Strange Musicals

Over at the Museum of Hoaxes I kept a list of Strange Musicals, but I think Weird Universe is a better home for it. So far the list includes:

• Thalidomide, the Musical
• The Elements of Style (an opera based on the Strunk & White style guide)
• Fight Club, the Musical
• Men are from Mars, Woman are from Venus (the musical)
• Jerry Springer, the Opera
• An unconfirmed musical based on the Labour Party's 1997 election manifesto

To this list I can add The Fly, an opera that debuted in Paris earlier this month, based on David Cronenberg's 1986 movie (based, in turn, on George Langelaan's 1957 short story), about a man who transforms into a fly due to an accident with a teleportation device. From the NY Times review:


Same thing happens to me if I miss my morning cup of coffee.

(Thanks, Sam Gaines!)

Posted By: Alex - Wed Jul 09, 2008 - Comments (2)
Category: Art, Literature, ShowBiz

The Horribles

As Thomas Pynchon preached, for every force, there is a counter-force. Thus it should come as no surprise that the state-sanctioned respectful and patriotic Fourth-of-July parade has a dark doppelganger, in the form of the Horribles Parade.

The origin of these mocking, satirical festivals goes back well over a century. In Rhode Island, my home state, the affair is called The Ancient and Horribles parade. You can read about our version here.

In nearby Massachusetts, the town of Beverly Farms staged one that recently generated some controversy, with a float dedicated to the teen-pregnancy pact that was recently all over the news.

Read about reactions to their float here.

You can see the float in this video at about the two-and-a-half-minute mark.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 08, 2008 - Comments (2)
Category: Art, Performance Art, Customs, Parades and Festivals, School, Sexuality