Matt Hewson
Horror and musical theatre may not seem like a natural combination at first glance, but the genre has a long history.
From The Rocky Horror Show (1974), Sweeney Todd (1979) and The Phantom of the Opera (1986) to Evil Dead (2003) and American Psycho (2013), horror has been a vital part of the musical tradition for decades.
This month Geelong theatre company Theatre of the Damned brings the musical retelling of Stephen King’s Carrie to the stage, with seven performances at Belmont Performing Arts Centre.
Carrie: The Musical tells the story of an awkward teenage girl whose lonely life is changed forever when she discovers terrifying powers.
Tony Dahl, who co-founded the company in 2017 with his wife Elise, said they were taken with the show after they saw it performed live as part of Elise’s work judging amateur theatre for the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria.
“We came across it at some stage and we sat back and thought, this is a brilliant show,” Tony said.
“It’s not creepy like the movie. It has got the part where, spoiler alert, everybody basically dies, but the music in it is just amazing.
“We started our own theatre company so we could do shows that hadn’t come to Geelong before.
“We just get a buzz seeing all our cast on stage doing what they do. And actually, what they’ve put together (for Carrie) is amazing; they amaze me with what they do.”
Tony thanked Belmont High School, which has provided the company with a rehearsal and performance venue since early 2023.
Visit trybooking.com/events/landing/1077690 for tickets to Carrie: The Musical.
