Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaff!!!
That is the sound of telekinesis.
But Artistic Director Kody Jones doesn’t want audiences to focus on that when they come to Arts Bonita to see “Carrie the Musical.”
“We focused on the major theme, which we believe isn't telekinesis so much as this is really a story of bullying and intolerance and hate,” said Jones.
The musical addresses the source of that hate.
“This whole nature versus nurture when it comes to bullying and the violence we see happening in our schools and organizations, most of the time those people are made,” Jones observed. “It's the environment they grow up in and that's no different in ‘Carrie.’”
Even the jocks and popular kids worry about their place in the social order. High school is a pressure cooker threatening to boil over at any moment.
Songwriters Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore encapsulate this angst in the song’s opening number.
Stop, go, who am I? move! ha! come on, come in
Father, mother, preacher, teacher
Failure! Am I? Am I? Am I?
No! am I? am I (stupid?) am I hopeless? am I?
Violence! silence! broken, used, black, bruised
What about me? what about me? I dream! I drown! I wait!
Every day, I just pray, every move I make is right
Where I go, who I know
Will I be alone on Saturday night?
And I worry, what if I stand out one bit?
I worry, what can I possibly do to fit in?
Perfect clothes, nose, the perfect skin, face, all ace!
“It's about being in, being accepted, being special, having friends, being one of the in people,” Jones noted.
His actors don’t just perform it. They feel it. They live it.
“You're going to see real grounded vulnerability in that opening number,” Jones promised. “They're not just singing a fun, catchy tune.”
Jones is mindful that “Carrie” is Arts Bonita’s October show.
“There's going to be some really spooky things happening,” Jones said. “There’s going to be some special effects that are going to really surprise and catch the audience off guard in a good way.”
“Carrie the Musical runs from Oct. 3 to 12.
MORE INFORMATION:
“Carrie: The Musical” is a chilling rock musical based on Stephen King’s groundbreaking 1974 debut novel, which cemented his legacy as the master of modern horror.
The story follows Carrie White, a bullied teenage girl with a deeply religious mother, who discovers she has telekinetic powers—leading to an unforgettable night of vengeance after she is humiliated at her senior prom.
With a score by Academy Award–winning composer Michael Gore (“Fame,” “Terms of Endearment”) and lyrics by Academy Award–winning librettist Dean Pitchford (“Fame,” “Footloose”), the show blends emotionally charged ballads with pulse-pounding rock numbers. From its gripping opening (“In”) to its heart-stopping title song, “Carrie: The Musical” delivers an intense theatrical experience that fuses horror and humanity in equal measure.
The musical has enjoyed a storied history—gaining cult status after its infamous 1988 Broadway debut and finding renewed life in its acclaimed 2012 revival. Its pop-culture legacy even reached television audiences when "Riverdale" featured it in a memorable musical episode, further cementing its place as a modern theatre phenomenon.
Much of that cult status inheres in the spectacle, special effects and bloody denouement. The Arts Bonita production doesn’t shy away from these aspects of the story. They actually lean into them.
“We're going to have some amazing special effects and there's going to be a lot of blood,” noted Jones. “There's a giant, huge fight that happens at the end at the prom, just like you'd expect there to be there. But what folks do with this musical is they focus on that spectacle to the exclusion of rest of the story.”
Jones is reaching for realism.
“Our production will be grounded in realism.”
Bullying, intolerance, acceptance and the desire to fit in and religious fanaticism are all front and center in Arts Bonita’s production.
“These are things that are going on in our world all the time, all around us,” Jones continued. “So that's what we focus on. We focus on the real story, what this girl is going through, the mistakes people make that lead to the murderous rampage at the end.”
The musical also delivers the cautionary note that someone who’s bullied may go to extraordinary lengths to exact revenge on their tormentors.
In that, “Carrie” is not alone. It’s a recurrent them in shows like “Heathers the Musical,” the Netflix series “I Am Not Okay with This” (2020) and “Hazelwood Jr. High.”
One of the musical’s subplots involves Carrie’s absence of a warm and accepting home life. But she is not alone in that. Her principal tormenter, Chris, is likewise the product of a dysfunctional home life. But even kids who have stable and supportive families struggle to fit in and gain acceptance from their peers.
This is the musical’s starting point.
“That opening number is called ‘In,’” Jones pointed out. “It’s a number that high school kids can reflect on and connect to more than any of us … Although, I think if we dig deep, all of us can remember [our high school] years being very similar — trying to fit in and be liked. The process of finding yourself, figuring out who you are, who want to be as a human being and what you add to society, used to happen in college. Now it takes place in high school. And that's what that opening number is about.”
Jones has tasked each member of his cast with conveying all that angst and emotion through their choreography.
“They're giving you a chunk of themselves when they open the show,” said Jones. “We give them the choreo, but they’re providing the heartbeat of that number. Some of them are scared. Some of them are angry. Some of them are happy. There's a mix of emotions and through the techniques we’ve taught them, they’re showcasing this reality in that opening number. It's not about singing a fun musical and doing a really cool dance. It's got to have a heartbeat.”
Praised for its “haunting and nuanced” character work and “mesmerizing” title number, “Carrie the Musical” is as tragic as it is thrilling—an electrifying reminder that even the quietest voices can shake the world.
Jones’ recent directing credits include “Hair,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Hadestown Teen Edition,” “The Boy from Block 66” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” His penchant for sharp visual storytelling and nuanced approach to character building infuse “Carrie the Musical” with a fresh sense of urgency that will draw audiences deep into the claustrophobic tension of high school hallways and the terror of a prom night gone wrong.
The “Carrie” creative team includes Arts Bonita veterans Rosalind Metcalf (music director) and Eric Ortiz (choreographer).
CONTENT WARNING: “Carrie” is based on Stephen King’s horror novel and is intended for mature audiences. It includes depictions of bullying, religious extremism, homophobic slurs, violence, and death, as well as discussions of menstruation, sexual assault, and group violence in a school setting.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.