Marin Mazzie (left) and Molly Ranson in a scene from Carrie, photo by Joan Marcus
Rather than review MCC's production of Carrie, currently playing at The Lucille Lortel, Mark Peikert and Jerry Portwood--who both saw the play (including the very first preview on January 31, which was attended by Piper Laurie, the actress who played Carrie's mother in the original movie)--GChat their take on the performance. Here, we present their unvarnished conversation, ranging from teen bullying campaigns to Susan Sontag and Betty Buckley, to help you decide if this is the Carrie stage adaptation for you.
Feb 29, 2012
12:10 PM
Mark: Seeing Carrie tonight; did it get better?
Jerry: it's def better than when I saw it before
But that WAS the first preview, so I hope it would
the two ladies [Marin Mazzie & Molly Ranson] are worth it
but overall I think it's just... hard to satisfy our bloodlust
Jerry: I wanted to write a review of carrie and compare it with Lysistrata Jones
Mark: Ooooh
Jerry: about middle-aged men writing high school musicals
Mark: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson might make a good comparison too:
How to write about serious topics without taking yourself too seriously, which seems to be what this new incarnation is doing from what I've heard
Jerry: it's very serious: about school bullying!
Mark: It's a little like remaking Mommie Dearest as a straight drama
The camp will always be there
Jerry: yes
now THAT's a perfect comparison
Mark: "Mommie Dearest is VERY SERIOUS about child abuse!"
Jerry: I think I need to re-read notes on camp NOW
Mark: Lord, you and Sontag
SIGN OFF: 12:29 PM
DAY LATER: Mar 1, 2012
10:31 AM
Mark: Saw Carrie last night. Although Andrew and I call it Sue Snell the Snorical.
Jerry: hehe. You took Andrew with you? Good choice
Mark: Our favorite part of Sue Snell the Snorical was when the gym teacher says, "He was 6 feet, 7 inches...tall"
It felt like Carrie died just so Sue learned a Life Lesson
Jerry: exactly!
they made it all about HER
and who cares about HER
Mark: NO ONE
And the score is so mediocre, I was singing the songs with them. What terrible rhymes!
Jerry: and isn't it amazing how wide Marin Mazzie can open that trap?
she could catch flies with that!
It's a night you'll NEVER forget!
Mark: Thank god! She was the only one serving you crazy
Jerry: she has gotten on the crazy train
she wasn't nearly crazy enough when I first saw it
they amped that up to 11
Mark: It was like Carrie had Asbergers
Jerry: Carrie is definitely on the autism spectrum
I have to say, when I saw it all crazy camped up with Sherry Vine and puppets by Basil Twist in the basement of PS 122...that was AMAZING
and I laughed
there were like two times when the audience WANTED to laugh in this version but it was stifled
10:37 AM
like: you're not ALLOWED to laugh at this
Mark: No, because It Gets Better
Jerry: I was so WAITING for them to say: It gets better!
Jerry: one was when she SLAMS the fake windows shut
Mark: YES
With her Mind Hands
Jerry: but they resisted letting us laugh
Mark: They should have just revived the original crazy ass production, and that would run for 2 years. Even bring back Betty Buckley! Get her off Twitter for a while.
Carrie, Through April 22. Lucille Lortel Theater, 121 Christopher St. 212-352-3101, mcctheater.org.
