THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST TECHNICALLY COMPLICATED PRODUCTION BY UOTC
Two years after the Fulcrum declared a ‘golden age’ of theatre on campus, the University of Ottawa Theatre Club (UOTC) has sustained, and built on that early success.
Compared to the $6,000 budget of UOTCs first play The Great Gatsby, Carrie: The Musical’s $25,000~ budget is a testament to the club’s quick establishment as a campus institution. A student-run, entirely volunteer theatre company is an impressive feat, putting on multi-thousand dollar shows is even more impressive.
You could see every dollar on the stage, Carrie has some incredible stage dressing. Carrie, famous for the eponymous main character’s telekinesis, wouldn’t really be Carrie without some amount of spinning crosses and levitating objects. UOTCs production does not disappoint, the White’s house set is truly spectacular, and stands out amongst UOTCs stage design.
Before reviewing the opening night performance on Feb. 4, it is important to note that there are two casts, Crimson and Scarlet. Members of the UOTC were quick to emphasize that these are not an understudy/maincast, but rather two different takes on the characters. Director Lisa Dunn, a seasoned theatre professional and U of O alumni, said that the Crimson cast played more into the camp of Carrie, while Scarlet focussed more on the horror elements. Dunn told me that her goal was to have each cast create their own interpretations of the characters, rather than copy and paste her vision onto the casts.
The cast for Feb. 4 was the Crimson cast.
Jordan Quayle, who played Carrie, was incredible, the greatest element of her performance was her physicality. At points Quayle embodied the awkward, creepy, and downright pathetic elements of Carrie, and at other times, she would adjust her posture, and carry herself like a woman possessed. Quayle’s talent for physical comedy was also obvious, the way she dropped her mouth open, when Ms. Gardener (Renée Ryan) put lipstick on her, elicited roars of laughter.
Some of the creepiest moments of the play were her performance, but also some of the funniest. And Eve Was Weak, sung with the fantastic Beth Hughes playing Margaret White, was one of my favourite performances of the show. The dark themes, strong performances from both singers, and the set design combine to make one of the most memorable performances I have seen from UOTC yet.
Tommy Ross (Sam Sheahan) and Billy Nolan (Salem Valentine) have deceptively complex voices, Sue Snell (Katelyn Bruyere) is forced to carry much of the emotional and expositional elements of the musical, and succeeds.
Vocal Director Emily Gammon, should be proud as well. Beyond strong performances from the main cast, the ensemble was also incredibly gifted and well coordinated. While Carrie lacks some of the recognizable crowd-pleasers UOTCs Heathers and Footloose could rely on (the original Carrie: the Musical, is widely regarded as one of the greatest Broadway flops of all time critically and financially) it makes up for it with some truly exceptional musical performances.
No matter the cast you see, the choreography for Carrie is phenomenal. Avalyn Kwai Pun, producer and choreographer, blew it away. The opening number, In, immediately situates the audience in the uncanny and eerie 1970s world of Stephen King. Dancers move with just the slightest bit of jerkiness, bodies contorting as if moving against their own will. World according to Chris was a personal favourite (and one of the few numbers I recognized). Colette Horsburgh who plays mean girl Chris Hargensen, was a standout dancer, and had a strong stage presence.
If I had one criticism, beyond a small number of first night hiccups (at times the audio mixing was off), it was that I left wanting more blood. What little I knew about Carrie going in was the predominance of blood in the story, and while there were likely technical, and location limitations (I can’t imagine Carleton would be thrilled with the UOTC pouring blood on their stage), trying to incorporate more bloody makeup into the future shows may fill that hunger that I had.
Overall Carrie is a strong showing from the UOTC, which continues to impress. Gammon told me that “if you come in knowing nothing about Carrie and this is your introduction to the story, I think you’re going to have an incredible time.” As someone who only knows what I do about Carrie from the cultural milieu, I can attest, I had an incredible time.
At one point, gym teacher Ms. Gardener says that “life is about the choices you make.” In that case, University of Ottawa students should choose to make the trek to Carleton’s Kailash Mital, and buy a ticket.
Tickets are still on sale, and Carrie: The Musical is being shown until Feb 7. Their next show, Antigone, will be in french, and is showing March 18 to 21.
