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news muse zine - compiled for alt. world scenario fans by INFOmaniac
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Exorcist: The Musical
review by Sloob Jobsworth Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the original film, this new stage production is also inspired by the novel based on a true story of demonic possession and exorcism. The last time we saw anything similar was in 1990, when writer and director Bob Logan made the failed horror spoof Repossessed. That movie only featured musical sketches in its final reel, where mock rock 'n' role playing by screen comedy star Leslie Nielsen, and a multitude of pop culture references, were not as well integrated into the media format as they are here. Unlike its spinoff predecessors, Exorcist: The Musical (ETM) is not a sequel but an alternative reality version in which familiar characters and set pieces are imaginatively revisited or 're-conceptualised' as sci-fi fantasy, with variable but often amusing results. In addition to the innovative use of memorable songs from archive sources - including classic 20th century musicals (allowable since the recent collapse of international copyright laws made exploitative copying legit), ETM showcases new choreography influenced by off-off-off-Broadway hits, old style Peking opera, and even airborne barn dancing. The dazzling visual effects, escaping the stage-bound nature of music hall conventions, are interesting but seem rather bogus, relying on standard 3D optical illusion techniques instead of being geared towards sensory induction systems adapted for the widespread acceptance of cortical implants. Still, this does allow everybody in the audience to enjoy the holography instead of just those who can afford cyber-surgery. Perhaps this artistic choice was made to prevent any thematic confusion with the wicked Borg villains' plans of psychic control? Young actress and singer Melinda Mayr is of Bulgarian descent, and briefly trained with the Bolshie ballet until injury cut short a promising zero-G dance career in the orbital stadiums. Here, she gives a winning performance as the beleaguered Reagan MacNeil, struggling against the evils of assimilation and religious mania, while her mother (Helen Bursting, from TV miniseries Dr Who Meets Buck Rogers, and the well-received remake of Alien Insurrection) conveys pathos in her scenes of parental anxiety with great skill, and manages to avoid falling into the dramatically-hazardous parody mode that such a character often receives today. Although the plot's closing scene hints that everything we have witnessed is nothing more than a neo-psychedelic stoner head-trip, ETM is a brilliant showbiz creation offering a giddy night out for the whole family. Exorcist: The Musical opening night report |
Reagan (Melinda Mayr) is possessed
sinister cyber-drone plots attack
Reagan's mother (Helen Bursting)
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