BabyBro and his beau were in town, and Friday night brought us to Carrie. My take? Enjoyable but not writing-home-about-able. First off Marin Mazzie (the mother) was not in the show, but her standby, Anne Tolpegin, did a great job. (I got to explain standby vs. understudy; hmmm, maybe I am a teacher.)
It was a musical. I found the music to be the same, the same, and the same. With a bit of difference, then more of the same. [Caveat—I also have a problem with the requisite microphone nubby-thingy and its attendant wire up the back of the head of a really, really short-haired ensemble player. If you’re gonna use the tech, hide the hardware—make it work seamlessly. There, off my soapbox, now.]
The performers were uniformly good, with Carrie, Molly Ranson, as a standout. It was a small-cast version of what had been a HUGE fiasco, so there were a few things in its favor. A few. I felt that they tried to cram too much story into the book (as opposed to really adapting it as a musical). But they were also saddled with the original production and many parts of the original score. Good concept—didn’t quite work. Major foreshadowing of pig-blood bucket (oh, hell—major shadow!). I don’t envy the wardrobe crew (this, coming from a Sweeney Todd alum). Still, enjoyable.
Sunday matinee brought a straight play—Other Desert Cities. Once again, a major player, Stockard Channing, was replaced by a very-well-played understudy, Lauren Klein. Our little joke (totally a joke!!!) was that Slacker Channing would be her new name (totally a joke!!!).
The cast comprised Lauren Klein, Elizabeth Marvel, Stacy Keach, Justin Kirk, and Judith Light. Great cast! It’s nice to see working legends, and I hope to see a living legend, Angela Lansbury, later in the season.
What a thought-provoking play. Very well composed (why, yes, plays can be composed as well as musicals). As a drama, there were quite a few twists and turns. At times, we all thought that there were just a few too many “blow up” moments.
Thought-provoking drama + splashy (even blood-splashy) musical = fun weekend. True, I did spend more $$ than a usual ConcertMeister weekend. Splurges (and family) are good reasons.
ConcertMeister
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