Carrie on Cohen’s mind

Lawrence Cohen, the screenwriter of the 1976 cult classic film Carrie by Brian De Palma, was in town to meet the cast and crew of Atlantis Productions’ Carrie, the  musical adaptation of the film, that runs at the RCBC until Oct. 6.

Carrie is a horror film released in 1976 about a girl who has telekinetic powers. She is abused by her religious fanatic mother Margaret White and is bullied in high school by her peers. The musical stage adaptation first opened in 1988 in New York but closed soon after. However, Atlantis Productions director Bobby Garcia, then just a student in college, had seen that production and had since  set his eyes on restaging Carrie.

The revival of the 1988 musical stage adaptation happened 23 years later in 2011 off-Broadway with Lawrence still involved. The musical had to be reworked as well as the restaging and unlike the first adaptation proved to be very successful. Which explains why there is a film remake coming out later this year with Hollywood actress Julianne Moore portraying Margaret White’s character.

So when Bobby optioned the musical for Manila audiences, Lawrence was delighted to be part of yet again another revival. Lawrence was also collaborating very closely with Bobby for the creative process. Bobby has utilized digital technology via e-mail and Skype to share video clips of the rehearsal process, not just with the writer but with the rest of the team as well. Michael Gore (music) and Dean Pitchford (lyrics) were privy to Bobby’s director’s notes.

Lawrence says that Bobby is a wonderful collaborator and “he’s brought very specific things to bear. The way he’s directed it and the elements that he’s added to it — all of them enrich it tremendously. They all give it other perspectives and other ideas, and it’s what good directors do.“

The cast of Carrie is ecstatic to be part of the collaboration with Lawrence Cohen himself. Lawrence sat down and talked to the cast about his relationship with the material. It is quite rare for musical theater artists to have the chance to get actual feedback from the writer of the material they’re working on.

Carrie is a slice of theater that resonates today even more than ever, with the rampant cyber-bullying that leads young teenagers to commit suicide.

Lawrence says, “When we did the show and we did the movie originally, bullying was in existence but it wasn’t something you read about in the newspapers. It wasn’t kids videotaping other kids, it wasn’t suicide. It wasn’t the really horrific level of bullying that has reached an epidemic level in the world.”

Atlantis Productions’ Carrie is an unconventional musical stage adaptation from the cult classic film, yet every bit is harrowing and heartbreaking with the stellar performances from the entire cast. 

For details on Carrie, call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078 or Ticketworld at 891-9999 for tickets.