Carrie: The Musical at Theatre Three
“Carrie: The Musical,” written by Lawrence D. Cohen (1988) and based on Stephen King’s novel Carrie, tells the story of a bullied girl from an abusive, deeply religious family who develops telekinetic powers. Under the direction of Christie Vela and the musical direction of Vonda K. Bowling, Theatre Three emphasizes the themes of bullying and the importance of apologizing to those we have wronged.
Staying in the context of the play, I’d like to present this review like I used to do my presentations back in high school. This review will be divided into four parts:
1. The children were hungry: What I enjoy most about seeing young people on stage is how deeply in love they are with the arts. We can tell when an actor is giving their all, without fear of being 'ridiculous' or judged—the arts become their safe space, and it shows. From the very first number, the kids (as called by the program) show that they genuinely want to be there. They are hungry to perform, shouting with all their hearts, making expressive faces, and giving their all. The power in Jordan Ledge’s voice is beautifully aligned with how Carrie feels. Ledge knows that for us to connect with the play’s message, we need to understand what Carrie goes through and how it affects her. Presley Duyck represents kindness through her portrayal of Sue Snell. Sue clearly embodies the message of apologizing, empathy, and prioritizing peace over popularity. The relationship between Sue and Tommy (John Broda) is portrayed adorably; they both understand the importance of calmness before the storm. During their performance of 'You Shine,' there were multiple teary eyes in the audience (including mine). Since this play immerses you in its world (something I’ll explain further in section 4), I witnessed some performances up close, which made me admire Criston Starks’ body control in Act II. Starks made me believe for a moment that time had actually stopped, and when it did, her body expression resembled a painting I could analyze in a museum. At that moment, by only seeing that frame near the end of the play, we knew the who, the what, and the why of each of the kids.
2. Cara Statham Serber is mother: Watching Cara Statham Serber as Margaret White is almost like watching Mother Gothel with a dose of religious obsession. Of course, we know that what Margaret is doing is wrong, but by just looking into Statham Serber’s eyes—the way she expresses herself, how she chooses which words to emphasize, and the constant tension in her body—we know there’s no way anyone could convince Margaret she’s wrong. She’s protective of her only child, she was wronged by a man, and she devotes her life and all she’s capable of to the Lord. We understand her priorities: if Carrie wore a crucifix and asked for a kiss, Margaret would kiss the crucifix instead, just like Mother Gothel. Statham Serber holds so much power on stage that she became an iconic villain who will stay in my mind forever.
3. The power of improvisation: There’s never going to be a performance that goes exactly as rehearsed. This is where improvisation comes in handy. I feel so pampered and privileged as an audience member when actors improvise while staying true to their characters. Watching Brian Gonzales (Mr. Stephens) accidentally step on one of the cast’s feet and, without missing a beat, say, 'You weren’t going to use that foot anyway,' just like your favorite high school teacher would, made us laugh even harder than if the accident had been planned. Every time he was on stage, it felt like we were receiving little gifts—he seemed to light up the space, even when he was just walking around with some pink lemonade. The question of 'What to do if a prop breaks during the performance?' can be clearly answered by Andres Carbonell (George). His quick thinking, combined with his understanding of the character, led him to interact with a loose string from a cushion in a way that felt perfectly in character—playful and flirtatious—so the audience saw George, not an actor facing a challenge. There was no trace of panic about the planned actions going off course. From a personal perspective, it is a pleasure to see a fellow Venezuelan giving his all for the arts.
4. The magic of theater: Chairs flying, windows closing by themselves, and secret messages—Jeffrey Schmidt’s scenic design created an immersive world where we felt free to look around and choose the storyline we wanted to follow. Under Vela’s direction, we could hear the actors’ voices next to us and the characters interacting with our space as if it were their own. This made us feel as if we were inside this chaotic world. When the telekinesis became the protagonist of the story, we felt surrounded by it—something fell to the right, something moved to the left, and something hit the wall next to us. This chaos, combined with Bowling’s musical direction, made us feel like we were one of the kids in the presence of Carrie. As a personal preference, I would have loved to have seen the development of Carrie’s telekinesis given a bit more importance to enhance the final explosion that we all can’t wait to witness.
In conclusion, I enjoyed it a lot; I laughed and got emotional, making me want to give more of myself to the arts.
RUNNING: Through November 3, 2024
VENUE: Theatre Three, 2688 Laclede St, Dallas, TX 75201
TICKETS: https://www.theatre3dallas.com/