Cannibal! The Musical Satisfies Your Hunger!
In the very near future, Toronto theatre group, Starvox Entertainment, will be heading to the Overture Centre for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin for a weeklong run of eight shows, followed by five weekend shows at the Polk Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee. And what they will be presenting to these and other North American cities is a tasty treat of Cannibal! The Musical.
Ready yourself for screams of outrageous, despicable, irreverent, disgusting, hilarious and other similar sentiments from our neighbours to the south. As we heard from the South Park Parents a few years back, “Blame Canada” will again be shouted loud and clear.
From the co-creator of South Park, The Book of Mormon, Trey Parker introduced Cannibal as an indie cult film in 1993, along with Matt Stone who also starred in the film. The two of them would go forward in later years as the brilliant creators of South Park.
The story is loosely based on the life of Alferd Packer, who cannibalized five friends during their treacherous prospecting journey from Utah to Colorado during the winter of 1874.
Between 2001 and 2008, the movie script was adapted as an off-Broadway stage production. In 2015 the play had a critically acclaimed three week run at the Mirvish ‘s Panasonic Theatre in Toronto with a script revised by show Director, Christopher Bond. Under Bond’s leadership, this current iteration of the play has received further artistic revisions, while remaining true to the original 1993 movie script.
The current touring cast is made up of seven actors and two actresses who play multiple roles, requiring quick costume changes. Two of the performers, Taylor Lavigne and David DiFrancesco, did their schooling at St. Clair College and the University of Windsor, respectively. Director Bond also has connections to the area with his parents living in Kingsville.
Musical Director, Aaron Eyre, is grateful for the support he has received from Jason McHugh who holds the rights to Cannibal! The Musical, and the producer of the film and the author of the 2011 book, Shpadoinkle: The Making of Cannibal!. “He has supported our artistic additions to his original script and has been a mentor and good friend” says Eyre.
Under ‘cover’ of broad daylight, the cast and support crew of Cannibal! The Musical has been holed up in Windsor’s venerable Capital Theatre for the past week. They have been making use of “an amazing stage and intimate theatre steeped in so much history to fine tune the show before hitting the road“, according to the show’s General Manager and associate producer, Jessica Johnson. She continues, “we are all so grateful for the warmth and assistance of Windsorites in welcoming us to their beautiful city!”
With little fanfare or advance promotion, the company opened the doors of the Capital Theatre Saturday and Sunday for three (free) dress rehearsal presentations of Cannibal! The Musical. Large crowds at all three shows were treated to two and a half hours of knee-slapping, hands clapping, foot tapping entertainment – not soon to be forgotten.
Cannibal! The Musical, is sure to satisfy the heartiest of appetites!
Feature photo by R.S. Ripley
