Winner of the STR Theatre Book Prize 2024
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 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 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.
By:
Chris Adams
Imprint: Methuen Drama
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781350320536
ISBN 10: 1350320536
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 21 September 2023
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Preface 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
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 London’s West End as a Marketing Manager of musicals.
Reviews for Out For Blood: A Cultural History of Carrie the Musical
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 *
- Short-listed for Theatre Book Prize 2024 (UK)