I was on the fence about seeing La Mirada's production of Carrie when I first heard about it, but my sister bought me tickets for Christmas so it quickly settled that debate.
I'm really glad I saw it. It's a terrific production. What I found so impressive is how well this musical was cast. There is not a weak link in the entire cast. I can't remember the last time I said that after walking out of a show. The special effects were impressive as well.
To be honest, I'm stunned at this theater's turnaround in recent years. I've lived next door to La Mirada practically my entire life. When I was growing up, the theater was the butt of playful jabs in our area for some bad C-list stunt casting. I saw a production of Carousel there in 1985 but then didn't return for nearly 25 years. Lately though, the theater has shed most of the stunt casting and has produced some quality productions with top-notch artists. Kudos to whoever is responsible.
Did I like the show? I don't know. ;-/ I was fully engaged from beginning to end, save for the 15 minutes when my husband experienced a panic attack and I tried to help him through it while discreetly looking for a subtle way to help him exit the theater. He got over it thankfully before we could leave. The production was performed backstage in nearly theater in the round.
I adored the cast, especially Emily Lopez who seemed like she was born to play Carrie. What a cliche thing to say but I don't think I've ever used that expression. Jenelle Lynn Randall, Jon Michael Hall and Kayla Parker were also standouts. Being completely unfamiliar with the musical Carrie, I'm so glad I saw the show. Would I ever see it again? Probably not but I can't imagine anyone doing a better production. Really, the only bad experience was the man behind me who told me that as a New Yorker he wasn't "used to California, particularly Los Angeles, producing good theater." Way to generalize, buddy.
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