If you’re a fan of Edward Gorey’s wee alphabetical
assassinations, then Company One and Suffolk
University’s SHOCKHEADED
PETER should be on your calendar. The original SHOCKHEADED PETER was a children’s
book of verses written in 1845 by German Psychiatrist Heinrich Hoffmann to
encourage (read ‘scare’) children into behaving themselves. A mere 150 years
later, PETER is turned into a Grand Guignol theater piece for the London
stage—with the band The Tiger Lillies signing on to compose a score which
makes Hoffmann’s punishments even harsher, immensely creepier and quite
Teutonic with their dark Brecht/Weil brand of music.
The current version of SHOCKHEADED PETER (at the Modern
Theater through April 4th) is the brainchild of wunderkind Walter
Sickert (and his rock band, The Army of Broken Toys). Sickert’s jaunty,
sardonic vocals and playful personality reminded me of Dr. John’s cheeky, laid
back keyboard style. (That’s high praise from this Dr. John fan.) Sickert’s
orchestrations are the perfect setting for the lethal little vignettes. (And
he’s a gifted artist: His intricate, fanciful illustrations take form in
SHOCKHEADED PETER as props and puppets.)
The Army of Broken Toys musicians become a vital part of the
drama, punctuating the gruesome stories with bells, whistles, toy piano and
concertina. They’re a Greek chorus, cheerleaders and a crowd when needed.
Imagine Tim Burton’s THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS: Now that’s the spirit of
SHOCKHEADED PETER, where horrors seem whimsical, even funny.
Director Steven Bogart’s remarkable actors exaggerate their
movements (and their faces) so they, as well as the stories, seem surreal. A powerful,
maniacal emcee (Alexandria King), channeling Joel Gray from CABARET, leads us
through “the darkest recesses of human imagination” where we meet very naughty
children--and Jade Guerra and Brooks Reeves as disappointed parents (when the
stork brings them a strange Shockheaded baby with long nails borrowed from
Edward Scissorhands. They put him out of sight in the basement). You know that
every so often, we will hear scratching from below.
The artistry involved
in each little story is what elevates the production: The girl who disobeys her
parents and plays with matches wears a costume (by Miranda Giurleo) which
cleverly converts to disaster via her petticoats. Flying Robert is whisked into
the stratosphere with a wire and pulley system. Letting us see the magic
doesn’t detract at all from our enjoyment. Of course, being a vegetarian, I was
delighted to see a rabbit get the better of a hunter. And the troupe even gives
us a moral to the story. The emcee asks us what’s beneath our floorboards!
