Oh, the horror! Wichita’s stages scare up some laughs for Halloween
What do you get when you take a rowdy bunch of college kids pursued by demons in an abandoned cabin, stir in a man-eating plant and Mrs. Bates’ murderous mama’s boy, Norman, and top it all off with time-warping, cross-dressing extraterrestrials?
What you get is the Halloween season on Wichita’s live theater stages.
Roxy’s Downtown is conjuring up “Evil Dead: The Musical,” the Forum Theatre is visiting “Little Shop of Horrors,” Crown Uptown Theatre is rocking out to “The Rocky Horror Show,” and Mosley Street Melodrama is checking into “Hitchcock’s Psycho Hotel.”
All the shows feature a mix of horror and humor, pitting shudders against snickers, gore against guffaws, chills against chuckles. And some say the combo intensifies an audience’s enjoyment of both precisely because of the contrast.
“They’re a natural pair, like salty and sweet. They work well together. They enhance each other,” says J.R. Hurst, a longtime local actor who wrote and directed the original melodrama “Hitchcock’s Psycho Hotel,” which runs through Oct. 31 at Mosley Street Melodrama. “Comedy and horror are structurally very similar. You build to a high point, which is either a scream or a laugh, depending upon the desired payoff.”
Sometimes, Hurst says, the clever playwright fakes out an audience to get an even bigger reaction.
“You can build in a false sense of security to break the tension. Humor humanizes characters and gets audiences to care about them. It lulls them so you can then hit them with a real shocker,” Hurst says.
“Americans never want to be totally serious about horror. It’s like a carnival fun house. The point is to be scared and scream, and then laugh at yourself,” Hurst says.
The horror/humor phenomenon is nothing new, says Kathy Hauptman, founder and producing artistic director of the Forum Theatre, who is directing the popular off-kilter, off-Broadway musical “Little Shop of Horrors” (opening Oct. 22).
“Aristotle said that the purpose of tragedy is to evoke pity and fear so that an audience can experience catharsis. That comes through a Greek chorus commenting on the human condition, giving the balance of comedy,” Hauptman says.
“Then there’s the extreme bloody violence on stage of Jacobean drama. Parodies arose from that over-the-top violence. People love to be afraid. But they also like to laugh at themselves. And nervous laughter is common when people are afraid. It’s like a roller coaster.”
Mark Mannette, director of theater at Newman University, cites similar examples in Shakespeare, from the drunken porter of “Macbeth” diffusing the offstage murder of Macduff to the bumbling gravediggers of “Hamlet” appearing after Ophelia’s suicide.
“The comedy relieves the tension and cleans the emotional slate of the audience before they encounter the final bloodbath,” Mannette says.
A more modern example is Ira Levin’s 1978 twisty murder-mystery comedy-thriller, “Deathtrap,” which Mannette directed for the Forum Theatre a couple of weeks ago.
“Just after Sidney has killed Clifford, wrapped him in a rug and convinced his freaked-out wife to help him move the body, he says the line, ‘Good thing he wasn’t the fat one.’ That ends the act on a laugh,” Mannette says. “The audience has just witnessed a live murder, so Levin put the laugh line in to release their tension.”
Tom Frye, longtime local actor, director and drama teacher (both high school and university levels), comes at the connection from the comedy side rather than the horror side when speaking as a published playwright of broad original melodramas. That’s obvious, he says with a chuckle, from such tongue-in-cheek titles as “Dr. Frankenstein, or, Shelley You Jest” and “ ‘Halloween 13,’ or, This Time Jason Is Really Hacked,” both given their premieres at Mosley Street Melodrama.
Parody, Frye says, is a bit easier to write than straight comedy thrillers.
“The subject matter is already there. Half of the story is already built because the originals establish the characters and situations, so audiences are already familiar with them,” Frye says. “People feel smart when they get the reference. They like to feel that ‘I’m in.’ ”
Here’s a closer look at the four Halloween season shows:
‘Hitchcock’s Psycho Hotel’
Where: Mosley Street Melodrama, 234 N. Mosley
When: Through Oct. 31. Shows at 7:50 p.m. Thu.-Sat. (doors open at 6, dinner 6:15-7:30 p.m.).
Tickets: Dinner/show, $30 adults, $26 seniors 60 and over, $26 children under 12; Show only: $20 all ages. Call 316-263-0222. Info: www.mosleystreet.com
About show and cast: Spoofy, slapstick mash-up penned by J.R. Hurst of various Hitchcock thrillers. Starring Ryan Schafer as Jimmy Grant, the heroic Everyman; Megan Parsley as beautiful blond heroine Tipsy Headband; Craig Green as villainous Claude Drains; Briley Meek as vampy Natasha; Joshua Brown as Norman you-know-who; and Cianna Atchison as eccentric Dutch psychic Helga.
Director/playwright J.R. Hurst’s thoughts: “I’m a longtime fan of Hitchcock’s movies, so I thought what fun it would be to write a script that plays around with some of his recurring themes and characters, from the ordinary guy who has to overcome something to become a suave hero, to the beautiful blonde in peril. I drew mostly from ‘North by Northwest’ and ‘Psycho’ with a hero who is sort of a cross between Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant and a heroine like Tippy Hedren. Hitchcock used a lot of sly humor. His movies were romantic comedies with thrills. I think of them like rich desserts.”
‘Evil Dead: The Musical’
Where: Roxy’s Downtown, 812½ E. Douglas (upstairs)
When: Oct. 2-31. Shows at 8 p.m. Thu.-Sat.
Tickets: Show only $25; dinner/show $40 (doors open at 6:30 p.m., food service 6:30-7:30 p.m.). Call 316-928-2288. Info: www.roxysdowntown.com
About the show and cast: Silly, bloody, profane but ridiculously entertaining 2006 off-Broadway musical adaptation by George Reinblatt of the cult movie horror romp about five college kids trapped in an isolated cabin surrounded by demons, zombies and even a talking moose. Two words: Chain saw! Starring Damian Padilla as Ash, who gathers a group of buddies for a vacation at the cabin despite dire warnings of paranormal activity; Justin Ralph as Scott, an obnoxious, skirt-chasing narcissist; John Bates as Ed, a shy, forgettable wallflower in love with Annie; Keely Connolly as Annie, whose study of an ancient Book of the Dead launches their woes; Meredith Hollan as Linda, Ash’s girlfriend and the lone voice of reason; Angela Geer as Cheryl, Ash’s lonely, skittish sister who crashes the vacation; and Kyle Vespestad (also director) as Jake, a good ol’ reliable woodsman who seems to know a lot of secrets.
Director Kyle Vespestad’s thoughts: “I love scary movies and was a fan of ‘Evil Dead’ even before it was a musical, which takes the campiness of the movie to a whole new level. It’s stupid, but in a good way. It has just the right amount of outrageousness and melodrama. It’s also a lot of fun to do. I did it before, three or four years ago, and you don’t often get the chance to play around with zombies and demons. It also gives you a chance to say things you’d never get to say in normal life, like ‘Candarian demon moose’ or ‘Necronomicon Ex Mortis,’ which roughly translates as ‘Book of the Dead.’ How fun is that?”
‘The Rocky Horror Show’
Where: Crown Uptown Theatre, 3207 E. Douglas
When: Oct. 2, 8-9, 16, 22-24, 29-31. Shows at 7:30 (dinner starts at 5) with additional midnight shows on Oct. 24 and 31.
Tickets: $20-$50 for dinner/show; $20-$35 for show only. Call 316-612-7696. Info: www.crownuptown.com
About show and cast: Outrageously sending up “Frankenstein,” Richard O’Brien’s 1973 cult musical mixes cross-dressing space aliens, mad scientists and Victoria’s Secret style with a rock beat as Dr. Frank N. Furter strives to create the perfect monster. Two words: Time Warp! Starring Jamie Parnell as strutting Dr. Frank; Keaton Jadwin as his creepy butler, Riff Raff; Brittani Richardson as his sexy maid, Magenta; Rhonda LaRue as tap-dancing Columbia; Aaron Patrick Craven as Rocky Horror, the monster; and Joe Consiglio and Joella Wolnik as hopelessly naive Brad and Janet, who accidentally stumble into Dr. Frank’s castle on a dark and stormy night. Also with Michael Karraker, Kyle Gallegos-Lessin, Daniel Nelson and Emily Vargo.
Director Shannon McMillan’s thoughts: “I’ve always been a cult follower of ‘Rocky Horror’ since growing up with an actor-father who dressed as Riff Raff to take us trick-or-treating on Halloween. I am still completely seduced by the sci-fi horror spoof and the catchy rock ’n’ roll music. Last year, I was privileged to play the role of Magenta, and what struck me most was how unique the ‘Rocky Horror’ experience truly is. The audience, with their props and callback responses, literally became another character in the show. The result was electric. The theater buzzed with an energy and freedom I’d never experienced before. Stepping into the director’s position this year, I’m blessed with the delicious opportunity to put a fresh twist – with my inventive, creative choreographer, Maurice Sims – on the show with the philosophy of ‘Don’t dream it, be it.’”
‘Little Shop of Horrors’
Where: Forum Theatre, located in Scottish Rite Center, 332 E. First St.
When: Oct. 22-31. Shows at 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets: $23 Thursday evening and Saturday matinee, $25 Friday and Saturday evening. Optional catered dinner: $15. Call 316-618-0444. Info: www.forumwichita.com
About show and cast: One of the longest-running off-Broadway shows, Alan Menken/Howard Ashman’s 1982 satirical rock/doo-wop musical (based on Roger Corman’s cheesy 1960 horror flick) is about a meek flower shop clerk who discovers a man-eating plant that gives him fame and fortune – as long as he satisfies it’s ever-increasing appetite for blood. Starring Stephen Hitchcock as the nerdy clerk, Seymour; Tom Frye as his gruff but lovable boss, Mr. Mushnik; Molly Tully as Seymour’s ideal girl, Audrey; Dylan Lewis as Audrey’s abusive dentist boyfriend; Karla Burns as the voice of the man-eating plant; and Chelsey Moore, Erin Mundus and Sunsierre Lee as a know-all, tell-all Greek chorus parading as a 1960s girl group.
Director Kathy Hauptman’s thoughts: “‘Little Shop of Horrors’ is campy and silly, but it’s a well-written show that is firmly rooted in theatrical history: the classic Faustian bargain with the devil. How far will you go to get fame and fortune? And how far will you go to keep it? It even features a Greek chorus, which is cleverly disguised as a 1960s girl group to keep audiences up on what’s happening. And Seymour (the nerdy protagonist cultivating a man-eating plant) is very much the tragic hero. Although he’s not of noble birth as in ancient tales, he does have a fatal flaw that leads to his downfall. It has all the classical elements of theater – plus it’s also just a lot of fun. It’s one of my favorite shows.”
This story was originally published September 25, 2015 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Oh, the horror! Wichita’s stages scare up some laughs for Halloween."