Seeing the University of Lethbridge’s production of Carrie: The Musical on Friday night, Nov. 27, made me very thankful for a number of things. First that there are so many talented people in Lethbridge and that I have the privilege of writing about and, in some cases, p
erforming with them.
And secondly, and more personally, Carrie: The Musical makes me very thankful that my own miserable high school experience is a solid life sentence without parole in my past. In real life things do get better after high school, though not for the kids in Carrie.
The massive cast of 30 gleefully embrace their characters of insufferable, bullying brats. So much so that I have never wanted to see a classroom full of kids die horribly, more than I do with the characters in Carrie, most of whom show few redeeming qualities. Am I a bad person for saying that? I’m just saying all of them very convincingly play borderline evil little toe-rags.
Alli Price is completely convincing as tall, skinny, spoiled Queen Bee, Chris Hargensen. And in this case “B” stands for another word which rhymes with witch.
She sings a song explaining her personality somewhat, but the lyrics in that one are difficult to understand. It's something to do with her father.
Her obnoxious, jackass boyfriend Billy Nolan is played equally convincing by Tom Delbello, who you will be able to see in the New West Theatre Christmas show “All Spruced Up,” along with Carrie: the Musical cast mates Kathy Zaborsky and Alexa Elser. Delbello adds some essential comic relief to a production that could otherwise be very depressing.
Shelby Wilson adds a heartfelt human element to this crew of borderline evil teens as Sue Snell, the only character who has a conscience about the class bullying of Carrie. Her powerful voice stands out during her solo numbers. Her boyfriend Tommy Ross, played by AJ Baragar, is another highlight, showing a range of emotions with just his facial expressions and heartfelt delivered dialogue.
And Carrie herself is played beautifully by Alexa Elser, who shows equal parts pathetic and terrifying as she discovers she has telekinetic powers and learns how to control them, culminating in the climax of prom night. There are some pretty cool effects happening as Carrie learns how to control her powers, though I would have liked to see more examples of her using her telekinesis. Some of them are easy to miss, particularly Carrie moving objects in her room, which is set on the far left side of the stage.
Another highlight is Brianna Diodati as gym teacher Miss Gardner, a teacher so dedicated to her students that she even wears her whistle to decorate her dress at th
e prom. She shows a stunningly powerful singing voice in between taking Carrie under her wing and forcing her bullies to apologize, albeit unconvincingly. She is like the mother Carrie never had.
Equally as amazing is Kathy Zaborsky, who plays the mother that Carrie does have. She is always treat to see on stage. Usually she plays cute, sweet, adorable characters, but in Carrie: The Musical she shows she is equally adept at playing a terrifying, abusive, religious zealot as Carrie’s mother Margaret White, brandishing her Bible as her operatic voice fills up the entire theatre.
The set is simply a grey, spooky looking brick gymnasium complete with stage, which doubles as Carrie's house, and various rooms depending on lighting. Cast members subtly move in extra chairs and tables as needed.
It is a musical, so there is a lot of singing as expected, which you really have to pay attention to to follow the plot. It might have been my seat, but I found the group numbers were very garbled which made it really difficult to understand the lyrics, until the very last number of the show. Luckily everybody shines in their solo spots — their voices ringing clearly and beautifully throughout the room.
The talented pit band ( Zain Solinski and Brogan Klombies keyboards; guitarists Feifei Du and Sianne Petrisor, bassist Tony Shlakoff, cellist Liam Epp and drummer Blake Davenport all conducted by Bente Hansen), if a little loud, sometimes drowning out the singers, play an eclectic array of music from opera to boogie woo
gie and ’70s pop rock. The cello adds an especially nice, ominous touch to the soundscape.
Just a small complaint, the first act seems to run a little long. They could have had the intermission after the cast sings about making prom night a night they’ll never forget as Chris and her lapdog Billy plot their revenge on Carrie.
Overall, if you hated high school and even if you didn’t, you will be moved by Carrie: The Musical. If you are a bullying toerag, still in high school, it could be a cautionary tale. Or else it may just make you want to read Stephen King’s 1974 novel that inspired it.
Either way it is a bloody good time at the theatre. Kudos to the talented cast, crew and director Jay Whitehead.
There are two more chances to see Carrie: The Musical. There is a 1 p.m. matinee and a 7:30 p.m. evening show on Saturday, Nov. 28. For tickets call the Box Office, 403-329-2616 or visit ulethbridge.ca/tickets.
