This definitely isn't your grandmother's Broadway musical.
The youth theatre company Awkward Stage Productions is staging Trey Parker's Cannibal: The Musical for the Vancouver Fringe Festival this month.
It stars New Westminster's Henry Beasley, a recent Capilano University musical theatre graduate.
He's part of the all-youth cast of performers and crew, aged 15 to 25.
Parker - the creative mind behind South Park and Book of Mormon - has created yet another twisted piece of entertainment with Cannibal, based on the true story of the only person convicted of cannibalism in America, Alfred G. "Alferd" Packer.
Packer was a prospector and the sole survivor of an ill-fated trip through the Rockies in 1873.
In this theatrical version, he tells his side of the harrowing tale to news reporter Polly Pry as he awaits his execution.
In a nutshell, as a press release explains: "While searching for gold and love, he and his companions lost their way and resorted to unthinkable horrors - with music!"
The musical is unique every time, since the licence to perform it includes no script, but only a guide.
"Care is taken to preserve those fundamental elements to please the cult following, but the rest is up for grabs," a press release explains.
Among the promised treats in this year's show: a human campfire, a tribe of Amazon war princesses, a lesbian biker gang of fur trappers, puppets, a saloon fight, offensive language, cross-dressing, and a "healthy helping of gore and cheese."
If that intrigues you, then you have several chances to see the show.
Cannibal: The Musical is on at the Firehall Arts Centre, 280 East Cordova St., from Sept. 6 to 14.
It runs Saturday, Sept. 6 at 7:15 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 7 at 1:30 p.m. It continues through the week with shows on Sept. 8 at 8:30 p.m., Sept. 9 at 6:15 p.m., Sept. 10 at 6:45 p.m., Sept. 11 at 5 p.m., Sept. 13 at 1:30 p.m. and Sept. 14 at 3:15 p.m.
Tickets are $10 weekdays and $12 weekends, plus fringe memberships.
Check out the festival box office at www.vancouverfringe.com for tickets, or see www.awkwardstageproductions.com for all the details.
