Carrie the Musical (2009 Reading) - 09: And Eve Was Weak

[ToDallasFromBoston]

just say this tonight. unfortunately not with Mazzie, but Ms Anne Tolepegin (which may mean I need to troop up to NYC again to catch Mazzie) In regards to this number, delivered by Tolepegin, I wanted chills but not got them. The acting and vocal performance was spot on. But no where close to Betty B!

[illxcoveryou]

Marin Mazzie is stupid talented. She gives an incredibly stunning performance live.

[Stu21202]

Silly children. I saw the show last night and Marin Mazzie was amazing. I'm not sure what key the song was in, not Betty Buckley's but it sounded stunning. How foolish to think you can judge anything based on a low-quality recording of a staged reading. Musical theater is an art, not an athletic event where higher = better. This is singing and acting we're talking about here, not the pole vault!

[VenaCava4]

@Stu21202 ALL the thumbs up!

[notrealiamtheatre]

@Stu21202 Marin Mazzie is amazing. She sold Margaret in a way I wouldn't have thought possible.

[clamman27]

@Stu21202 AMEN!!!! I saw the 3rd performance and she was amazing!!!! I'm seeing it three more times before its over. EXCELLENT production!

[clamman27]

Marin did a PHENOMENAL job when I saw the show two nights ago. Look at how different Cook and Buckley were. Mazzie is her own. And she was incredible. Very different from Cook and Buckley... which is good. I didn't want to see someone doing a pale imitation of someone else's performance.

[TheCherryBomber1]

love Marin Mazzie but would rather have Emily Skinner in the role

[thelivesofme1]

okay.. I love Marin like SO much.... but really this is CRAP in this key.. like previous posters have said if you listen to Betty Buckley's rendition... this is soooo mellow. it doesnt give the same feeling at all. I hope theyre not doing it in this key offbroadway now...

[ToDallasFromBoston]

where is the dark power in this duet? what I and much of the world have to go on is the bravado and cresendo in Buckley's voice. she owned those lyrics. while i would love to see this revival the lower range cheapens the experience and power of the lyrics. Margret is a christian fundamentalist, whose vocals should ooze church gospel choir. No one in a choir sings like Mazzie.

[JMichaelFowlkes]

@ToDallasFromBoston My sentiments EXACTLY! It destroys the power of the song. In my head the extreme range of the song is directly related to Margaret's mind here a righteous exultant religious fervor. If you lower it like this it sounds too casual, the stakes aren't high enough. I dare say you can't even act through it and make it workable, it's that central IMO.

PLUS! Marin does NOT belt... it kills me.

[ToDallasFromBoston]

@JMichaelFowlkes lord it pains me. i want to listen and be floored, but its so underwhelming.

[kjtenorman]

Not sure why it was necessary to make this in a lower key. Marin could have handled the higher key.

[JMichaelFowlkes]

@kjtenorman No she could not. Marin definitely does not have that range. They lowered it because she CAN'T do it. Also even if she did have that range... Marin doesn't belt. She barely mixes. She is classically trained and has that over cautious singing thing going on... hell in N2N she nearly did the entire thing in head voice like she was in an opera. Not cool.

[kjtenorman]

@JMichaelFowlkes Have you ever heard Ragtime? She belts at the end of 'Back To Before.' It's possible that she wouldn't be able to consistently for this song. However, Eden Espinosa? Really? It's not just about being able to belt. Eden's voice is nowhere near having that 'aged' dark quality that this role requires. Betty Buckley, Barbara Cook, and the other original singers had mature classical-type voices with some belt thrown in, so don't be bashing on Marin because she does also.

[JMichaelFowlkes]

@kjtenorman I know Ragtime very well. Marin is safe, if she could she won't. I mean they could've at least left it in the original key and just let her do her soprano thing rather lower it like that. I makes it boring and turns Margaret into a non-belting alto (?) with a past opera career. Listen to Betty's and honestly tell me that Marin's is as thrilling and drives the story the same way. I mean Carrie's pleas don't even pique my interest here.

[JMichaelFowlkes]

@JMichaelFowlkes Eden has her own problems too, but at least she can sing it and the song would make sense! Marin is lovely but she was not the best choice for this. Eden may not have an 'aged' dark voice but its heavy and dark enough for me (when she's not popping it up) - she would definitely give Marin a run for her money. Murney would be my first choice though.

[ToDallasFromBoston]

@JMichaelFowlkes well said, this is about the story. where this piece is set it is just before the end of the act, and this as is doesn't pique this listener's interest. the story and characters suffer if this isn't sung in proper key. carries pleas sound like tantruming rather than crisis of self. margret isn't a fearful force that ultimately kills her daughter

[VeryStrangechild]

I like the Margaret, she's very talented. The lower is different, its not my favorite, but Its still good. Although if they do it for reals, they should get Julia Murney as Margaret!

[TFPTrading]

@VeryStrangechild

They are doing it, it's opening quite soon actually. Marin will be Margaret.

[VeryStrangechild]

@TFPTrading Oh my gosh! Really? When?!

[Jimsteinman]

@VeryStrangechild first preview is Jan 31st ;-)

[VeryStrangechild]

@Jimsteinman Yay! Thats awesome!

[Tritic20]

I hate this lower key!

[lcowles]

@Tritic20 I totally AGREE. It loses so much in this lower key. I love Marin but I said from the start that she's all wrong for this role. She also not the best belter. Eden Espinosa, Soshanna Bean but especially Julia Murney has the dark quality and high belt required for this role. To me, the show hinges on THIS role, not Carrie. I hope it doesn't hurt the success of the revival.

[JMichaelFowlkes]

@lcowles Agreed. I'll take the Murn and Eden... Soshanna no thanks. Sometimes ya know, I just wonder about who casts stuff like this because honestly... Marin wouldn't even have been on my top 10. Hope they correct that error soon, we need more dark musicals on the circuit and it be a shame to lose Carrie... again!

[bwaystar88]

Mazzie is one of her generation's greatest. God, I love her. Can't wait for the show!

[lcowles]

It sounds anti-climactic in the lower key. This role needs to be played by Julia Murney. She's got the power and dark quality to do it in the original key. I still love Marin. She's just not right for this part.

[JMichaelFowlkes]

@lcowles Agreed. Murney would be great. I think Eden Espinosa would be great vocally (especially with her power and dark quality.), granted she is too young... for a reading I'd love to hear her though. I'm not a fan of Marin. She's yet to impress me if all I've listened to and seen her in.

[andrear]

@JMichaelFowlkes it's Mazzie.

[OzActor]

I'm really excited for this, but I cannot believe that they transposed the song down so much. This is a major third lower than the Betty/Linzi version. That's quite a lot.

[MissMelancholyblue]

I'M SO EXCITED. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD.

[hillevifan]

The BEST "AMEN!" at the end of the song. It was so bitter and vile, and angrily cut off at the end. AMAZING!

[drjax1994]

Does anyone else think the changing of the lyrics "you've got Jezelbel's pride...you'll become Satan's bride" is dumb. I loved that part!

[Jimsteinman]

@drjax1994

I always thought those lyrics were a little too over-the-top.. but I can´t really make out what the changed lyrics actually are..

[theatrefreak3]

Molly Ranson and Marin Mazzie will be in this next year!!!!! :)

[alainamonts]

oh god i love staged readings... "Margaret strikes Carrie" lawlz. Really good potential...I'm really excited to see what happens when they stage it for reals.

[MickeyT1129]

i think it has fantastic potential, i just hope they dont keep it this low...

[AliaSparrow]

@MickeyT1129 Keep in mind that in a workshop, it's like a rough draft.

So they are limited to piano accompany.

[BrandonTJones69]

OH MY GOD YESSSSS!!!!

[Ferris1397]

Marin Mazzie is sooo Good!!

[RaWrZzZz]

I don't like the lower key

[theemaestro576]

It thrills me that this is coming back to Broadway

[VenaCava4]

This is just a reading, of course it won't sound perfect. You can't gage much from it, as the only instruments are a piano and drums. If it's ever staged, it'll sound very different.

[omnigeek13]

all i can say is that i hope it gets better than this. i miss betty.

[RadioCityChristmas]

@omnigeek13 I can't believe people don't like this version, it's not the original cast with Betty and Linzi. It's gonna sound different and I think Marin Mazzi and Molly Ranson's take on these characters were dead on perfect! They may not be as strong as Betty and Linzi, but they are not Betty and Linzi. This was pretty amazing, listen to that crowd at the end of the song.

[VinnieRattolle]

I'd just like to point out that the recording with Linzi and Betty that everyone's familiar with was recorded at the final performance, by which time the duo had pretty much perfected it. In the earlier Stratford recordings, Linzi was not nearly as strong, and Barbara Cook was... well, not Betty Buckley. These two actresses certainly did an admirable job.

[TerribleGreenBlizzrd]

But it is too low, the original key was much more chilling.

[DanielJosephKuhlman]

@TerribleGreenBlizzrd I think the actors here sound great, but I agree that the original key was a lot creepier.

[TheBohemianTenor]

doesn't have the chills of the original. and I feel it's too low. also, not impressed by Molly Ranson as Carrie.

[TerribleGreenBlizzrd]

@TheBohemianTenor Really? I thought Molly Ranson's "Carrie" the song was great. To each there own I guess.