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Cannibal! The Musical

13th Anniversar y DVD cover

Directed by Trey Parker

Produced by Trey Parker

Matt Stone

Jason McHughIan Hardin

Alexandra Kelly

Written by Trey Parker

Starring Juan Schwartz

Matt Stone

Dian Bachar

Toddy Walters

Jason McHugh

John Hegel

Ian Hardin

Music by Trey Parker

Rich Sanders

Cinematography Chris Graves

Robert Muratore

Edited by Ian Hardin

Production

company

Avenging Conscience

Cannibal Films, Ltd.

Distributed by Troma Entertainment

Cannibal! The Musical From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cannibal! The Musical (originally known as Alferd

Packer: The Musical ) is a 1993 American independent

black comedy musical film directed, written, produced,

co-scored by and starring Trey Parker while studying at

the University of Colorado at Boulder, before reaching

fame with South Park alongside his friend Matt Stone

who also stars in and produced the film. It is loosely

based on the true story of Alferd Packer and the sordid

details of the trip from Utah to Colorado that left his

five fellow travelers dead and partially eaten. Trey

Parker (credited as Juan Schwartz) stars as Alferd

Packer, with frequent collaborators Stone, Dian Bachar,

and others playing the supporting roles.

In 2001, a stage production was staged Off-Broadway atthe Kraine Theater on East 4th Street in New York. The

show continued to find small theaters and audiences

across America and beyond for many years.

A large-scale stage production was produced by The

Rival Theatre Company at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival

Fringe. It featured West End perfor mers. It was

executive produced by Jason McHugh and directed by

Frazer Brown.[1]

In 2011, producer Jason McHugh released a book titled,

"Shpadoinkle: The Making of Cannibal! The Musical,"

which chronicles all aspects of the creation and

continuation of the Cannibal! The Musical cult

phenomenon.

Contents

1 Plot

2 Cast

3 Musical numbers

4 Production

5 Home media

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Release dates October 31, 1993

Running time 96 minutes

Country United States

Language English

Japanese

Budget $125,000

6 Stage productions

7 Reception

8 See also

9 References

10 External links

Plot

The film begins with a reenactment of the gruesome events of cannibalism as described by the prosecuting

attorney during Alferd Packer's trial in 1883. Packer insists that things happened differently than what has

been recounted, and begins to tell his story to journalist Polly Pry through flashback.

In 1873, a group of miners in Provo, Utah hear of new gold discoveries in Breckenridge and decide to travto Colorado Territory to stake a claim. After the original guide, Lucky Larry, dies from a lightning strike,

Packer is nominated as the replacement since he claimed knowledge of the area. He and his trusty horse,

Liane, set off with five miners, Shannon Wilson Bell, James Humphrey, Frank Miller, George Noon, and

Israel Swan, on what Packer estimates will be a three-week journey.

Four weeks later, they become convinced they are lost. At a nearby frontier post, they run into a group of

three fur trappers, Loutzenheiser, Nutter, and their diminutive leader, Frenchy Cabazon. The trappers

despise the miners, "diggers" as they call them, yet seem to like Packer’s horse. They tell the group they ar

heading towards Saguache. The next day, Packer wakes up to discover his horse and friend, Liane, is

missing. The men press on and cross the Green River near the Utah border. The group asks Packer if thereare any other big rivers that they will have to cross to which he replies, “Oh no, just the Colorado River.”

Eventually, the Packer party is spotted by two “Nihonjin” Indians (obviously played by Japanese actors an

speaking Japanese). They are taken back to the tribe where they learn the trappers are waiting for the winte

storm to pass as recommended by the chief.

The story returns to the present time, where Polly continues her research of Packer’s story by herself. The

next day, Packer is sentenced to death by hanging. Polly visits Packer once again in prison, where he

continues his story, and she reveals her growing affection for him through song.

The men set out in the wilderness after Packer learns the trappers have already left. The group begins tosuspect that Packer is really only interested in following the trappers to find his horse. They soldier on unti

they encounter the foreboding Cyclops (Henwood) who recalls how a Union soldier shot out his eye in the

Civil War. He realizes Packer's men are not “Southern boys” after they can not finish the lyrics to "Dixie".

They escape and the badly frostbitten Swan tries to cheer everybody up with a song about building a

snowman. They soon run out of food, resorting to eating their shoes as they become lost in the snow-

covered Rocky Mountains. Out of frustration, Bell shoots Swan in the head because he does not appreciate

his (Swan's) Pollyanna-esque perspective on their predicament. The men discuss their dire situation that

night over the fire, speaking of the cannibalism that the Donner Party had to resort to in California. They

decide to consume the body of their dead companion, but “not the butt”. Only Bell refuses. A few more

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days leads to talk of sacrificing one of their own. Packer convinces them for one more chance for a scoutin

trip, but when he returns, Bell has killed the others, claiming they planned to kill and eat him after Packer

left. Packer is forced to kill Bell after threatening to turn him in, realizing he has gone insane.

Arriving in Saguache sometime later, Packer finds Liane, who has taken to Frenchy Cabazon. The sheriff o

Saguache eventually finds and arrests Packer for cannibalism during a bar-fight between him and the

trappers. On the day of Packer's execution he is saved at the gallows by Polly. They had gotten a stay of

execution from the governor which states that Packer could not be convicted of a state crime since Colorad

was not a state at the time of the incident. Cabazon tries to trigger the gallows, since the townsfolk came tosee bloodshed. The Indian chief saves Packer by cutting his rope with a katana before beheading Cabazon,

satisfying the crowd's blood-lust. Polly and Packer kiss only to be frightened by a still-alive Bell.

Cast

Trey Parker as Alferd Packer (credited as Juan Schwartz)Toddy Walters as Polly Pry

Moira Kelly was to be cast as the above role, but it was decided not to use her as it mightdamage serious Hollywood aspirations. Various screenings credit "M.K." as "The Dropout."

Matt Stone as James Humphrey / "Hang the Bastard" womanDian Bachar as George "California" NoonJason McHugh as Frank Miller John Hegel as Israel SwanIan Hardin as Shannon Wilson BellStan Brakhage as Noon Sr.Robert Muratore as Jean "Frenchy" Cabazon

Trey Parker as Frenchy's singing voiceEdward Henwood as O.D. Loutzenheiser / The CyclopsAndrew Kemler as Preston Nutter

Masao Maki as Indian chief (as Maseo Maki)Japanese foreign exchange students as Indians

Trey Parker as the voice of two Indian bravesAudrey Stafferd as The Voice of Doom

Trey Parker as the voice of The Voice of DoomRandy Parker as JudgeJessica James Kelly as Tiny Tim / Baby Packer Martin Leeper as Sheriff of Saguache (credited as Marty Leeper)

Musical numbers

1. "Shpadoinkle" - Alferd2. "Shpadoinkle (reprise)" - George, Alferd, Shannon, Frank, Swan, and Humphrey3. "That's All I'm Asking For" - George, Alferd, Shannon, Frank, Swan, and Humphrey.4. "Ode to Liane" - Alferd5. "Trapper Song" - Frenchy (voice of Parker), Loutzenheiser, and Nutter 6. "This Side of Me" - Polly7. "Let's Build a Snowman" - Swan8. "Let's Build a Snowman (reprise)" - Swan9. "That´s All I'm Asking For (reprise)" - George, Alferd, Shannon, Frank, Humphrey, and Miller

10. "Hang the Bastard" - Company

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11. "Shpadoinkle (finale)" - Polly, Alferd, and Company

Contrasting with the musical's generally dark and morbid humor are its cheerful songs, all composed by

Parker, including "Let's Build a Snowman", "Ode to Liane", "Hang the Bastard", and "Shpadoinkle"

(pronounced shpah-doink-ul ). The last of these is a transparent parody of the song "Oh, What a Beautiful

Morning" from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!.

Two songs that were originally going to be in the film, but later taken out, were "Shatterproof" and "Don't

Be Stupid". An interview with Ian Keldin said that Trey thought "Shatterproof" (which was going to be arap song) made Packer seem too tough.

Production

The film began as a 3-minute trailer made for a film class. After the trailer drew much attention, Parker an

Stone raised around $125,000 and began shooting the full-length film. The film was shot during weekends

and on spring break in 1993, and according to Ian Hardin, most of the crew failed their film history class as

a result.[2] Early in shooting, Parker was thrown from one of the horses playing "Liane", fracturing his hip

This film was originally titled Alferd Packer: The Musical in 1993. The film premiered on October 31,

1993, in Boulder, Colorado, at a cinema near the University of Colorado campus. A fake protest organized

by friends of Parker and Stone, organized along the lines of an animal rights demonstration, took place in

front of the theater. The film then played at Raindance Film Festival in October 2004. Parker and Stone

attended.

Parker was credited onscreen as Juan Schwartz, a reference to Alferd Packer's alias "John Schwartze",

which he was living under when discovered in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

It was not released generally until 1996, however, when Troma Entertainment picked it up and renamed it

Cannibal! The Musical out of concern that not enough people outside of Colorado knew who Packer was.Few people outside of Colorado ever saw the film since Troma did not distribute it widely. Parker and

Stone's animated satire South Park debuted the following year.

Several live productions of the show have been mounted, with excerpts from one live version available on

the DVD.

Home media

Following Matt and Trey's success with South Park , Troma re-released the film on VHS and DVD and it

enjoyed a decent cult following. The DVD contains a "Drunken Director's Commentary" where Parker and

Stone along with most of the cast get drunk as they watch the film, although there are a few times when th

commentary cuts out (either because the recorder was turned off or they spoke of things they later decided

nobody should hear).

The film has since been released on UMD for the Sony PSP. A special edition 13th anniversary DVD was

released by Troma with added features, including all new interviews with the cast and crew.

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The film was re-released on November 2008 as the first of the "Tromasterpiece Collection," as Troma

considers Cannibal! to be one of its best films. Included in the new two-disc version were over three hours

of special features, with never-before-seen deleted material and stage shows. Songs such as "Shatter Proof

and the early short films of Parker and Stone were considered to be a part of the new DVD, but these

additions were ultimately rejected.

Stage productions

There have been several amateur productions of Cannibal! The Musical since 1996. The first was at the

Sierra College in Northern California and then at Dad's Garage Theater where it won accolades by fans and

the press.

In 2001, Saturday Players launched a six-month off-off-Broadway run of the show that earned critical

acclaim and returning audience members.

In 2004, Cannibal made its European debut in Rome at the Teatro di Servi.

In 2005, the first High School group attempted the show at The Ironwood Ridge High School in Tucson,

Arizona, but the show was censored by the school and performed off campus as a benefit. Later that year

the show made its German debut at the University of Regensburg and played many small colleges and

community houses in the US.

In 2006, the show debuted at its first Fringe Festivals in Minneapolis and Victoria, Canada and continued t

find adoption by small colleges and community theaters.

In 2008, The Insurgo Theater Movement launched the show in Las Vegas for the first of several runs by

their company. Unexpected Productions launched the first of four October runs of Cannibal in Seattle.

Also in 2008, The Rival Theatre Company produced the first large-scale professional production. The showran from July 31 to August 25 at the George Square Theatre, Edinburgh for a total of 26 performances. It

starred Aimie Atkinson as Polly Pry and James Topping as Alferd Packer. Original film cast member Jason

McHugh made a guest appearance as Mr. Mills. Other guest stars included Jim Bowen and The Q

Brothers.[3]

This production was planned a six-week run to the West End from July 27, 2010, at the Leicester Square

Theatre.[4] However, after copyright holder Jason McHughes withdrew the rights in May 2010, the show

was canceled.[5]

In 2011, M.P.M.M. Productions, performed the musical in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada during the 2011Winnipeg Fringe Festival. It won "The Best of Fest" for its venue (meaning it outsold other shows in the

venue and was awarded an additional show). The show also debuted in St Louis and Denver with great

reviews and enthusiastic casts and audience members.

In May 2012, Logan Donahoo Presents performed a version of the musical in Orlando, Florida during the

2012 Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, in the Yellow venue.[6] The show was successful,

receiving positive reviews,[7] and winning Patron's Pick for its venue,[8] meaning that it had outsold all of

the other shows and was awarded an additional performance.

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Trey Parker’s Cannibal! The Musical is currently playing in Toronto at David Mirvish's Panasonic Theatr

for a four-week run (February 10 to March 8, 2015). Additional book, lyrics, and music by Christopher

Bond, Aaron Eyre, and Trevor Martin.

It was announced in early 2014 that a production of the show is being produced at the Waterfront Theatre i

Vancouver, B.C. by independent traveling theatre troupe Last Chance Productions. The show will run

between June 12, 2014, until 8 March 2015, with two separate seating areas (a "Gore Zone" where audienc

members are subject to splash-zone-esque involvement, and a less messy "Gore-Free Zone".)[9]

Reception

Cannibal! currently holds a 56% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[10]

See also

Ravenous, a similar film about Packer and the Donner Party

Helen Keller! The Musical , an episode of South Park The Book of Mormon, a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical about The Book of Mormon byStone, Parker, and Robert Lopez

Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead , a 2006 film directed by Lloyd KaufmanSouth Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut , a 1999 musical film

References

1. "Welcome to CannibalTheMusical.Net". CannibalTheMusical.Net. Retrieved 2012-06-18.

2. "Keith", Interview with Ian Keldin (Ian Hardin) (http://cannibalthemusical.net/interviews.shtml). Retrieved 10

March 2008.

3. "Cannibal! The Musical - In Concert |Camden Fringe 2008 | Fringe Review | Fringe Theatre Reviews". Fringe

Review. 2008-07-30. Retrieved 2010-08-20.

4. "Cannibal! The Musical tickets, Leicester Square Theatre". Leicestersquaretheatre.com. Archived from the

original on 2010-04-11. Retrieved 2010-08-20.

5. Bosanquet, Theo (May 10, 2010). "Cannibal! Cancels Run Due to Rights Withdrawal". Whatsonstage. Retriev

July 7, 2011.

6. "Cannibal! The Musical Show Info -- Buy Tickets". Orlando Fringe Festival. 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2012-05-3

7. "Orlando Fringe Review: Cannibal the Musical". Orlando Sentinel. 2012-05-14. Retrieved 2012-05-30.

8. "Orlando Fringe Festival Announces Patron's Picks". Orlando Fringe Festival. 2012-05-25. Retrieved

2012-05-30.

9. Parker, Trevor (February 16, 2015). "“CANNIBAL!: THE MUSICAL LIVE!”". Fangoria. Retrieved

February 17, 2015.10. Cannibal! The Musical (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cannibal_the_musical/) at Rotten Tomatoes

External links

Official website (http://www.cannibalthemusical.net)Cannibal! The Musical (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115819/) at the Internet Movie DatabaseCannibal! The Musical (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cannibal_the_musical/) at RottenTomatoesCannibal! The Musical fanlisting

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(https://web.archive.org/web/20071008062451/http://packer.eb0099.com/) at the Wayback Machine(archived October 8, 2007)UK Production (http://www.cannibalthemusical.co.uk/)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cannibal!_The_Musical&oldid=683294128"

Categories: 1993 films 1996 films 1990s comedy horror films 1990s musical films American films

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Works by Trey Parker and Matt Stone Directorial debut films Cannibalism in fiction

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