On February 13th, 1988, "Carrie the Musical" premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Company, in Stratford, and on April 28th, it would begin previews at the Virginia Theater on Broadway (now the August Wilson). To celebrate 35 years of this enigma powerhouse of a musical, Andrew welcomes Erik Champney, a NYC playwright, screenwriter, and director, who created "Carrie: The Master Cut" which is the first professional cinematic reconstruction of the 1988 musical!
Right away Erik explains his origin story for discovering the Broadway musical, and like Andrew, it all started with their first encounter with Stephen King's powerful novel! Erik explains why Terry Hands, the director of "Carrie," was so drawn to this narrative and what ancient Greek tragedies and opera have to do with Terry Hands' interpretation! Andrew has always been fascinated with the complex and powerful Debbie Allen choreography so they get into how this aspect of the show connects to Carrie's home life with her mother, Margaret. Why are the high school musical numbers so drastically different than Carrie and Margaret's numbers, or are they connected somehow?
Andrew taught the 1988 Broadway production to his Broadway Musical students at Stony Brook University and with Erik, the two analyze and dissect Act One of the musical. They begin with the audience walking in and being surrounded by black walls and then being plunged into darkness with the 80s rock overture! How does Erik interpret the high school students and why is ancient Greek culture and society so important for this analysis? They get into the nuanced dynamics between Tommy and Sue compared to Billy and Chris!
Erik leaves us in suspense when he explains how his "Carrie: The Master Cut" helped Linzi and others escape 35 years of being haunted by this musical. And, what about Carrie and Margaret White?
Can't wait for Part Two of this conversation? Head to the ITBR Café (our Patreon) and become a member to watch/listen to Part Two and get access to a special bonus episode (hint hint...you're invited to the Prom): patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom
A special shout out to those from the 1988 production including the amazing Betty Buckley, Linzi Hateley, Charlotte d'Amboise, Sally Ann Triplett, Scott Wise, Debbie Allen, Larry Cohen, Michael Gore, and Dean Pitchford...thank you all for creating and being part of this musical!
Watch Erik's "Carrie: The Master Cut" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2k8B8qQemE&t=229s
Follow Erik on Instagram, @erikchampney. Read more about Erik's work here: https://www.erikchampney.com/
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