[Pride 2020] The Inherent Gay Subtext In Carrie The Musical

I discovered Carrie the Musical, in all honesty, by accident. Although I’ve always been tethered to horror in some way, be it my fascination with the paranormal or my propensity for consuming every Goosebumps book I could get my hands on, however, in some way, it laid...dormant. I was far more interested in musical theatre at the time of discovery, despite my lacking interest in being a part of a production. My interest in horror combined with my interest in musicals would come together at last in the discovery of one of the most notable Broadway flops in history: Carrie the Musical.

Carrie the Musical premiered in 1988 in England, and would later go on to premiere on Broadway the same year. The lyrics were written by Dean Pitchford and the music was written by Michael Gore. It’s hard to imagine in a post-Riverdale musical episode world that Carrie was ever received as off-beat, (in my mind, Riverdale is like peak normal person culture. If you were to ask me what a normal person would watch, I’d say Riverdale. It’s like the Glee Twin Peaks. It’s not going to do something just to be counter-cultural, it’s going to do things to be disappointing) but when said production is headlining a book called Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops, that’s gotta be saying something.

Even as somebody who likes the musical, I can’t say that it’s exactly interesting or memorable all the time. “And Eve Was Weak,” a song that places us in a far more gothic production than this one, is Margaret White’s moderate descent into anger and madness towards her daughter as she claims that Satan will claim her mortal soul and she has the same pride as Jezebel. It’s one of my favorite songs on the entire album. “A Night We’ll Never Forget” is a song about teens being teens and doing teen...things. It’s boring as hell.

However, one thing that the musical does in spades is reinforce the original queer subtext found in the novel and movie, and add something of its own to it at that.

First and foremost, the basics. Carrie has always been a story that you could read with queer subtext. Ignoring the fact that in the novel, Sue Snell, Carrie’s only friend, is far more interested in thinking of Carrie and how to help her instead of having car sex with her boyfriend, the story of the heartbreaking fight back against pointless cruelty is strengthened by adding any kind of lens to it, be it that of Carrie being disabled, a different race, or, for that matter, LGBT, adds something that wasn’t there before, and is therefore a popular reading of the story. The bullying itself is already so vague, that if you wanted to say that Carrie is bi like you for the duration of the story, given that there’s nothing that proves or disproves it, there’s no problem with that...until you reach the last couple of pages.

However, Carrie the Musical presents a stronger metaphor of a closeted Carrie White, desperate to figure herself out as much as she is desperate to be accepted.

In the first song, “In,” it’s established that the one thing everyone wants to do at this school is fit in, with the lyrics, “And I worry, what if I stand out one bit?” and “What can I possibly do to fit in?” The interesting thing to note is that Carrie has a speaking part on the track, but does not sing along with the chorus. This represents her outsider status compared to the rest of the kids, an aspect of Carrie’s character that is highlighted through the musical.

However, when we go from “In” to “Carrie,” Carrie’s classic “I Want” song about how she wishes she was loved and accepted, or at least recognized by the other kids by her own name, but after the chorus, Carrie sings these poignant lines:

“What’s going on deep in me,
All of these feelings suddenly?
If I am changing, will I still be;
Carrie?
Or what if I am somebody new?
Imagine the things I might do!”

Although this is referencing her latent psychic powers, it seems that Carrie is recognizing that she has...strange, deep feelings, that might change how she and others perceive her...and rather than dreading such a possibility, she greets such a change with a new-found euphoria.

“I might take a chance, I’ve always wondered how,
Or maybe I’ll dance! And try to laugh more than I do now.
And the world will open its eyes,
And for once the whole world will recognize Carrie!”

For most of this measure, Carrie isn’t looking to anyone for approval, but is looking inwards, hoping that someday she can be out and open, and happy unapologetically. Even when she’s looking to the world, she isn’t looking for adoration, but rather...almost complacency. To be heard, and recognized, but not necessarily to be listened to and known. But it’s a start. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a start.

From there on out, the pickings get pretty slim for subtext. Margaret White tells Carrie before her big musical number that she’s not allowed to shower with the other girls, and if we follow this “closeted” narrative, then Sue Snell trying to allow her to know what it’s like to be liked by having her go to prom with her boyfriend, only for Carrie’s “latent feelings” to manifest in a fit of rage that kills all the students but Sue Snell isn’t...that great, but I suppose that’s what I get for looking for representation from a musical based on a book that’s lesson is “people are cruel for no reason.”

At the end of the day, I just kind of decided that Carrie was gay, because I’m gay, and I liked her, and she reminded me too much of Matilda not to have some love for her. Whether you think my arguments are flimsy or not, if you’re looking to make whatever party you’re going to real awkward real fast, feel free to put on a song from Carrie the Musical.

If the teen angst doesn’t catch your guests off-guard, being begged to pray for mercy certainly will.

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