauty of her spirit and estimable talents is nearly as long as my history of attending Broadway shows. Sad that this difficult time is what makes me appreciate the gifts she shared with all of us. I was fortunate enough to have seen her in 6 different productions, and she was so vastly different in each. A true chameleon. And just so brilliant.

I caught her Broadway debit in Big River, the National Tour of The World Goes 'Round, Passion, Carrie, Bullets Over Broadway and Next to Normal. What a privilege.

As I was writing just the other day, I have such fond memories of her in Passion. Such grace and beauty. And I was simply bowled over by the ferocity of her Margaret White in Carrie. But I will never forget the extra special honor of witnessing her bravura performance on the closing night of Next to Normal. I will never forget that performance. And I will never forget watching her quietly going to each of her cast mates for individual thanks, hugs and graciousness - all of this while the audience was screaming their adoration. She was the epitome of class.

My sincerest condolences to her husband Jason, her family and all of her Broadway family, too. Thank you, Ms. Mazzie. RIP

#1895

Broadway Things That Make Me Happy: January 2014

One of my New Year's resolutions is to try to focus more on things that make me feel happy and positive.  Well, the Broadway news over past few days has had several items that make me happy.  Here's my list - feel free to add to it by emailing, commenting below or Tweeting!

• Shows I love have recouped and are now making a profit!  This week, both The Glass Menagerie and the repertory double-bill of Twelfth Night/Richard III announced that they have made back their initial investments.  Good job!

• Speaking of The Glass Menagerie, I am thrilled to hear that in an interview, Zachary Quinto (above, left, right) professed his love for live theatre and plans to return to Broadway!
• And speaking of Twelfth Night, how terrific that the awesome Samuel Barnett (above, right) will be eligible for a Leading Actor Tony!  He's definitely worthy, now I hope nominating committee remembers him come spring...

• I am so glad that Ghostlight Records will be doing the OBCR of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.  First, they always do great CDs, and, second, I can't wait to revisit and really study the witty tunes and lyrics of Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman.
• Can't wait to see the HBO film version of The Normal Heart, announced this week to air in May.  If they come up with something even half as good as Angels in America, it will be awesome!

• I'm thrilled that one of my favorite stage actresses, Karen Ziemba, will be joining another of my favorite stage actresses, Marin Mazzie, in Bullets Over Broadway.  It has moved up on my list of shows I can't wait to see this spring!

• On a personal note, I am beyond happy that my first "Face of the Future" pick, Charlie Franklin, is such a huge hit with you readers!  It is the biggest hit blog (in number of hits) I've had in more than a month!  Thanks! (To see that blog, click his pic at the top right of the page!)
• And finally, I have to admit that i am thrilled that Laura Benanti read my blog about her yesterday, and that she liked it! It's also pretty cool that she also follows me on Twitter! (To see that bog, click HERE )

Jeff
5.083

CD REVIEW: Carrie (2012 Off-Broadway Cast)

She came back with a vengeance, that's for sure.  From a blood-drenched and campy oddball to a triumphant and transcendent Prom Queen, Carrie White returned to the New York stage like a pent up storm finally allowed to unleash her full fury and, yes, beauty.  Re-imagined from an overwrought unintentionally funny opera into an intimate examination of the ever treacherous American teenage landscape, Carrie is really about Anywhere, U.S.A., where "fitting in" trumps religion, personal growth and social responsibility.  The effects of bullying are in full view here, and despite the Stephen King-sized plot machinations, the message remains clear: there are only victims when people attack each other.

That Carrie was even revived is a thrill for this (and a lot of others) musical theatre fan, but that the score was finally recorded is the icing on a pretty terrific cake.  (Scroll down for the review!)

Grade: A

Title: Carrie: The Musical 

Artist: Premiere Cast Recording - 2012 Off-Broadway Company

Label: Ghostlight Records

Number: 8-6660

Format: Single CD

Case: Single Jewel Case

Booklet: 44 pages.  Full color, with production photos by Joan Marcus.  Complete lyrics, with a full synopsis.  Liner notes by Lawrence D. Cohen. Album produced by Joel Moss and Michael Gore. Executive Produced by Kurt Deutsch.

THE TOP 5 REASONS WHY YOU NEED THIS CAST RECORDING

5.  We must support the continued preservation of musical theatre.  Long a cult favorite, and one of the most openly "bootlegged" scores in Broadway history, Carrie has fascinated audiences and enthusiasts alike.  Now, the score (and portions of the book that are included) as the authors really intended it to be has been preserved.  We, as a small but loyal group, must support this kind of endeavor every time we have the opportunity.  Not only does the creation of a cast recording of such a non-mainstream work preserve the work for fans, it also aids in creating interest in future productions.  Considering the ethereal nature of live theatre, these kinds of recordings keep alive that which is essential only here in the moment.

Marin Mazzie and Molly Ranson

4.  Ghostlight Records has given it a first-class recording and presentation.  Fans of the show, not to mention collectors, will love this recording for the booklet as much as the recording itself.  It includes over a dozen production photos, some seen here for the first time, and the complete lyrics are here as well.  The essay by book writer Lawrence D. Cohen offers a telling, honest and unique first-hand account of the genesis of this troubled show - from the catastrophe in its London debut to the rare opportunity to re-examine and re-work a piece that the author feels so passionately about.  It goes without saying that the sound quality is superb - anything else these days would make headlines - even if it does expose the limits of the somewhat lean off-Broadway orchestrations.  Not that it is ever bad, one wonders how glorious some of the more ambitious sections would sound with actual strings and other instruments instead of synthesizers.  That small quibble aside, I have to share that since I got the CD, it has rarely left the rotation in my car and at work.  The more I listen to it, the more I find.

3.  Carrie has a rich, and at times, deceptively complex score.  The critics have often scoffed at the score, championing its operatic arias and duets in the mother-daughter scenes, while blatantly disregarding the more pop-driven numbers given to Carrie's classmates.  The music, by Michael Gore, and the lyrics by Dean Pitchford continue to have that dichotomy.  After all, Carrie White does live in two worlds at once - at home, under the harsh glare of mother whose love is blinded by a misguided religious fervor, and at school, under the equally unforgiving and even more judgmental stares of her peers at school.  The two contrasting styles of music remain from the original, but the balance between the two is much more complimentary while still striking.  Those amazing exchanges between Margaret and Carrie are as powerful as ever - "And Eve Was Weak," "I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance," and "When There's No One" are emotional powerhouses and epic even in their simplicity.  Now, though, the high school-centered numbers have been given more interesting and meaningful arrangements that place the characters rather than the emotions center stage.  The chilling re-do of the opening number, "In," with the student body as an eerie Chorus in this tragedy, in counterpoint to the individual lines of specific characters serve notice that the authors are taking all aspects of this world they've created seriously.  "Dreamer in Disguise," "You Shine," and the popular "Unsuspecting Hearts" offer not only sharp insights into the kids and their relationships, but all three are smoothly integrated throughout the score, meaningful motifs all.  "The World According to Chris," which does, ultimately, reveal the pain that drives the bad girl who ruins the prom and brings Carrie's wrath to bear, is the one real misstep in the score.  It is too poppy and bouncy for its own good; in this instance, the contrast between sound and content ends up being a campy reminder of what Carrie one was. The rest of the score almost makes you forget the past.

Bad girl meets good girl
(Jeanna de Waal and Christy Altomare)

Plotting to destroy Carrie White
(Jeanna de Waal and Ben Thompson)

Tommy and Carrie at the prom
(Derek Klena and Molly Ranson)

The Supporting Cast of Carrie

2.  The supporting cast is full of up-and-coming musical stars, all of whom add to the intensity of the piece with sharp characterizations and excellent vocals.  This is one of those productions people will talk about if for nothing else than the phenomenal company.  Even in the few months since Carrie closed, several of the cast members have gone on to bigger productions.  Good girl Sue, Christy Altomare, is currently Sophie in Mamma Mia!, good guy Tommy, Derek Klena, went on to star in Dogfight, while bad girl Chris, Jeanna de Waal is touring the country as Glinda in Wicked.  Wayne Alan Wilcox, who played Carrie's English teacher is now playing Sydney Chaplin, Charlie's brother in Chaplin, and ensemble members F. Michael Haynie and Andy Mientus are currently appearing in Broadway's Wicked and TV's Smash, respectively.  Klena and Altomare's duet, "You Shine" is a welcome addition to the score.  Carmen Cusack is a real gem here, both in her short book scenes and the terrific "Unsuspecting Hearts." On this recording, they all, to a person, offer full characterizations and well-sung performances.

Margaret and Carrie White
(Marin Mazzie and Molly Ranson)

1.  The performances by Marin Mazzie and Molly Ranson are reason enough to buy this recording.  As much as I truly love Betty Buckley and enjoyed the work of Linzi Hately in the original, Marin Mazzie and Molly Ranson really deliver the goods here.  Every time they are on, the hair on the back of my neck stands straight up and I am riveted.  Mazzie's powerful performance is as chilling and dramatic here as it was live - "And Eve Was Weak" sets a new standard for theatre arias.  Ranson breaks your heart every time she opens her mouth - her take on the title number is a thrilling tour de force, and her entire performance during the prom sequence is a carefully constructed emotional rollercoaster.  That said, some of the best moments on the entire recording are the moments the two speak and sing together.

Finally, Carrie is what it should have been in the first place: the story of a singular, special and misunderstood girl, and the bigger story of the effects of judging others just because they are different.  It still isn't quite perfect, but this recording should go a long way in helping Carrie take its rightful place in the American musical theater canon.

Before you go...

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Jeff

4.055

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