Character guide
Sue Snell
from Carrie: The Musical
Sue Snell is a classmate of Carrie White in Carrie: The Musical, the 1988 show with music by Michael Gore, and one of the story's key voices of conscience.
- Show
- Carrie: The Musical
- Broadway premiere
- 1988
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Michael Gore
Sue Snell on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1976 film
In the 2012 Off-Broadway revision, Sue Snell becomes the story's frame, a survivor haunted by the night of the prom, a structure Brian De Palma's 1976 film does not use. Sally Ann Triplett originated Sue on Broadway in 1988, Amy Irving played her in the film, and Jennifer Damiano took the role in 2012.
The endings split sharply. The film closes on Sue's nightmare of Carrie's bloody arm grabbing her from beneath the rubble, while in the musical Sue finds Carrie after the destruction and cradles her as she dies.
Who is Sue Snell?
Sue is a high school student who, unlike many of her peers, begins to feel genuine remorse over the way Carrie has been treated. Her attempts to make amends, including encouraging her boyfriend to reach out to Carrie, set important events of the story in motion and give the musical a perspective grounded in guilt and hindsight.
Sue often serves as a kind of narrator or reflective figure, looking back on the events of the story and wrestling with what she could have done differently, which gives the audience an emotional throughline outside of Carrie's own experience.
Playing Sue on stage
Sue is a supporting role that calls for a performer who can convey introspection and quiet regret alongside more straightforward teenage energy in earlier scenes. The part often carries some of the show's more reflective musical material, requiring sensitivity as much as vocal strength.
Her arc appeals to performers and audiences because she represents the possibility of change and empathy within a story otherwise full of cruelty, making her one of the more hopeful figures in the musical's ensemble.
Sue Snell: frequently asked questions
What show is Sue Snell from?
Sue Snell is a character in Carrie: The Musical, which premiered in 1988.
Is Sue Snell a lead or supporting role?
Sue Snell is a supporting role who nonetheless plays an important part in framing the musical's story.
What is Sue Snell's relationship to Carrie White?
Sue is one of Carrie's classmates and becomes one of the few people who feels genuine remorse for how Carrie has been treated.
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