saturday night i had the pleasure of seeing the annoyance's SPLATTER THEATRE.
what: splatter theatre, originally directed by mick napier
where: the annoyance space in wrigleyville
accompaniment: carolyn <3
drinkability: great! full bar at the space and we even had a waiter!
show length: 90 minutes, 10 minute intermission
out of four: one/four
there's definitely something to be said about a show that is in its 27th (!!!) year of production. the premise for splatter theatre is simple- a large group of actors dressed completely in white, performing on a completely white stage- all in anticipation of ending the show covered in blood and gore with death after death before your eyes. the audience is even encouraged to cheer according to how much you enjoyed the death played out in front of you.
the storyline is also simple: a young man and his father move into a new neighborhood and the boy wants to throw a party. we are warned by a bum (played by matt ulrich) that a killer is on the loose and that everyone should simply run away and exit the town otherwise they will surely come under his demise. we watch with anticipation as we're introduced to character after character and potential weapons are introduced one by one.
i was excited about this show because i love seeing stage blood at work. either in a comedic or dramatic sense- when its used and used well i love adding it to a show when appropriate. as an actor i love having blood packs on me and getting the chance to make it explode- and if lucky- getting a little on the audience i'm in front of as well. so- 90-minutes of seeing blood splattered over this clean white surface before me was certainly enticing- until it actually began.
overall the jokes were cheap- often having to do with sex, violence, endless screaming, or of course, the ever-popular poop joke. we progressed through the killings with awkward timing, characters sloshing around the stage, the killer and the victim circling each other an unnecessary amount of times around the centerpiece ("the broyhill!"). by intermission the room reeked of chocolate syrup- and it only got worse from there.
of course my feelings were not overall reflected in the attitude of the room- many boisterous laughs and cheers and call outs continued throughout the show as the killer justin howard (air guitar champion 2012!) took out his victims one by one. while i applaud the annoyance in keeping the bloody, chocolate syrup-soaked stage tradition alive all of these years- i can't say i'll return for year 28.
splatter theatre is closed for this year- but its certain to return next. cheers!
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upcoming november shows:
TBD