They say that a great title is half the battle if you’re trying to sell a book, play, record or, well, just about anything. If that’s true, the Landless Theatre Company is sitting on a goldmine with their adaptation of South Park co-creator Trey Parker’s Cannibal! The Musical. They also say that news travels fast, though, and while bad publicity may be better than no publicity at all, bad reviews mean something akin to a death warrant for a company on Landless’s shoestring budget. Cannibalism set to showtunes could easily have become a disaster, but the folks at Landless won’t have to worry about their budget. Despite its many eccentricities, Cannibal possesses one element that not only makes up for its weak moments but almost renders them indispensable parts of the whole crazy mix: unavoidable, contagious charm.
Cannibal chronicles the harrowing journey of Alfred Parker (Josh Speerstra), a rancher turned convicted cannibal, and his motley crew through the Colorado wilderness in search of gold, God, glory and gorgeous companionship. Of course, the men soon find themselves utterly lost and, though desperate times predictably call for desperate measures, they eventually turn to a measure utterly unpredictable in any other production: cannibalism. Parker soon finds himself the only survivor and, unable to explain the gruesome deaths of his companions, is condemned to death by hanging.
Cannibal’s plot is at once completely predictable and utterly ridiculous. However, the success of such a production lies in striking a difficult balance between retaining the production’s intrinsically low-brow, campy quality while covering enough comedic ground to avoid becoming redundant or simply not funny. This is where Cannibal excels.
Landless strikes this balance admirably by draping D.C. Arts Center’s tiny stage with a cloth banner depicting a stereotypical Western scene, giving the entire production the aura of a living room play put on by children for an audience of parents. He embraces the setting’s casual nature by making the audience as much a part of the production as the players. Instead of trying—and likely failing—to create a river for the intrepid travellers to cross, audience members drench the cast using spray bottles. At one point, the production calls for a sheep, so one lucky audience member (chosen by audition during the intermission) hurls an inflatable sheep onstage. Her cue? “Look, a sheep!”
In addition to using humorous animal props, Cannibal increases the wackiness by introducing the word “spadoinkle” to the English vocabulary. The program explains that the word can be applied to most any situation, much like the word “smurfy.”
Such antics are crucial to retaining the play’s ultimately juvenile character, but without a funny and at least marginally professional performance by the cast, attending would be a waste of money. Cannibal’s cast gives the audience its money’s worth with solid comedic timing, particularly on the part of the unceasingly happy Israel Swan (Timothy R. King). While the vocal strength of the cast is somewhat lacking and Jen Tonon plays the all-too-obviously adolescent George Noon with marginal success, the performance is strong enough to give the production credibility and prevent the antics from rendering it pointless.
In the end Cannibal! The Musical is an irresistibly charming play that will have you jumping out of your seat and yelling, “spadoinkle!”
Cannibal! The Musical is playing at the D.C. Arts Center on Fridays and Saturdays at 10 p.m. until September 16th.
