A WORD FROM
THE ADAPTORS
In the winter of 2008, after “Evil Dead the Musical” had closed at the now demolished
Diesel Playhouse, a bunch of us wanted to keep the fun going. Our intentions were
simple; find a funny show to do with the funny people we liked working with. In the
theatre’s cabaret space, we had an informal reading of Trey Parker’s cult classic film
“Cannibal! The Musical!”, and knew we found our match. Silly, irreverent, and full of fun
music, we excitedly began adapting the story into a more stage friendly version.
With the encouragement of Jason McHugh, who manages the theatrical rights (he also
played the part of “Miller” in the film), we started writing new songs and a few new
jokes to flesh the show out into a two a ct structure. We were excited to put the show
on its feet, when Jason asked us to hold off … apparently Trey and Matt were working
on another musical project about Mormons … and so we put “Cannibal” on the back
burner for a few years. About a year ago, Christopher Bond casually mentioned to
producer Corey Ross that we had worked on an adaptation of “Cannibal” … and now,
here we are, at the Panasonic Theatre.
This play, like the film, contains several themes, like finding and losing love in the
weirdest places and reinventing yourself in the Old West, where no one is actually who
or what they say they are. At its heart, the story of the making of this show is much like
that of the film it’s based on; a bunch of friends getting together to take a chance on a
crazy adventure. Thanks to all our friends, old and new, who have had a hand in making
this show happen. In the words of Israel Swan, “you never realize what a good time
you’re having until after it’s over.” Enjoy the show.
Aaron, Christopher and Trevor
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