[NEohioPAL] PRESS RELEASE: CVLT to stage early work by South Park / Book of Mormon co-creator Trey Parker

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre cvlt at cvlt.org
Mon Oct 7 13:47:40 PDT 2013


  *PRESS RELEASE*
  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: 10/07/13

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contact: Andrew Rothman
From: Chagrin Valley Little Theatre

40 River Street
Chagrin Falls, OH 44122
Phone: 440-247-8955
E-mail: cvlt at cvlt.org <mailto:cvlt at cvlt.org>
Website: www.cvlt.org <http://www.cvlt.org/>

High-resolution press photos will be available for download at 
www.CVLT.org/promo <http://www.CVLT.org/promo>


    CVLT to stage early work by South Park / Book of Mormon co-creator
    Trey Parker

CHAGRIN FALLS, OH - While studying film at the University of Colorado in 
1993, a young Trey Parker hit upon the idea of an /Oklahoma!/-style 
musical based on the story of Alferd Packer. Packer earned his place in 
Colorado history by leading a group of gold miners into the Rocky 
Mountains in the winter of 1873, getting them lost, and arriving alone 
at their destination in the spring. Alferd was soon convicted of having 
eaten his companions to stay alive. Trey Parker's black comedy student 
film garnered little attention and might have faded into obscurity had 
he not co-created a little TV show called /South Park/ with his friend 
Matt Stone just a few years later. Entitled CANNIBAL! THE MUSICAL, 
Parker's college film gained cult status after being re-released by 
Troma Entertainment on VHS and DVD, and eventually on NetFlix, Hulu and 
YouTube.

This month, Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's intimate second stage, the 
River Street Playhouse, presents an original stage adaptation of the 
film. They are one of only a few dozen theaters to have staged the show 
since the first amateur group attempted it in the late 1990s.

"There is no official 'stage version' of this piece," says director 
Andrew Rothman. "When the film's producer, Jason McHugh, granted us a 
license to adapt it for the stage, we got one copy of the movie script 
and one copy of a piano transcription. Unlike traditionally published 
musicals, we're given permission to alter and embellish CANNIBAL! 
as-needed for the transition from low-budget movie to low-budget play, 
so our production will include comedic shtick and musical arrangements 
unique to CVLT. The only rules we were given were to keep true to the 
plot and characters, not to change Parker's wonderful songs and, above 
all, to have fun. We're definitely having fun and we know the audience 
will too."

The plot of CANNIBAL! loosely follows the true story of Alferd Packer 
(James Pequignot) who, along with his horse/best-friend Liane (Laura 
Rightnour-Henri), stumbles his way into the job of leading five 
prospectors from Utah to Colorado. The group includes the Mormon 
preacher Shannon Bell (Christopher Macchione), sex-starved teen George 
Noon (Genny Vince), bragging man-child James Humphrey (John Wright), 
unflappable optimist Israel Swan (Seth Clerget) and the brooding butcher 
Frank Miller (Dennis Burby). An ambitious reporter, Polly Pry (Colleen 
O'Leary), is after Packer's story and perhaps something more, while 
thuggish fur trapper Frenchy Cabazon (Ron Lee Davis) is after Packer's 
horse. The multitude of other characters in the story are played by the 
versatile 'Cannibal Corps' consisting of Craig Gifford, Bob Pollock, 
Alison Arko, Carlos Piepenburg, Natalie Dolezal and Assad Khaishgi.

Rothman suggests that "if you enjoyed Parker and Stone's Tony-winning 
/The Book of Mormon/ at Playhouse Square this past summer, you'll likely 
get a kick out of this as well. Although it was Parker's first 
feature-length piece, it bears all the marks of his more-polished later 
works: hummable Rogers & Hammerstein pastiches, absurd characters, 
tear-inducing laughs, and a smattering of foul language. It's undeniably 
Trey Parker."

CANNIBAL! THE MUSICAL runs Friday and Saturday nights at 8 PM, October 
18 through November 2, with a special Halloween performance on Thursday, 
October 31 at 9 PM. Audience members are invited to come to the Thursday 
performance in costume starting at 8 PM for pizza, soda and candy, with 
special prizes from the film's producer to be awarded for the best 
costumes.

Tickets to all performances are $12 general admission and are available 
online at CVLT.org or by phone at 440-247-8955. The River Street 
Playhouse is located at 56 River Street in Chagrin Falls. Advance 
purchases and early arrival are highly recommended. CVLT is generously 
funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture 
and supported by the Ohio Arts Council.

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