Warning: Spoilers
Immediately after I regained signal in LUU I messaged my friend’s group chat: ‘how am I supposed to review Carrie when I have no words?’. I thought I knew the story of Carrie, the pop-culture references are endless, and I’ve seen the 1976 film at least once, but I didn’t really know Carrie until Friday 13th 2022. This was the night that I saw the Leeds University Union’s Music Theatre Society’s version, co-directed by Her Campus Leeds’ very own Lydia Duval, alongside Andie Curno.
Carrie is a musical horror about a young girl named Carrie, who is subject to bullying (for years) at school because of her mother’s strange religious beliefs. The bullying comes to a head when Carrie gets her first period in the shower at gym class. Carrie believes she is dying, as nobody had ever told her about the menstrual cycle and that one day, she would start menstruating. Her peers mock her distress and taunt Carrie, throwing sanitary products at her and yelling for her to ‘plug it up’.
We kept on screaming till she hit the floor”
Song: ‘Do Me a favour’, Carrie the Musical
Carrie White was played by the incredible Freya MacTavish, who from this first scene, until her death scene at the end of the musical, portrayed Carrie perfectly. Despite playing the title character, Freya made us believe that she really was an outcast of Bates High School. With her shoulders hunched and her head down, Carrie spent the first act receiving abuse from her classmates, spearheaded by Chris Hargensen (played by Rowan MacPherson), and the abuse at home from her mother Margaret White (played by Cara Staniforth).
Despite maintaining a closed off and quiet demeanour, Freya did not miss the mark when it came to expressing Carrie’s emotions throughout the act: fear, anger, loneliness, and love. A stand-out performance was her duet with Cara during ‘Evening Prayers’ when we got a real grasp of Carrie’s pain, loneliness and the love she still holds for her mother, who mistreats her so badly.
Jesus watches from the wall, but his face is cold as stone, if he loves me, why do I feel so all alone?”
Song: ‘Evening Prayers’, Carrie the Musical
It is during the scenes between Carrie and Margaret that we see what a talent Cara Staniforth is. Despite Margaret being horribly abusive to Carrie, Cara still convinces us to have empathy for Margaret. From the source material, Carrie by Stephen King, Margaret’s past is a little unclear.
However, we do know that she sees menstruation as ‘the curse of blood’ and that she believed she could keep Carrie pure enough to never get her own period and become a woman. It is also hinted that Carrie’s conception was through marital rape. Cara lets us see into the way Margaret thinks, through her powerful solos and duets with Freya; I was in awe of her ability to make us feel sympathy for such a hateful character.
In the following days, the gym teacher Mrs Gardener (Milly Fern Parker) asks the girls to apologize one by one to Carrie for their actions in the showers. When Chris, who believes that you get nowhere being nice, refuses to do so, Mrs Gardener bans her from the prom. Furious that she cannot attend prom, Chris formulates a plan to get revenge on Carrie.
The actors made great use of the Pyramid theatre for the song ‘Do Me a Favour’, where on the stairs on the left side of the stage Chris convinces her boyfriend Billy Nolan (Ronan Magee) to assist her in making prom night one that Carrie will never forget. While on the stairs on the opposite side of the stage, Sue Snell (Mia Ruby Crockart) asks her boyfriend Tommy Ross (Killian Lines) to help her action a very different plan for prom night, she wants Tommy to take Carrie to the prom instead of her. It was refreshing to see the sweet scenes between Sue and Tommy in such a dark musical.
Sue (Mia) and Chris (Rowan) are the two other leading ladies of Carrie, and they shine just as bright as Freya. In addition to playing one of the three leading ladies and working with Killian to provide us with a beautiful love story, Mia also acts as a narrator whilst being interrogated about prom night, which keeps us grounded for the entire show. Her vocals are powerful and fresh, and you could feel her regret for how she treated Carrie throughout the whole show. Rowan however shows no remorse and perfectly encapsulates Chris’ cut-throat perspective, particularly in ‘The World According to Chris’. Rowan also has a strong voice and added lots of attitude, which was perfect for Chris.
Carrie’s friendship with gym teacher Mrs Gardener provides a relief from the dark nature of the show. Milly Fern Parker did an incredible job as Mrs Gardener, one of my favourite moments was the song ‘Unsuspecting Hearts’ that Mrs Gardener sings with Carrie about the unpredictable nature of romance.
Love can find you when you least expect
Funny how two lives connect
That’s how it starts
Two unsuspecting hearts”
Song: ‘Unsuspecting Hearts’, Carrie the Musical
Of course, throughout the show anticipation was growing for the prom. We were promised a night we’ll never forget as the actors ran behind the audience and then right through us, down the stairs to the stage. Despite knowing what was coming, I was still in shock when the blood was poured over Carrie (in her beautiful dress) whilst she skilfully sang the heart wrenching ‘The Destruction’, before she finally snapped.
They’ll make fun of you
They will break your heart
Then they’ll laugh at you watching you fall apart”
Song: ‘The Destruction’, Carrie the Musical
The last part of the show, as Carrie’s solo suggested, was centred around destruction and the entire cast understood the assignment. Carrie’s rage, fear and pain were almost tangible as she telekinetically murdered her classmates and teachers. All I could do was sit there with my eyes wide and hope I wasn’t next as each cast member fell to the ground, and even the stairs.
I want to end this review by thanking every single person that had a part in creating this amazing production. Everyone who worked behind the scenes put on the show, the incredibly talented band who added so much life to the production and of course every single actor and singer who immersed the audience into the very halls of Bates High School. It really was a night I’ll never forget.
Words by: Alice Colton
Edited by: Tamikka Reid