Tiyana Scott and full company in Hart House Theatre’s Carrie: the musical; photo by Scott Gorman[/caption]
Theatre audiences can relive the horror of high school when Carrie: the musical opens at Hart House Theatre this Friday. Based on Stephen King’s 1974 bestselling novel Carrie and the hit Brian De Palma film of the same name, the original musical version produced on Broadway in 1988 is regarded as the Broadway equivalent of Target Canada…a flop. Despite the involvement of veteran musical-theatre performers, like Maureen McGovern and Betty Buckley, the show closed after just 5 performances when financiers abruptly pulled out.
24 years after that notorious production, the musical was rewritten by original composers Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford, and writer Lawrence D. Cohen. It was revived and staged off-Broadway in 2012 by Toronto-born director Stafford Arima, and was nominated for a slew of awards. Since then, it has been steadily produced worldwide, including runs in Mexico and Moscow last year. Now Toronto audiences can experience it, too.
So…why this musical? And why now? Quite simply, Carrie: the musical is both classic and current. The story of Carrie, the relentlessly bullied and oppressed teenager who uses her telekinetic abilities to lash out at her tormentors, has captured the public consciousness across generations. Carrie might be over 40, but her story is neither unique or irrelevant. In the press release for the show, its director Richard Ouzounian observes,“we are all Carrie. Truly…. Despite all the anti-bullying messages out there, young people of all ethnic and gender identifications are still subject to abuse from their peers simply because of who they are.” The pervasiveness of bullying across cultures and identities is reflected in the diverse casting of young actors. The timely and sobering message in this time of Trump: no one is immune.
[caption id="attachment_3008" align="alignleft" width="271"]
Tiyana Scott and Brittany Miranda in Carrie: the musical; photo by Scott Gorman[/caption]
To celebrate its debut in Toronto, SesayArts spoke with 4 of the performers about their perspectives on Carrie: the musical. Part 1 of 2, below, features the actors portraying one of the most infamous mother-daughter duos in literary history: Tiyana Scott, who makes her stage debut in the title role of Carrie White, and Brittany Miranda, who plays her fanatically religious, restrictive mother Margaret.
- SesayArts: Carrie exists as a novel, a movie and a musical, which means it’s not only a well-known story but also continually interpreted by a countless number of people…Is it intimidating or liberating that the audience might already have their own interpretation of the characters? How does this affect you when you’re preparing your character?
- SesayArts: How did your own high-school experience contribute to your process for this show?
Brittany Miranda as Margaret in Carrie: the musical; photo by Scott Gorman[/caption]
Tiyana Scott: I personally did not have any “Carrie” moments in high school, but I related back to being bullied in elementary school. I really thought about how I felt then and how much it hurts to have people call you things you are not. Also the mother-daughter relationship Brittany and I share on stage…I relate that to the difficult relationship I have with my mother.
Brittany Miranda: I think almost everybody has gone through a period of time when they have felt like an outsider, especially in elementary and high school. Seeing Carrie experience so much bullying onstage, and delving deeper into Margaret’s own past of abuse and loneliness, is absolutely heart-breaking.
- SesayArts: Of the many themes that Carrie: the musical explores, which resonate with you? What do you hope the audience will be talking about after the show?
Tiyana Scott as Carrie; photo by Scott Gorman[/caption]
News You Can Use
What: Carrie: the Musical by Michael Gore, Dean Pitchford and Lawrence D. Cohen
- Based on the novel by Stephen King
- Featuring Tiyana Scott, Brittany Miranda, Jacqueline Godbout, Jordan Kenny, Madison Sekulin, Stephane Gaudet, Emma Robson, Bevan Buhler, Alyssa Minichillo, Foskett, Meredith Shedden, Matthew Benenson, Peter Mundell, Ryota Kaneko, Blake Crawford, Sarah D’Cunha, Sydney LaForme, Faly Mevamanana, Sanjay Pavone, Evan Sokolowski
- Directed by Richard Ouzounian
- Postshow Talkbacks: Saturday, January 21 and Thursday, January 26
- Student Matinee: Tuesday, January 31, 12 pm
- Preshow Artist Chat: Saturday,February 4 at 1 pm
