Overview of the Musical (1988)

For those wanting to know exactly what happens during the musical, below is an overview of the action from the Stratford/Broadway versions. I compiled this from watching clips and reading descriptions online -- and I heavily relied on the book "Not Since Carrie... 40 Years of Broadway Musical Flops" by Ken Mandelbaum.

The show opens on a white, enameled box set, which we soon learn is the gym of Carrie's high school, during P.E. class. Enter the girls, clad in white exercise outfits, who begin to sing "In," a song about the pressures of adolescence and the importance of being popular. As the song ends, Carrie, in the corner of the gym, says a prayer to her "Dear God." Soon translucent, revolving panels appear, resembling shower stalls, and the girls bathe themselves (still wearing bras and panties) as they sing about their prom fantasies in "Dream On."

Carrie (donning a towel) experiences her first menstruation, and thinks that she's dying, so the other girls taunt her for her ignorance. Teacher Miss Gardener enters, berates the class and slaps Carrie to calm her -- resulting in a light bulb overhead exploding. Miss Gardner comforts her as Sue declares "Somebody Should Have Told Her" (the song portion of this scene was dropped after the London run). Left alone in the shower room, Carrie sings ("Carrie") about her isolation and longing to fit in with her peers. As she leaves the changing room, Carrie brushes past the boy's gym class and takes notice of Tommy Ross.

The scene shifts to The White's home, a barren wooden house with only a rocking chair and a trap door in the floor. Carrie joins her mother, Margaret, in prayer ("Open Your Heart"). As Carrie tells her mother of the events that transpired in gym class, Margaret becomes enraged and tells Carrie that "the curse of blood" was a punishment for her sins. Margaret demands that Carrie pray to God for forgiveness ("And Eve Was Weak"), and when Carrie refuses, Margaret throws her into the cellar.

Next is a transition to the drive-in theatre, where the boys and their girlfriends are gathered in cars. During "Don't Waste the Moon," Tommy and Billy are each looking to get laid, but their girlfriends have other ideas. Sue reveals her guilt for taunting Carrie and Chris expresses her hatred for the girl. Back at the White Home, Carrie and Margaret recite their "Evening Prayers," each revealing their inner fears.

The next day, back in the gym, Miss Gardener forces apologies from Carrie's classmates. Sue is eager to apologize, but the rest are not -- and when it's Chris's turn she retorts, "Carrie White eats shit!" As a result, Miss Gardner bans the girl from the prom -- and Chris immediately vows revenge. An uncomfortable Carrie is comforted by Miss Gardener, who encourages the girl to wait for her prince charming ("Unsuspecting Hearts").

On a bare stage referred to as "The Night Spot" (which vaguely resembles a hybrid of a disco and a leather bar), Carrie's peers hang out. It's there that Sue asks Tommy to "Do Me a Favor" and ask Carrie to the prom... and Chris simultaneously convinces Billy to help her get even with Scary White. Tommy approaches Carrie and she rather reluctantly agrees to accompany him to the Senior Prom.

Next, it's back to the barren White bungalow, where we see Carrie declaring to her mother, "I've Been Invited to the Prom." Margaret again becomes irate, telling her daughter, "I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance" -- meaning she suspected Tommy was only after one thing (guess what!?). Carrie and Margaret's fight escalates, culminating with daughter unleashing her telekinetic abilities on her mother. Margaret is forced into the rocking chair, surrounded by a wall of flames that shoot from Carrie's hands.

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Intermission

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Act 2 begins at a pig farm with Billy and his gang slaughtering pigs. They're "Out for Blood" -- blood that they will use to humiliate Carrie (though Billy wastes a lot of it, slathering it on his bare chest).

Back at school, Sue's peers are in shock ("Dream On (reprise)"), and Sue's told that she's no longer one of the cool kids. Left alone, she sings "It Hurts to Be Strong" (in the London version, it was a song called "White Star" about her relationship with Tommy). Back at the White's, Carrie decides that "I'm Not Alone," as she uses her newfound telekinetic abilities to animate various objects in her bedroom, including her hairbrush, hand mirror, powder puff, shoes and prom dress. Margaret tries again to convince her daughter that she shouldn't attend the prom ("Carrie (reprise)"), but Carrie is adamant that she's going. Tommy arrives, whisks Carrie away, and Margaret wonders how she'll survive "When There's No One."

Everyone exclaims "Wotta Night" when they arrive at the prom -- where a mirrored ball is inexplicably secured to the floor -- but their attention soon shifts to the beautiful Carrie when she arrives with Tommy. Miss Gardener tries to reassure Carrie once again ("Unsuspecting Hearts (reprise)") and Tommy finally coerces the reluctant girl to dance with him in "Heaven." As Carrie becomes more comfortable with her date, Tommy convinces her that they should vote for themselves to be king and queen of the prom ("Heaven (reprise)") -- and it's their singular vote that puts them over the top. It's then announced that Carrie and Tommy have been elected King and Queen of the Prom.

As the chorus begins refrains of the school's "Alma Mater," Chris and Billy run on stage and douse Carrie with a tiny bucket of pig's blood (which was referred to elsewhere as "raspberry topping"). When the prom-goers begin to laugh, a horrified Carrie begins her telekinetic "Destruction" of the school's gymnasium... She ascends above the crowd on a hydraulic lift, laser lights shoot over the audience, and her peers are trapped by... a clear shower curtain(?!). Soon after, the ceiling collapses onto the gym, crushing everyone but Carrie, who's slinks through a small hole.

The top-side of the collapsed ceiling doubles as a heavenly staircase, from which Margaret descends (in a cocktail dress!) singing a lullaby to her daughter ("Carrie (Reprise #2)"). As the lullaby reaches its climax, Margaret draws out a knife and stabs Carrie. Carrie lightly touches Margaret, who falls dead upon the steps. Carrie then descends the staircase and joins Sue, who comforts her as she dies.

The curtain falls. Final bows. Dumbstruck audience.