Third Eye TheatreJuly 25 - August 23, 2008
Review by peanutduck
Cannibal!, by South Park’s Trey Parker, is cannibalism deficient and generally lacks that SP imaginativeness, which could have made this wonderfully camp. The amateurish production interprets bad singing, dancing as all that’s needed for a spoof. But it just makes this show bad, and not bad enough to be good.
22 comments:
I wonder if this is the same script they did in Atlanta a number of years ago. If it is, I understand one of the central dilemmas is a love triangle between Packer, Packer's lawyer, and Packer's horse. But maybe I have it mixed up with "Attack of the Cannibal Cheerleaders." Christ, who can keep all these cannibal musicals straight?
This company is such a joke. Notice how the artistic director casts herself as a lead in every show? Thier past few productions have been stupid shlock just like this.
Skin it! Skin that smokebox!
If you have the guts to write something nasty, sign your name. And learn how to spell. ;o)
Review from the last time we produced it...
http://www.portlandmercury.com/theater/cannibal_the_musical/Content?oid=29304
stupid shlock like buried child and no exit? i'm completely unaffiliated with this company, never seen one of their shows, but anon 12:23's comment prompted me to go to their website to see who this megalomaniacal AD was and what shlocky shows she was starring in. perhaps you're confusing this with a different company whose AD casts herself as the lead in all their schocky shows. What does SHLOCK mean?!
well, anon 12:23's post is pretty unnecessarily vile for what's probably a personal issue with the company or the people involved, but "buried child" and "no exit" are pretty shlocky in my opinion. oh, and if you don't know what shlock is, look it up.
It's challenging to look up a word like "schlock" when it is consistently and repeatedly misspelled. Most of these anonymous comments could be excoriated not so much for poor attitude (though they have that) as vague, incomplete, or incoherent communication. In the first appearance of "shlock" [sic] Anonymous 7/29 12:23 was unclear about whether he or she was referring to the plays as written or the specific productions. Anonymous 7/31 1:49 scored a fairly plausible hit on where Anonymous 7/29 12:23 might be coming from, but offered an unnecessary and, in my opinion, simply misguided judgment on the plays as written. Quite a few plays could be called shlocky, and almost anything can be staged in a schlocky manner; but by the same token, brilliant staging and strong acting can make a so-called schlocky play well worth seeing. So shape up, folks, and try writing something worth reading here.
I think in this case its supposed to mean "stupid", which at least this show was. Havent seen amy other Third Eye Theater shows though, so I wouldn't know.
Sorry, but I'm afraid that I have to consider someone who considers "Buried Child" or "No Exit" to be schlock to pretty much be a schnook. Or very possibly a schmuck. Ah well, as Jean-Paul Satre might have said: "Hell is other putzes."
So, Anon (7/31/2008 02:27:00 PM), care to write us a review or would you rather merely shout "STUPID" and remain anonymous like your spineless friends? Takes a brave man to call our show stupid and not sign your name to the claim. Especially since I suspect you didn't actually see it. If you had, you would have noticed the talent spike and recalled a number of funny moments in which the whole audience laughed together. Grow a spine soon and crack open the dictionary every once in a while you bunch of nameless tools! -Love, Dylan
P.s. Thanks David for backing me up on this.
Let's get back to discussing the show, please.
You're right. I apologize for going off-topic.
For the record, this is the show that played at Atlanta's Dad's Garage, and, indeed, is the tale of a sordid love triangle involving the country's only convicted cannibal, his attorney, and his horse. Below is a vaguely amusing piece contrasting "Packer" with Disney's "Aida" (music by Elton John).
Note: I know this because, well, I know weird things, but when the judge sentenced Packer, he said, "Goddamn it, Packer, there were three registered Democrats in [Pitken, I believe] County, and you ate two of them."
***********
Two new musicals open this week in Atlanta, and for fans of asymmetrical experiences, it might be fun to attend both. On Thursday, Disney's ''Elaborate Lives: The Legend of Aida'' -- based on the Verdi opera, with music and lyrics by Elton John and Tim Rice -- previews at the Alliance Theater. The next night, ''Cannibal: The Musical,'' based on a film by the co-creator of ''South Park,'' Trey Parker, opens at Dad's Garage Theater. Here, a handy viewer's guide.
Plots: Aida: Forbidden love affair between Radames, an Egyptian soldier, and Aida, an enslaved Nubian princess. Radames is betrothed to Amneris, Pharaoh's daughter. Cannibal: Frowned-upon love affair between Alferd Packer, a Colorado miner on trial for cannibalism, and Polly Pry, a reporter. Things are complicated by Packer's obsession with LeAnne, his horse.
Budget Aida: Top secret; probably over $1 million. Cannibal: $5,000.
Gimmicks Aida: The set's centerpiece is a huge working pyramid. Cannibal: Gore. ''At one point,'' brags Sean Daniels, the director, ''Packer grabs someone's jaw and pulls it off and all of the skin on his face slides off with the jaw.''
Tunes Aida: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls Elton John's score ''reminiscent of his classic 1970's sound.'' Cannibal: The love theme, ''When I Was on Top of You,'' is sung by Packer about his horse.
Socko Climax Aida: Radames and Aida are sealed in a tomb while singing a show-stopper. Cannibal: ''Super-gratuitious,'' Daniels promises, describing a wild sort of lynch-mob scene. ''It's called 'Hang the Bastard.'''
I've seen the Cannibal movie and would love to see it on stage. Great jokes, great songs. --Lorelei
What was with the women playing the trappers? A bad choice in the first place because it's completely unbelievable, but none of them were talented either. There wasn't a good voice in this cast. Amateur theatre at it's worst. Agreed with followspot's interview-the material could have been funny if it was done well but it wasn't.
Thanks for coming, peanutduck!
--- I Loved the Trappers.. Thought they were just as cheesy and silly as the guys in the movie!! As for singing.. Um have you seen the movie? That song is supposed to be bad.. if anything they sang too well.. I love people who comment on things they don't have a clue about..BELIEVABLY With a TREY PARKER SPOOF?Are you, CRAZY? Or are you someone with an axe to grind with this theater company or just a moron spouting stupidity?
I loved the show and plan on seeing it again.. I recommend it..
I worked in Portland theatre years ago and the comments I am reading here posted by anonymous posters is one of the reasons I left theatre.
I saw Cannibal the musical last Saturday night and I enjoyed it for what it was... Fun..
The critics in this town have no idea what good theater is, did you laugh did it entertain you? THAT is what this musical is all about.. just silly mindless fun..
This musical is not a place to SHOWCASE vocal talent!! But the singing was far from bad.. For goodness sake with lyrics like "the suns as warm as a baked potato" and “Shpadoinkle”. Not really classic lyrics for a musical, but FUN lyrics...
Oh and as for it being BELIEVIBLE, it’s a fictionalized version of a historical event, and I am guessing the Female Prosecutor and the JAPANEESE Indians were BELIVIBLE!!
I am sorry that people have forgotten what theatre is for, it’s not always for profound statements or Broadway production quality sets or even actors..
No it is about enjoying someone else’s vision.. Let yourself be entertained and stop looking for faults and if you can’t enjoy anything less than perfection I suggest you just watch TV and mainstream movies... They have editors to strain out stuff that might challenge you to look beyond the end of your nose.
with all that said I liked it for what its worth to you..
"Cannibal!, by South Park’s Trey Parker, is cannibalism deficient..."
(so is the movie...)
and generally lacks that SP imaginativeness
(uhh, budget+stage-vs-film+same script=imaginativeness but not SP quality, since the movie was a prototype for SP, which came before SP exhisted, and not the fully realized and road-tested premise that required the medium of animation to make really, really funny, ya stupid yank! Freakin relax! Its just a fucking play!)
"...which could have made this wonderfully camp."
(...IT IS CAMP! I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!)
"The amateurish production...(Always a great choice of words for a writer with no specific focus on strength and weaknesses, intent to elevate the form, or just have fun) interprets bad singing, dancing as all that’s needed for a spoof. (you left out all the other stuff they spoofed, ya too lazy to notice?) But it just makes this show bad, and not bad enough to be good. (are you talking mixolydian scales or something? damn, I thought this was going to be a challenge...This review isn't bad enough to be good)
AMEN, 8/06/2008 01:50:00 PM!!!!
Have you ever seen the video of William Shatner reading Rocket Man as spoken word? It's brilliant!
Have you ever seen a drunk guy with no sense of rhythm reading Rocket Man as spoken word at Open Mic night? Not so brilliant!
What's your point?
I'm glad you asked...
Saying that this production is comparable to the movie just because they're both bad is not a good way to say your show deserves an audience.
I'd rather watch William Shatner read spoken word, even if it's bad - just as I'd rather see Trey and Matt sing badly in an under budgeted film, even if it's bad. It's charming because we have seen the SP dudes capable of absolute brilliance...
Third Eye? Well...I guess we'll have to give it time and wait until the dust settles on their career before we can just the sum of their work.
I saw the show and thought it was great :)
The play was in many ways BETTER than the movie. The stage show had a mix of amateurs and pros and was solid throughout. The movie was made by college students with almost no experience performing. Trey Parker may be famous now, but Cannibal was a weak movie. Third Eye proved you CAN polish a horse turd. Comedy alchemists they are!
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