Shockheaded Peter goes on at Caine Lyric Theatre
Edgy and avant-garde, “Shockheaded Peter” is one of the most unique musicals that has been performed at the Caine Lyric Theater.
“Shockheaded Peter” held seven shows throughout the week. From the Director’s Notes in the Playbill, Richie Call says the show is “based on a German children’s book by Heinrich Hoffmann in which children are punished for misbehaving.”
Sara Shouse, the head costume designer, describes “Shockheaded Peter” as “a really freaky book,” saying that “it’s not necessarily fairy tales as much as it is cautionary tales.”
Call and Shouse chose to say “disturbing” and “not really happy” when asked to describe the musical in a few words. Julia Lyons, a student at USU who attended opening night of the show, said it was “out-there, different, and enjoyable.” The combination of those expressions paint an accurate picture of the production.
Call almost dares you to come and see it for yourself by sharing this unsettling phrase from the first scene: “Those of a weak constitution leave now. Such things are not for the incontinent. You have been warned.”
When Call saw “Shockheaded Peter” for the first time at the Off Broadway Theater in New York, he knew nothing about the show. He went on to say that “within minutes it became one of my favorite theatrical experiences I have ever had.”
Call went on to explain, “I think part of why I enjoyed the show so much was because I had no idea what I was getting into.”
Shouse and Lyons agreed that there is theatrical and imaginative magic associated with a bit of mystery and healthy anticipation. Lyons said that when she experienced the show in this way, it allowed her emotions to roll with the story and it heightened the surprises.
Shouse oversaw several major visual elements of the show, including costumes, makeup, wigs, and—yes—several giant cat heads. Each and every component was coordinated to create an aura of chilling exactitude.
Throughout the production and the rehearsal process, Shouse had several opportunities to see the show in its entirety. The first time she saw it with costumes, however, it was “incredible.” “[The actors] just put them on, and it was like they completely transformed into these other people,” she said. Shouse says when an actor puts on their costume, it stitches all the other elements of their work together and “they fully grasp who they’re supposed to be.”
With no spoken dialogue from the majority of the cast, the actors are given a lot of creative license regarding their characters; they can choose the names themselves and develop their personalities as they see fit.
Another integral part of the show is the use of puppets, which are brought to life by the versatile cast.
Every time you look at the characters, live or not, “you find something new” in the intricacy of each costume and each face, Shouse said. There are many elements of production that ensure every seat is the best seat in the house.
“There are a lot of musicals and happy plays; this is not one of those,” she said. “Indeed, there is some ironic juxtaposition on the block; ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ is playing right around the corner.”
Even with its disturbing humor and dark overtones, “Shockheaded Peter” is a surprisingly moving and even philosophical production. Shouse said that this show is full of things outside of the norm for plays.
For Shouse, the main takeaway from “Shockheaded Peter” is not necessarily the opulence or the terror or the music, but rather it is a show about family and acceptance, which she says is powerful in itself.
“You probably won’t see another show like this, around here at least, any time soon,” she said.
—sladeabigail@aggiemail.usu.edu
@sladeabigail