I Watch 'Em So You Don't Have To

A Musical... Wait! Don't Go! This Is A Good One!

The Devil's Carnival (2012)

Yes, I'm trying another format - for some reason my reviews are printing so small you almost need a magnifying glass just to read them so let's try this.

Apparently this one came as a suggestion because I saw (and reviewed) Repo: The Genetic Opera which, for musicals about repossessing transplanted organs wasn't half bad. But what caught my eye with this one was it said it starred Emilie Autumn and for some reason I couldn't figure out where I'd heard that name...

Oh! Emilie Autumn! Curse my fibro fogged brain! Of course I know who she is - a young lady first told me of her - she's a singer, songwriter, musician, writer, poet, actress... she could probably pilot a plane if she wanted to. This is a young lady with a huge boatload of talent that very few people probably have ever heard of. I have heard her sing complicated songs like Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody (she transposes two lines, I never figured out why) with grace, as well as celtic sounding songs and beautifully flowing music. Well, that cemented it - I was going to watch yet another musical this year.

Emilie Autumn, during a 2007 performance.

Thankfully, this 'experimental short horror film' has much in it to enjoy, not just Emilie. Some names you recognize from the Repo musical, others such as Paul Sorvino and Sean Patrick Flannery you probably know pretty well. But they are just part of an elaborate, very well put together and extremely colorful hour long musical about the downfall of three foolish people who die of different causes, ending up in The Devil's Carnival. They manage to incorporate some great songs, three Aesop's fables (which they attribute to the three new 'arrivals') and a whole lot of imaginative sets, costumes and makeup which made this musical seem almost too short.

Some doesn't quite make sense, but hey, even if it's not perfect, it sure has a whole lot of creativity. We start with God in his workshop, looking harried and frustrated over his 'creations' which look to be a lot of toys. We then see the lives (or endings of) three people: John (Sean Patrick Flannery) who is mourning his son, Ms. Merrywood, a petty thief who doesn't seem to have an off switch, and Tamara, the over-trusting victim of domestic violence.

Several of the characters in the carnival are selected to keep the three busy - meaning torturing them - hey, it is supposed to be Hell after all. And all have to look sharp - Lucifer himself is going to be watching this one, so they better not screw it up. The Ticket-Keeper explains to the three there are 666 rules to follow, and they better not break any of them or the consequences.... well, it's Hell. First to 'go' is Ms. Merrywood, who simply cannot control her desire for everything she doesn't have - as her 'end' comes, Lucifer reads from Aesop's fables to Daniel (John's departed son) the story of The Dog And Her Reflection, of course being the tale of one so greedy that when it sees its reflection in the water, it wants what the reflection has, dives in and drowns. As, in a manner of speaking, does Ms. Merrywood.

Then we have Tamara. Tamara is young, naive, and let's face it, dumb as a piece of wood. She's there because she's the constant victim, the trusting soul for anyone with a smile and a promise. So while her downfall begins, Lucifer begins to read the tale of The Frog And The Scorpion. True enough, Tamara trusts without merit yet again, and her end is quick.

We get a treat about 35 minutes in as Emilie sings the song Prick! Goes the Scorpion's Tale to the Carnival's 'workers' and she's just terrific - you've got to listen to at least one of her songs, I'm sure she's got a ton on You Tube. My personal faves besides the Queen cover are her songs Dead Is The New Alive and By The Sword. Just beautiful.

After this nice little interlude, we center on sad sack John, who realizes that although the carnival seems to be leading him to his son, he will never reach him. Finding Lucifer reading the final story The Devil And His Due John bursts in and grabs his son Daniel - who of course never was Daniel, but the Fool. Lucifer tells John his son had a clean death - Lucifer had nothing to do with it. John screams that he wishes that Daniel was never born, to the surprise of Lucifer. John ultimately resolves his grief, and Lucifer has no choice but to release him to Heaven, much to the surprise of God (Who are you? Where did you come from?).

Lucifer informs Ticket-Keeper that he has let John go to Heaven, which prompts Lucifer and Ticket-Keeper to re-write the 666 Rules of the Carnival. Ticket-Keeper informs the carnies that they will prepare for a war with Heaven. Lucifer chants and reveals his grand plot to overthrow Heaven, causing God to scream in pain from the noise.

This is kind of a simplified version of things, but this colorful and inventive show should really be experienced first-hand. Oh, the 'rules' are pretty funny too - they run during the end credits. I liked Number 5: No crying wolf, shark, or Sasquatch. <silence> I guess you had to be there.