Feast on this at Fringe Victoria News, Page B3, The title is self-explanatory. Cannibal: The Musical! is based on the true story of Alferd Packer, one of only two men ever imprisoned for cannibalism in America. The play is originally the product of South Park co-creator Trey Parker from his days in film school at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The story follows widely disputed events that occurred in the late 1800s in Colorado and Utah. Packer set out with five other men into the Rocky Mountains and he was the only man to return. Remains of the others were found partially eaten. It's widely believed the men ended up eating each other for food while stranded in the wintery mountains. |
Michael Delamont, producer of the local Delcon Entertainment play version of the show that is a part of this year's 20th annual Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival, said people in the audience can take away whatever they want from it. "There's not really too much of a message," Delamont said. "I think a lot of people don't really know that it's a true story or based on a true story. I think a lot of people think it's us making fun of the Donner Party who had a fairly similar story out in California." "It's just a wacky telling of the story," Delamont added. "We did 17 performances last year. Everybody really wanted to do it again and a lot of people said, 'Well we didn't really know that you were around. We didn't know about the show.' So we just sort of got it together again." So why Cannibal: The Musical! and not The Sound of Music? "Speaking for myself, yes, I am a big South Park fan," he said. "I've watched more than I'd like to admit." Even though the show is about cannibalism, the violence and death are portrayed in a tasteful manner, no pun intended, he said. "People had really originally branded it as Friday The 13th meets Oklahoma!," he said. "This show is fairly violent in that everybody is killed; so what we do in this show is that a lot of it is done in shadow. Somebody gets shot and they chop them up offstage and little bits of flesh fly in. | And they eat a big foot but it's a gelatin mix so they can chew on it. But it's fun. It's not heavy, it's kind of light." For most Canadians, the story is relatively unknown. "Trey Parker is from the area and Alferd Packer is just a legend of folklore out there," he said. "He's sort of what Sam Steele is to the Kootenays. Everybody knows about him. Originally it was called Alferd Packer: The Musical! and that wasn't happening so they changed the title." Another interesting point about the Victoria production is that Parker lives relatively nearby and rumours have been circulating that he might make an impromptu appearance to catch the play. "It's always a rumour," Delamont said. "We have the added bonus of being so close to him because he lives just outside of Seattle. So I know that there was always interest and last year they started a film project so they couldn't come. But we are a hop, skip and a jump away, so they may be trying to plan, but I think they worry that it would be hard for them to sneak in if they tell us." Cannibal: The Musical! plays at the Fringe Theatre Festival until Monday, Sept. 4. Parental guidance is recommended. The show plays at the Metro Studio, 1411 Quadra St., Aug. 25 at 10 p.m., Aug. 28 at 9:45 p.m., Aug. 31 at 10:30 p.m., Sept. 2 at 10:45 p.m. and Sept. 3 at 12:30 p.m. For more information on the show or for other Fringe information, go to http://www.victoriafringe.com |