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Cannibal!TheMusicalWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Cannibal!TheMusical
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Cannibal!TheMusical(originallyknownasAlferd
Packer:TheMusical)isa1993Americanindependent
blackcomedymusicalfilmdirected,written,produced,
coscoredbyandstarringTreyParkerwhilestudyingat
theUniversityofColoradoatBoulder,beforereaching
famewithSouthParkalongsidehisfriendMattStone
whoalsostarsinandproducedthefilm.Itisloosely
basedonthetruestoryofAlferdPackerandthesordid
detailsofthetripfromUtahtoColoradothatlefthis
fivefellowtravelersdeadandpartiallyeaten.Trey
Parker(creditedasJuanSchwartz)starsasAlferd
Packer,withfrequentcollaboratorsStone,DianBachar,
andothersplayingthesupportingroles.

Cannibal!TheMusical

In2001,astageproductionwasstagedOffBroadwayat
theKraineTheateronEast4thStreetinNewYork.The
showcontinuedtofindsmalltheatersandaudiences
acrossAmericaandbeyondformanyyears.
AlargescalestageproductionwasproducedbyThe
RivalTheatreCompanyatthe2008EdinburghFestival
Fringe.ItfeaturedWestEndperformers.Itwas
executiveproducedbyJasonMcHughanddirectedby
FrazerBrown.[1]

Directedby

TreyParker

Producedby

In2011,producerJasonMcHughreleasedabooktitled,
"Shpadoinkle:TheMakingofCannibal!TheMusical,"
whichchroniclesallaspectsofthecreationand
continuationoftheCannibal!TheMusicalcult
phenomenon.

TreyParker
MattStone
JasonMcHugh
IanHardin
AlexandraKelly

Writtenby

TreyParker

Starring

JuanSchwartz
MattStone
DianBachar
ToddyWalters
JasonMcHugh
JohnHegel
IanHardin

1 Plot

Musicby

TreyParker
RichSanders

2 Cast

Cinematography

ChrisGraves
RobertMuratore

3 Musicalnumbers

Editedby

IanHardin

4 Production

Production
company

AvengingConscience
CannibalFilms,Ltd.

5 Homemedia

Distributedby

TromaEntertainment

13thAnniversaryDVDcover

Contents

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6 Stageproductions

Releasedates

October31,1993

Runningtime

96minutes

7 Reception

Country

UnitedStates

8 Seealso

Language

English
Japanese

9 References

Budget

$125,000

10 Externallinks

Plot
Thefilmbeginswithareenactmentofthegruesomeeventsofcannibalismasdescribedbytheprosecuting
attorneyduringAlferdPacker'strialin1883.Packerinsiststhatthingshappeneddifferentlythanwhathas
beenrecounted,andbeginstotellhisstorytojournalistPollyPrythroughflashback.
In1873,agroupofminersinProvo,UtahhearofnewgolddiscoveriesinBreckenridgeanddecidetotravel
toColoradoTerritorytostakeaclaim.Aftertheoriginalguide,LuckyLarry,diesfromalightningstrike,
Packerisnominatedasthereplacementsinceheclaimedknowledgeofthearea.Heandhistrustyhorse,
Liane,setoffwithfiveminers,ShannonWilsonBell,JamesHumphrey,FrankMiller,GeorgeNoon,and
IsraelSwan,onwhatPackerestimateswillbeathreeweekjourney.
Fourweekslater,theybecomeconvincedtheyarelost.Atanearbyfrontierpost,theyrunintoagroupof
threefurtrappers,Loutzenheiser,Nutter,andtheirdiminutiveleader,FrenchyCabazon.Thetrappers
despisetheminers,"diggers"astheycallthem,yetseemtolikePackershorse.Theytellthegrouptheyare
headingtowardsSaguache.Thenextday,Packerwakesuptodiscoverhishorseandfriend,Liane,is
missing.ThemenpressonandcrosstheGreenRiverneartheUtahborder.ThegroupasksPackerifthere
areanyotherbigriversthattheywillhavetocrosstowhichhereplies,Ohno,justtheColoradoRiver.
Eventually,thePackerpartyisspottedbytwoNihonjinIndians(obviouslyplayedbyJapaneseactorsand
speakingJapanese).Theyaretakenbacktothetribewheretheylearnthetrappersarewaitingforthewinter
stormtopassasrecommendedbythechief.
Thestoryreturnstothepresenttime,wherePollycontinuesherresearchofPackersstorybyherself.The
nextday,Packerissentencedtodeathbyhanging.PollyvisitsPackeronceagaininprison,wherehe
continueshisstory,andsherevealshergrowingaffectionforhimthroughsong.
ThemensetoutinthewildernessafterPackerlearnsthetrappershavealreadyleft.Thegroupbeginsto
suspectthatPackerisreallyonlyinterestedinfollowingthetrapperstofindhishorse.Theysoldieronuntil
theyencountertheforebodingCyclops(Henwood)whorecallshowaUnionsoldiershotouthiseyeinthe
CivilWar.HerealizesPacker'smenarenotSouthernboysaftertheycannotfinishthelyricsto"Dixie".
TheyescapeandthebadlyfrostbittenSwantriestocheereverybodyupwithasongaboutbuildinga
snowman.Theysoonrunoutoffood,resortingtoeatingtheirshoesastheybecomelostinthesnow
coveredRockyMountains.Outoffrustration,BellshootsSwanintheheadbecausehedoesnotappreciate
his(Swan's)Pollyannaesqueperspectiveontheirpredicament.Themendiscusstheirdiresituationthat
nightoverthefire,speakingofthecannibalismthattheDonnerPartyhadtoresorttoinCalifornia.They
decidetoconsumethebodyoftheirdeadcompanion,butnotthebutt.OnlyBellrefuses.Afewmore
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daysleadstotalkofsacrificingoneoftheirown.Packerconvincesthemforonemorechanceforascouting
trip,butwhenhereturns,Bellhaskilledtheothers,claimingtheyplannedtokillandeathimafterPacker
left.PackerisforcedtokillBellafterthreateningtoturnhimin,realizinghehasgoneinsane.
ArrivinginSaguachesometimelater,PackerfindsLiane,whohastakentoFrenchyCabazon.Thesheriffof
SaguacheeventuallyfindsandarrestsPackerforcannibalismduringabarfightbetweenhimandthe
trappers.OnthedayofPacker'sexecutionheissavedatthegallowsbyPolly.Theyhadgottenastayof
executionfromthegovernorwhichstatesthatPackercouldnotbeconvictedofastatecrimesinceColorado
wasnotastateatthetimeoftheincident.Cabazontriestotriggerthegallows,sincethetownsfolkcameto
seebloodshed.TheIndianchiefsavesPackerbycuttinghisropewithakatanabeforebeheadingCabazon,
satisfyingthecrowd'sbloodlust.PollyandPackerkissonlytobefrightenedbyastillaliveBell.

Cast
TreyParkerasAlferdPacker(creditedasJuanSchwartz)
ToddyWaltersasPollyPry
MoiraKellywastobecastastheaboverole,butitwasdecidednottouseherasitmight
damageseriousHollywoodaspirations.Variousscreeningscredit"M.K."as"TheDropout."
MattStoneasJamesHumphrey/"HangtheBastard"woman
DianBacharasGeorge"California"Noon
JasonMcHughasFrankMiller
JohnHegelasIsraelSwan
IanHardinasShannonWilsonBell
StanBrakhageasNoonSr.
RobertMuratoreasJean"Frenchy"Cabazon
TreyParkerasFrenchy'ssingingvoice
EdwardHenwoodasO.D.Loutzenheiser/TheCyclops
AndrewKemlerasPrestonNutter
MasaoMakiasIndianchief(asMaseoMaki)
JapaneseforeignexchangestudentsasIndians
TreyParkerasthevoiceoftwoIndianbraves
AudreyStafferdasTheVoiceofDoom
TreyParkerasthevoiceofTheVoiceofDoom
RandyParkerasJudge
JessicaJamesKellyasTinyTim/BabyPacker
MartinLeeperasSheriffofSaguache(creditedasMartyLeeper)

Musicalnumbers
1. "Shpadoinkle"Alferd
2. "Shpadoinkle(reprise)"George,Alferd,Shannon,Frank,Swan,andHumphrey
3. "That'sAllI'mAskingFor"George,Alferd,Shannon,Frank,Swan,andHumphrey.
4. "OdetoLiane"Alferd
5. "TrapperSong"Frenchy(voiceofParker),Loutzenheiser,andNutter
6. "ThisSideofMe"Polly
7. "Let'sBuildaSnowman"Swan
8. "Let'sBuildaSnowman(reprise)"Swan
9. "ThatsAllI'mAskingFor(reprise)"George,Alferd,Shannon,Frank,Humphrey,andMiller
10. "HangtheBastard"Company
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11. "Shpadoinkle(finale)"Polly,Alferd,andCompany
Contrastingwiththemusical'sgenerallydarkandmorbidhumorareitscheerfulsongs,allcomposedby
Parker,including"Let'sBuildaSnowman","OdetoLiane","HangtheBastard",and"Shpadoinkle"
(pronouncedshpahdoinkul).Thelastoftheseisatransparentparodyofthesong"Oh,WhataBeautiful
Morning"fromtheRodgers&HammersteinmusicalOklahoma!.
Twosongsthatwereoriginallygoingtobeinthefilm,butlatertakenout,were"Shatterproof"and"Don't
BeStupid".AninterviewwithIanKeldinsaidthatTreythought"Shatterproof"(whichwasgoingtobea
rapsong)madePackerseemtootough.

Production
Thefilmbeganasa3minutetrailermadeforafilmclass.Afterthetrailerdrewmuchattention,Parkerand
Stoneraisedaround$125,000andbeganshootingthefulllengthfilm.Thefilmwasshotduringweekends
andonspringbreakin1993,andaccordingtoIanHardin,mostofthecrewfailedtheirfilmhistoryclassas
aresult.[2]Earlyinshooting,Parkerwasthrownfromoneofthehorsesplaying"Liane",fracturinghiship.
ThisfilmwasoriginallytitledAlferdPacker:TheMusicalin1993.ThefilmpremieredonOctober31,
1993,inBoulder,Colorado,atacinemaneartheUniversityofColoradocampus.Afakeprotestorganized
byfriendsofParkerandStone,organizedalongthelinesofananimalrightsdemonstration,tookplacein
frontofthetheater.ThefilmthenplayedatRaindanceFilmFestivalinOctober2004.ParkerandStone
attended.
ParkerwascreditedonscreenasJuanSchwartz,areferencetoAlferdPacker'salias"JohnSchwartze",
whichhewaslivingunderwhendiscoveredinCheyenne,Wyoming.
Itwasnotreleasedgenerallyuntil1996,however,whenTromaEntertainmentpickeditupandrenamedit
Cannibal!TheMusicaloutofconcernthatnotenoughpeopleoutsideofColoradoknewwhoPackerwas.
FewpeopleoutsideofColoradoeversawthefilmsinceTromadidnotdistributeitwidely.Parkerand
Stone'sanimatedsatireSouthParkdebutedthefollowingyear.
Severalliveproductionsoftheshowhavebeenmounted,withexcerptsfromoneliveversionavailableon
theDVD.

Homemedia
FollowingMattandTrey'ssuccesswithSouthPark,TromarereleasedthefilmonVHSandDVDandit
enjoyedadecentcultfollowing.TheDVDcontainsa"DrunkenDirector'sCommentary"whereParkerand
Stonealongwithmostofthecastgetdrunkastheywatchthefilm,althoughthereareafewtimeswhenthe
commentarycutsout(eitherbecausetherecorderwasturnedoffortheyspokeofthingstheylaterdecided
nobodyshouldhear).
ThefilmhassincebeenreleasedonUMDfortheSonyPSP.Aspecialedition13thanniversaryDVDwas
releasedbyTromawithaddedfeatures,includingallnewinterviewswiththecastandcrew.

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ThefilmwasrereleasedonNovember2008asthefirstofthe"TromasterpieceCollection,"asTroma
considersCannibal!tobeoneofitsbestfilms.Includedinthenewtwodiscversionwereoverthreehours
ofspecialfeatures,withneverbeforeseendeletedmaterialandstageshows.Songssuchas"ShatterProof"
andtheearlyshortfilmsofParkerandStonewereconsideredtobeapartofthenewDVD,butthese
additionswereultimatelyrejected.

Stageproductions
TherehavebeenseveralamateurproductionsofCannibal!TheMusicalsince1996.Thefirstwasatthe
SierraCollegeinNorthernCaliforniaandthenatDad'sGarageTheaterwhereitwonaccoladesbyfansand
thepress.
In2001,SaturdayPlayerslaunchedasixmonthoffoffBroadwayrunoftheshowthatearnedcritical
acclaimandreturningaudiencemembers.
In2004,CannibalmadeitsEuropeandebutinRomeattheTeatrodiServi.
In2005,thefirstHighSchoolgroupattemptedtheshowatTheIronwoodRidgeHighSchoolinTucson,
Arizona,buttheshowwascensoredbytheschoolandperformedoffcampusasabenefit.Laterthatyear
theshowmadeitsGermandebutattheUniversityofRegensburgandplayedmanysmallcollegesand
communityhousesintheUS.
In2006,theshowdebutedatitsfirstFringeFestivalsinMinneapolisandVictoria,Canadaandcontinuedto
findadoptionbysmallcollegesandcommunitytheaters.
In2008,TheInsurgoTheaterMovementlaunchedtheshowinLasVegasforthefirstofseveralrunsby
theircompany.UnexpectedProductionslaunchedthefirstoffourOctoberrunsofCannibalinSeattle.
Alsoin2008,TheRivalTheatreCompanyproducedthefirstlargescaleprofessionalproduction.Theshow
ranfromJuly31toAugust25attheGeorgeSquareTheatre,Edinburghforatotalof26performances.It
starredAimieAtkinsonasPollyPryandJamesToppingasAlferdPacker.OriginalfilmcastmemberJason
McHughmadeaguestappearanceasMr.Mills.OthergueststarsincludedJimBowenandTheQ
Brothers.[3]
ThisproductionwasplannedasixweekruntotheWestEndfromJuly27,2010,attheLeicesterSquare
Theatre.[4]However,aftercopyrightholderJasonMcHugheswithdrewtherightsinMay2010,theshow
wascanceled.[5]
In2011,M.P.M.M.Productions,performedthemusicalinWinnipeg,Manitoba,Canadaduringthe2011
WinnipegFringeFestival.Itwon"TheBestofFest"foritsvenue(meaningitoutsoldothershowsinthe
venueandwasawardedanadditionalshow).TheshowalsodebutedinStLouisandDenverwithgreat
reviewsandenthusiasticcastsandaudiencemembers.
InMay2012,LoganDonahooPresentsperformedaversionofthemusicalinOrlando,Floridaduringthe
2012OrlandoInternationalFringeTheatreFestival,intheYellowvenue.[6]Theshowwassuccessful,
receivingpositivereviews,[7]andwinningPatron'sPickforitsvenue,[8]meaningthatithadoutsoldallof
theothershowsandwasawardedanadditionalperformance.
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TreyParkersCannibal!TheMusicaliscurrentlyplayinginTorontoatDavidMirvish'sPanasonicTheatre
forafourweekrun(February10toMarch8,2015).Additionalbook,lyrics,andmusicbyChristopher
Bond,AaronEyre,andTrevorMartin.
Itwasannouncedinearly2014thataproductionoftheshowisbeingproducedattheWaterfrontTheatrein
Vancouver,B.C.byindependenttravelingtheatretroupeLastChanceProductions.Theshowwillrun
betweenJune12,2014,until8March2015,withtwoseparateseatingareas(a"GoreZone"whereaudience
membersaresubjecttosplashzoneesqueinvolvement,andalessmessy"GoreFreeZone".)[9]

Reception
Cannibal!currentlyholdsa56%approvalratingonRottenTomatoes.[10]

Seealso
Ravenous,asimilarfilmaboutPackerandtheDonnerParty
HelenKeller!TheMusical,anepisodeofSouthPark
TheBookofMormon,aTonyAwardwinningBroadwaymusicalaboutTheBookofMormonby
Stone,Parker,andRobertLopez
Poultrygeist:NightoftheChickenDead,a2006filmdirectedbyLloydKaufman
SouthPark:Bigger,Longer&Uncut,a1999musicalfilm

References
1. "WelcometoCannibalTheMusical.Net".CannibalTheMusical.Net.Retrieved20120618.
2. "Keith",InterviewwithIanKeldin(IanHardin)(http://cannibalthemusical.net/interviews.shtml).Retrieved10
March2008.
3. "Cannibal!TheMusicalInConcert|CamdenFringe2008|FringeReview|FringeTheatreReviews".Fringe
Review.20080730.Retrieved20100820.
4. "Cannibal!TheMusicaltickets,LeicesterSquareTheatre".Leicestersquaretheatre.com.Archivedfromthe
originalon20100411.Retrieved20100820.
5. Bosanquet,Theo(May10,2010)."Cannibal!CancelsRunDuetoRightsWithdrawal".Whatsonstage.Retrieved
July7,2011.
6. "Cannibal!TheMusicalShowInfoBuyTickets".OrlandoFringeFestival.20120518.Retrieved20120530.
7. "OrlandoFringeReview:CannibaltheMusical".OrlandoSentinel.20120514.Retrieved20120530.
8. "OrlandoFringeFestivalAnnouncesPatron'sPicks".OrlandoFringeFestival.20120525.Retrieved
20120530.
9. Parker,Trevor(February16,2015)."CANNIBAL!:THEMUSICALLIVE!".Fangoria.Retrieved
February17,2015.
10. Cannibal!TheMusical(http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cannibal_the_musical/)atRottenTomatoes

Externallinks
Officialwebsite(http://www.cannibalthemusical.net)
Cannibal!TheMusical(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115819/)attheInternetMovieDatabase
Cannibal!TheMusical(http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cannibal_the_musical/)atRotten
Tomatoes
Cannibal!TheMusicalfanlisting
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(https://web.archive.org/web/20071008062451/http://packer.eb0099.com/)attheWaybackMachine
(archivedOctober8,2007)
UKProduction(http://www.cannibalthemusical.co.uk/)

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