King of(f) Broadway: Review of Squabbalogic’s Carrie: The Musical

If you thought you couldn’t make a Stephen King novel into a musical, you’d be wrong. Squabbalogic is currently staging Carrie: The Musical (1988) at the Seymour Centre’s Reginald Theatre, and it is an excellent production.

Carrie is set in an American high school, although the story is so universal that it could take place anywhere. Carrie represents the typical teenager. She doesn’t quite fit in. She is predictably ostracized though she wishes they would see her for who she truly is. But this is Stephen King – so Carrie also has the gift of telekinesis. And, just like teenagers and their hormones, Carrie struggles to understand and control this unusual power.

However, this isn’t just another frivolous musical. There is a serious message at heart: you should never prejudge, as looks can be deceptive. Take Carrie – though she is a drab looking outsider, she possesses not only a wonderful gift but a sweet and gentle spirit. Similarly, from her perspective, the final humiliation appears to be an elaborate plot, though half of those she sees as being responsible are in fact innocent. Director Jay James-Moody has mirrored this theme in the set. The cast simply exists in a classroom and gym where everything is normal; but what an audience sees is the world unmasked: a broken down, dilapidated house. It is a wasteland: the real world that the students and their cruelty have created around Carrie.

Carrie White is an outcast. She is shy and timid in the schoolyard and lives a submissive life at home. That is, until she is pushed too far. Hilary Cole is simply magnetic in this role. Not hindered by the movie incarnation, Cole layers her portrayal with pathos; this unhappy heroine is badly abused (though telekinetically gifted) and we feel for her. Cole shone in her characterisation (with a long skirt and slouch to match) and, with a beautiful voice, she presented one of the stand-out performances.

The stand-out actress however, was Margi de Ferranti as one of the show’s antagonists – Carrie’s mother. Playing a religious fanatic one faces a real risk of overplaying (especially when reciting the religious texts). Yet de Ferranti was measured in her portrayal and performs with fervour – though the intensity soon shades into something more sinister, and for de Ferranti, this is seamless. She produced a haunting rendition of ‘When There’s No One Left’, blurring the lines between fierce though frightened maternal solitude and obsessive homicidal madness, which brought out the extreme complexity and emotional delicacy of the character.

Margi de Ferranti as Margaret White and Hilary Cole as Carrie White

As Tommy Ross, Rob Johnson is certainly Carrie’s version of Prince Charming. The intelligence in Johnson’s performance was streamlining the transition between (initially) taking no interest in Carrie to the night of the prom, when he begins to fall in love with her. The success of this was largely due to Johnson’s genuineness on stage. He made some excellent choices, including an unflappable optimism which made the audience fall (just a little bit) in love with him too.

Good performances also come from Adèle Parkinson as Sue Snell and Prudence Holloway as Chris Hargensen. Parkinson had an angelic voice whilst Holloway added a fantastic sassiness to her character. During Carrie’s final moments Parkinson was heartbreaking when she forgave her for what she has done. Holloway sent a shiver down your spine in reminding you of the grim reality that is school yard bullying.

The entire supporting cast did a deft job and singularly elevated the production from one with ‘good elements’ into something that could be brought together as a cohesive whole. Whilst of course some of the numbers felt like they were being performed by awkward teenagers, the effect worked and most importantly, the production re-emphasized how ‘raging hormones’ make teenagers dangerous. The only criticism of course would be the use of accents – they are difficult to do at the best of times, and since the play isn’t violently American, it would have been easier to take them out. They added little but proved to be distracting for some.

Hilary Cole as Carrie

On its original Broadway release in 1988 Carrie was a flop, closing after only 5 performances (somewhat less than The Phantom of the Opera which also opened in 1988 and after 10,000 performances is still running). It is difficult to understand how this happened: the story is pure Stephen King and doesn’t lag at any point, with a good mix of touching and horrific moments; likewise the songs are captivating and, in this production at least, performed with a professionalism not often found in an independent company. This is a fantastic production, if you’re thinking about going along, just do it.

Carrie is playing at the Seymour Centre’s Reginald Theatre until the 30^th of November. For more information see: http://www.squabbalogic.com.au/

You Almost Had Me at Hello: Sydney Independent Theatre Company’s Say Hello First

The latest offering from the Sydney Independent Theatre Company is Danielle Maas’ piece of verbatim theatre, Say Hello First (2013). This is a play about relationships. Insofar as that goes, Maas offers us a kaleidoscopic tapestry of what the heterosexual relationship entails: flirting, sexting, over analysis of interaction, insecurity, loneliness, attraction … if it happens in a relationship it can be found in this play. And for the most part the material presented is well observed with a familiar ring. The scenes are presented in fragmented, stand-alone pieces with the actors Maas and Joe Kernahan adopting numerous personas (although as the play continues it increasingly becomes an observation of Maas’ reflections on her own life).

Surprisingly perhaps, is the number of techniques used that are more generally associated with Epic Theatre. The wall is plastered with copies of the script; the actors interact with audiences members, break out of character and talk to the tech-box operator. The fragmented nature of the scenes also prevents the audience from settling into the play’s world. Whether this was a deliberate move on the part of Maas and director James Langley is difficult to say, but it worked nicely for this piece.

Joe Kernahan and Danielle Maas

However, the eternal problem of verbatim theatre is the challenge of developing a story. On this occasion Maas has a lot of fantastic material, and sitting alone each section works nicely, but as a whole the piece seems incomplete; there are no revelations to be found here (which Maas herself admits). There are some poignant moments, but the fact that they exist as isolated vignettes robs them of their full impact. Obviously, the purpose of this piece isn’t to do what a traditional play does (which is fair enough). Nevertheless, one does leave with a bit of a shrug because at no point is anything ever ‘at stake’ nor does the play ever really make a point.

For all this however, Say Hello First certainly entertains. Fart jokes, awkward moments on dates, audience participation, bit of light improv, a whole raft of quirky characters … oh and you get to see both of the actors’ butts. This is all well done and everyone involved should be commended for constructing a very entertaining piece of performance. In the end though, that’s all it is: a piece of performance, as opposed to life on stage.

Joe Kernahan and Danielle Maas

As to the performers then: Danielle Maas is, quite simply, very talented. She is confident in all that she does, and is especially comfortable with her physicality and presence on stage. Further to this, she is wonderfully charismatic with a sharp tongue, obvious during her improvised stints. There is great power locked in this performer. Maas dives onto the stage and makes it her own. At times however, she is competing too much (and unnecessarily) for stage space. Maas could benefit from toning down the ‘acting’ in this production. Certainly, she has moments of truth and moments of clarity, but this is often buried by a need to ‘prove’ herself. It would have been lovely to see Maas relax a touch and let her guard down just that little bit more – as is quoted in the program: “we need to feel that what we are seeing is real. It isn’t just acting. It’s actually far more exacting than acting”.

Opposite Maas is Joe Kernahan as ‘everybody else’. Overall, Kernahan is a lovely performer. Whilst a little unsure in the opening segments, Kernahan really came into his own where he could (more or less) focus on the one character. Kernahan provided a slightly more nuanced performance, perhaps because he found other ways to communicate those ‘sad and angry’ emotions other than bursts and fits of rage. He was charming and pleasurable to watch, and slightly ‘smoother’ too, whereas Maas made for quite a raw experience (as was surely the intention). The main problem for Kernahan was that his earlier character changes lagged; as a colleague put it: they were “vague approximations” – funny, but not always insightful. To both Maas and Kernahan’s credit however, they held and entertained their audience for two hours, with only a 15 minute interval. They were energetic, vibrant performers, and are assuredly headed for a great and long career.

Worth a mention is the wonderful integration of audio-visual technology in the set, which hung as a series of ‘canvas screen picture frames’ on the back wall. Unlike many digital feats (see The Maids) this construction was effectively integrated into the show’s design, aiding without detracting from the performances, enabling delineation of particular male characters – especially helpful during the quick-fire scenes early on.

Say Hello First is certainly a daring piece, well worth the cost of the ticket. If you can get along to this rather sexy and funny show then you should, you will certainly be entertained, sans any revelations.

Say Hello First is playing at the Old Fiztroy Theatre until the 27^th of July. For more information and bookings please see their site: http://www.sitco.net.au/whats_on.html