Description
Book SynopsisWinner of the STR Theatre Book Prize 2024Featuring contributions from over eighty original cast members, creatives, crew and audience members,
Out For Blood pieces together the surprising, hilarious and often-moving inside story of
Carrie The Musical to discover how this horror of a Broadway musical' lived, died and was subsequently resurrected as a mainstream success story.In 1988, following the success of its production of
Les Misérables and in the wake of the commercial success of mega-musicals such as
Cats, Phantom of the Opera and
Chess, the Royal Shakespeare Company agreed to co-produce a musical based on Stephen King's
Carrie, written by the team behind
Fame. The result was one of Broadway''s most infamous disasters. Plagued by technical problems, on-stage chaos and a critical savaging,
Carrie would soon become the by-word for musical theatre flops. But thanks to the efforts of a vocal army of fans and the impact of
Trade ReviewIf a book could catapult you into a rehearsal room from your own home, then
Out for Blood would have you watching in the front row … A real page-turner, just like the King original … Adams’s comprehensive text is both approachable and teeming with information. * Musicals Magazine *
The Broadway production of CARRIE has long been the poster child of notorious flop Broadway musicals. In this fascinating tome author Chris Adams handily reveals the whole grizzly story of how a show that had the promise and pedigree to so much right went so terribly wrong. * Stephen Purdy, author of 'Flop Musicals of the Twenty-First Century' *
A fascinating book about an extraordinary show I’m proud to have been part of. So many memories both good and bad…the story of Carrie lives on * Linzi Hateley, original Carrie on Stratford and Broadway *
As someone who is in his third decade of
Carrie obsession, I can say, without any hyperbole, that this is the book I’ve been waiting for my entire life. Chris’s writing is honest, surprising, insightful, heartbreaking, and heartfelt and
Out For Blood provides us (finally!) with the definitive account of the creation and legacy of this infamously misunderstood musical. The book is a love-letter to misfit theater, the fearless artists who create it, and the passionate weirdos who care about it. There’s never been a theatre book like her. * Joe Iconis, composer, lyricist, and playwright *
My bucket overfloweth - Chris Adams has created an un-put-downable deep dive into the creation, reception and subsequent re-evaluation of one of the most infamous Broadway legends of all time. * Christopher Oram, two-time Tony Award-winning designer *
Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements Images Cast of Characters Introduction: The Sound of Distant Thunder I: THE CREATION Chapter 1: Page to Stage Chapter 2: The Road to Rehearsals Chapter 3: Stratford: Doesn’t Anybody Ever Get It Right? Chapter 4: Broadway: They Will Laugh At You, They Will Break Your Heart II: THE SHOW Chapter 5: Act One: Bras, Cars and Unitards Chapter 6: Act Two: Shit! Look at all these Pigs! III: THE LEGACY Chapter 7: Are You a Friend of Carrie? Chapter 8: Cancelling the Curse: Reviving
Carrie Chapter 9: Back from the Dead:
Carrie’s Big Comeback Chapter 10: Epilogue: When Did Everyone Decide I’m the One Who’s the Flop? Bibliography and Notes Index
