Cannibal! Musical coming to the West End

12 April 2012

A musical about cannibalism where the front row of the audience is splattered with fake blood is on its way to the West End.

Cannibal! The Musical is based on a film by South Park creator Trey Parker and will feature the West End's first ever "splatter zone".

Set in 1873, the production is based loosely on the true story of gold prospector and former soldier Alferd [corr] Packer who is the only man in US history to be convicted of cannibalism.

He is said to have eaten his five colleagues after their expedition became stranded in the snow-covered Rocky Mountains.

Packer maintained his innocence, claiming one of his companions, Shannon Wilson Bell, murdered the other four and that he killed her in self defence.

Parker, 40, who received an Oscar nomination for the songs he wrote for the South Park movie in 1999, turned the story into a dark comedy film that became a cult hit in 1994.

Producer Frazer Brown is taking the show to the Leicester Square Theatre following a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival in 2008. James Corden is said to be among the "fairly big names" that are being considered for the show, which starts on 27 July.

Brown, 30, said: "It was the Marmite of musicals at the Edinburgh Festival. It split people down the middle. For every person that walked out there was someone who wanted to stay beyond the end.

"I've always seen it as a fun night out. It's never going to take on Legally Blonde, and suits a smaller run at a smaller theatre.

"In Edinburgh people were walking out in disgust. It doesn't set out to be offensive, but people do get offended by it. Hopefully we won't have religious groups picketing outside the theatre.

"We wanted to find the balance between a gory cult musical but still attract the middle class families along who see things like Avenue Q. I'm looking to create a bloody good night out for people."

The show is setting up a "splatter zone" in the first row - a feature first seen at Evil Dead: The Musical on Broadway.

Brown added: "We want to do what the Evil Dead musical did on Broadway by having a splatter zone in the first row, so the people sitting there will get splattered with corn syrup.

"The intimacy of this theatre makes it much more fun and frenetic. You're stuck in the action. I want people to come away thinking, What the hell just happened there?'"

In the musical, Packer is recounting his version of events to journalist Polly Pry. Brown said: "He maintains his innocence and all he wants to do is get back his horse. The horse is called Leanne, named after Trey's girlfriend who had just dumped him at the time.

"He ends up falling in love with the journalist, so essentially it's a love triangle between man, woman and horse."

The show will run in the theatre's basement, which has 60 seats, for seven weeks.

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