Slashed! The Musical (Theater)
Starring Sean Keller, Feyna Sanchez, Curt Bonnem, Kristyn Chalker, Acquah Dansoh, Timothy Kopacz, Mary O’Neil, Fayna Sanchez, Elissa Wagner, Clarke Wolfe
Directed by Chelsea Stardust
“I chop and I chop, and they keep on fuuucking…!” – Little Peetie Jergins
With seven songs and seven kills, Slashed! The Musical is short and to the point (and it’s a very pointy-point, rife with knives, machetes, and a tomahawk). The fable follows the vengeful spirit of Little Peetie Jergins (Sean Keller, who also did the book, music and lyrics) as he picks off a new batch of camp counselors one by one (or in twos, if they’re “fuuuucking!”).
Peetie died a fiery death at “Camp Doom” decades ago, and he’s become the stuff of legend. As the show opens, we meet Looney Lucy (Feyna Sanchez), a feral old woman who lurks in the woods and whose sole purpose is to warn folks about Peetie. Peetie doesn’t like camp counselors in particular, and he likes them even less when they smoke, drink, loiter, and… worst of all… have sex. Set in 1983 against a backdrop of pup tents and a cold camp fire, the counselors arrive, sing, dance, and die. We have various (and hilarious) archetypes: Preppie Couple, Bi-Gal, The Virgin, Dumb Jock, The Cheerleader, Final Girl, etc.
The cast is excellent – kudos to Curt Bonnem, Kristyn Chalker, Acquah Dansoh, Timothy Kopacz, Mary O’Neil, Fayna Sanchez, Elissa Wagner and Clarke Wolfe. Keller, donning a mask made of twigs and festering burns, is a standout as the avenging apparition. The dances (choreographed Rebekah McKendry) are adorably clunky and in perfect alignment with the era and genre. While the small stage is sparsely decorated, there’s great attention to detail in the characters’ costumes. One wears an “I Shot JR” tee under suspenders; another has a fanny-pack and a sweater over his shoulders; and there’s the obligatory lace fingerless gloves, roller-skates, and half-shirts. It’s deftly-directed by Chelsea Stardust, who is best-known for her super-short horror films. (Maybe that’s why the play’s runtime is so brief; that’s my only gripe – I wanted more!)
Successfully fan-funded earlier this year, Slashed! is a killer love-letter to the classic summer camp slasher subgenre and it stands on par with other spoof shows I’ve seen, like Silence! The Musical and Exorcistic: An Exorcist Rock Musical Parody.
Slashed! The Musical is running June 4th through June 23rd at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in Los Angeles. The show is sold out, but you can get cast album here!
1. Camp Doom 01:36
2. Better Than It Was 02:07
3. One Hot Summer 01:26
4. Why? 01:51
5. Let’s Fuck! 01:29
6. Paige’s Rage 01:51
7. Camp Doom Reprise 01:48
Photos by: Ama Lea
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Categorized:Reviews
