Cohen Traces CARRIE: THE MUSICAL History in New Book

Screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen outlines his process in adaptating Stephen King's celebrated horror tome CARRIE from novel to screenplay to full-fledged Broadway musical in a new book titled WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? CARRIE, FROM BOOK TO MOVIE TO MUSICAL.

Cohen wrote the screenplay featured in the classic 1976 Brian De Palma film and worked closely with composer/lyricist team Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford on fashioning a book for the musical version of the novel both in its original 1988 UK and Broadway bow and the vastly revised and reworked 2012 version which was produced Off-Broadway.

The official description is as follows: "What Were They Thinking? Carrie, from Book to Movie to Musical is an intensely personal chronicle, tracking Lawrence Cohens almost four-decade history with Stephen Kings classic fable, from reading the manuscript in 1973 while a reader for producer David Susskind, to writing the screenplay for the classic 1976 Brian de Palma film, from deciding to turn it into a musical (1984) to the controversial Royal Shakespeare Company and legendary Broadway production that crashed and burned (1988), to collaborating on its rebirth and resurrection Off-Broadway for MCC Theater in 2012. Rarely has a theatrical account been so first person and insider basednaming names, telling never-before-told stories, and revealing what its creators were thinking. Passionate and visceral, it provides a highly informative and educational behind-the-scenes look into just how musicals are written and put together. How did a show that even its harshest critic, Frank Rich, admitted was a workable idea for a musical and Ken Mandelbaum argued was salvageable go so far off track? How did an Oscar-winning composer and lyricist, plus the award-nominated screenwriter of the original film, mess up so badly? How did a musical that the world-renowned Royal Shakespeare Company chose as its follow-up to LES MISERABLES become such a train wreck? What were they thinking? Follow the journey from its inception to its resurrectionthirteen theater award nominations; an award for Best Revival; the release of a long-awaited cast recording; and licensing by Rodgers and Hammerstein allowing Carrie to enter the global theater repertoire. Talk about a miracle and a happy ending."

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? CARRIE, FROM BOOK TO MOVIE TO MUSICAL by Lawrence D. Cohen will be released on October 22. Pre-order the book here.