Out For Blood: A Cultural History of Carrie the Musical

(Paperback)

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Description

Featuring 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 Misrables 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 Kings 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 bootleg trading and emerging online communities, the show reinvented itself as a mainstream success story with thousands of productions worldwide. Patching together memories, archive material and contemporary reports, Out For Blood dives into the origins and development of this infamous show and examines how a promising entertainment product can swiftly gain a notorious reputation, what makes or breaks a Broadway show, and how even the most unlikely of musicals can find its place in the hearts of fans around the world. Based on the hit ten-part podcast, Out For Blood will delight theatregoers, flop aficionados and Friends of Carrie alike.

Reviews

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 Im proud to have been part of. So many memories both good and badthe 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 Ive been waiting for my entire life. Chriss 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. Theres 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 *

Author Bio

Chris Adams is the co-creator and co-host of the acclaimed podcast OUT FOR BLOOD: THE STORY OF CARRIE THE MUSICAL. A lifelong fan of Carrie, he works in Londons West End as a Marketing Manager of musicals.