You get a lot of intensity and just enough blood if not outright frightening moments in the Manatee Players production of of “Carrie: The Musical.”
Based on a novel by Stephen King, it’s about a high school senior named Carrie White who has been raised by a religiously overprotective mother, leaving her feelng lost among her more free-wheeling classmates. They have taunted and tormented her for years, an outcast who has been bullied just because she doesn’t follow along with the gang. It all comes to a bloody conclusion at the senior prom.
Allie McLaughlin, center as Carrie White, a bullied high school student who seeks revenge after she is tormented at her high school prom in the Manatee Players production of “Carrie: The Musical.” Photo by Diane Broda, provided by Manatee Players
At home, Carrie seems nervous but but calm and protected. She knows her mother, Margaret, loves her, even if she has a unique perspective on how to raise her daughter. At school, Carrie appears to exist in some kind of protective shell, but as she gets older, she tries to assert herself, open up.
And then Carrie discovers she has the power of telekinesis, the ability to move objects without touching them, which gives her a dangerous sense of self-confidence and excitement while simultaneously terrifying her mother.
The roles of Carrie and Margaret are challenging, requiring actors to convey a strong mix of feelings – fear, worry, anxiousness, protectiveness, a desire for freedom and expression. A slight lean one way or another changes the perspective.
Allie McLaughlin, a junior at Booker High School, suggests a lot of those feelings as Carrie, as does Suzanne Marschner as her mother, Margaret, who can work on sewing projects while tossing off Bible verses as if she’s simply talking about the weather.
McLaughlin has a powerful singing voice, well-suited for some of the music in the score by composer Michael Gore and lyricist Dean Pitchford, but emotions sometimes get in the way of clear pitch, for her and other cast members. And Marschner brings a similar fervor to her songs, particularly the powerful “When There’s No One.”
Suzanne Marschner, top, plays the religious mother of a troubled high school girl played by Allie McLaughlin, in “Carrie The Musical” at the Manatee Players. Photo by Diane Broda, provided by Manatee Players
But Director Neal Addison doesn’t allow many moments of relative calm, to let them build to those important heightened feelings, making some scenes feel overwrought. They need more fluidity, or ebb and flow, in the performances.
Elsewhere in the cast, more emotion would embellish the storytelling. The sweet-looking Juliana Mattes as the bad girl Chris Hargenson, the leader of the group with a grudge against everyone, appears to be pretending to be tough and sinister, when we need to feel that dark edge. Her real-life sister Alexia Mattes plays her best friend, the good girl Sue Snell, who has joined in the taunts of Carrie but is the one person who tries to make her feel more welcome. She nicely manages the challenge of attempting friendliness without Chris and other friends turning against her.
Grant Raymond is just right as Sue’s boyfriend, Tommy Ross, the jock with a conscience, who agrees to take Carrie to the prom. Evan Buttle plays Chris’s boyfriend Billy, who goes along with her antics, but doesn’t get the same kind of pleasure out of their schemes.
Charis Annabell LaVoie plays the kindly gym teacher Ms. Gardner, who joins Carrie in the beautiful duet “Unsuspecting Hearts” and worries about the impact of Sue’s acts of kindness.
The mostly high school age ensemble look right for their parts, though you may never be convinced that they’re playing a cohesive group of friends. Under musical director Paul Smith, they sound stronger together in solos and duets than in group numbers, which can be hard to clearly understand because the production doesn’t use microphones.
juliana Mattes, left, as bad girl Chris Hargenson in a scene from “Carrie: The Musical” at the Manatee Players. Photo by Diane Broda, provided by Manatee Players
Scenic designer Ralph Nurmela transforms the intimate Bradenton Kiwanis Theatre into a walled-in space that serves as the school gym and Carrie’s home, with some furnishings moved on and off stage. It also allows for some unexpected tricks as Carrie discovers her powers. The costumes by Caren Brady fit a contemporary high school setting, though the prom dresses are less elaborate than you might imagine.
Maybe that’s because those clothes had to be built to deal with the blood that triggers an explosive finale of retribution that I hoped might be more explosive with extra lighting or sound effects.
Those unfamiliar with the show, the book or the 1976 film that starred Sissy Spacek in the title role, may be more shocked than others as the story unrolls. The second act comes together far more efficiently and movingly than the first. Even at its most awkward, the production and its cast make clear the dangers of bullying and the lasting impact of not showing respect and kindness to your peers.
“Carrie: The Musical.” Music by Michael Gore, lyrics by Dean Pitchford, book by Lawrence D. Cohen. Directed and choreographed by Neal Addison. Reviewed Oct. 15. Manatee Players, Bradenton Kiwanis Theatre, 502 Third Ave., West, Bradenton. Through Nov. 1. Tickets are $32.50. manateeperformingartscenter.com; 941-748-5875
