Cannibal the Musical

As the title would suggest, Cannibal the Musical is full of gory adventures set to the soundtrack of overly happy songs. The contrast makes for a bizarre, yet strangely entertaining piece of theatre. Written by Trey Parker, before finding fame with South Park and Book of Mormon, it follows mountain misfit Alfred Packer as he leads a group into Colorado territory to find gold.

Director Matthew Briggs handles his large cast with mixed results. There is something to be said about the pause, but there was hardly time to catch your breath as actors and props flew across the stage at a frenetic pace. With so much action some lines were lost, including, no doubt, hilarious punch lines. It is fair to say that the humour is of a juvenile variety; absurdist situations are somehow forgiven though as the text pushes boundaries.

There were a couple of standout performances amongst this company. Kelsey McCormack (Polly Pry) is excellent as a journalist who interviews Packer when he is in jail. She gives a fine performance. Her solo ‘This Side of Me’ was pitch perfect, her booming voice bouncing of the walls.

Jacob Cooke-Tilley (Israel Swan) reminded me of a young Donald O’Connor as he fumbled his way through his song and dance number ‘Let’s Build a Snowman’. It was highly entertaining, even though choreography looked improvised.

Strong performances were also delivered by Lindsay Nash (Frank Miller), Ali Bertoldi (Shannon Bell) and Remy Low (Georgia Noon); all believable in their characterisations. Musical director Tim Naulty was perched at his piano on stage for the entire performance and provided the much-needed atmosphere.

This show has something to amuse everyone, from Packer singing love-ballads to his horse to an axe-wielding man of God. There is plenty of colourful language scattered through the text, but a thinly veiled plot means you are never truly invested in the outcome.

Kerry Cooper