Based on Stephen King’s novel, the story of Carrie White has been on the frontlines this Halloween season.
There’s the release of Mike Flanagan’s television miniseries, “Carrie,” and Salt Lake City brought the musical back to the stage.
Eleven years since the show’s last performance by the Utah Repertory Theatre Company, “Carrie” makes a double bloody return to the state. Both the University of Utah and MadKing Productions put on the musical.
Located in a cozy corner in Salt Lake City’s Gateway Mall, MadKing Productions has been performing for 8 years — run by Carleigh and James Naylor and Madman Madriaga.
Carleigh Naylor said “Carrie” has been a dream show of theirs for a long time.
“When we were doing ‘Heathers’, we really got inspired," she said. "But I was very hesitant to do it because of the blood. I didn’t know how we were going to do that safely.”
Throughout the entire second half of the show, a bucket of blood looms over the stage. Even though you know it’s coming, if you’ve seen the movie, the dump is as iconic as ever. Alongside the well-known scene is a plethora of special effects that can only be described as magic.
The audience can see chairs being dragged across the stage by no one sparks raining down from the ceiling, and an actor being lifted seemingly by telekinesis. Carleigh Naylor said she’s not revealing their secrets.
“Our tech crew do a fabulous job," she said. "All of our effects are practical. ... It’s pretty amazing”
Religion acts as a very overt theme throughout the story, providing an extremist view of faith. And that’s relevant to the Beehive State.
According to a 2024 study, Utah has the largest percentage of religious residents out of any state, with an estimated 76% of the population.
Many citizens are acutely aware of the religious presence in the region. James Naylor, who also runs the theater, said there are no direct allusions to any particular religion within the script, nor did they pull inspiration from specific denominations.
“There’s a lot of strict religious people that live here," James Naylor said, "and if they’re watching this and they feel uncomfortable, then they need to ask themselves that question of why?”
Actress Jordan Soper plays the titular role, Carrie. She said the religious aspects of the show are very prominent.
“There is a very large LDS presence and it can be quite suffocating, regardless of if you’re religious," she said. "It does add a lot of layers, I think, to everyone’s experience.”
Soper recently graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater, and it shows.
Having originally auditioned for a supporting role, Soper crushes vocally and emotionally, bringing a slew of talent to the timid and insecure Carrie.
