Review: Haunted Hillbilly, Saturday May 11, Saidye Bronfman Studio Space

Somewhere in this clusterfuck a good play is buried. Somewhere mired in the septic swamp of Haunted Hillbilly: the Hiram Woodside Atrocity is a powerful night of theatre. Oh right you probably weren’t there and don’t know what I’m talking about so it is an original musical by Montreal’s Sidemart based on Toronto writer Derek Mccormick’s novella. It’s a qeertheoryfaustianpulphorrorcowboymusical - which in theory, that is in my theories, is the best genre imaginable. The plot follows country music singer Hiram as he gets fame and fortune by agreeing to wear the suits made by the mysterious Nudie.

So where does it go wrong?

Instead of:
being camp it’s parodic,
of absurdism it is incoherent,
of high energy it’s manic.

But the music’s good and the cast is vastly talent and the play is effectively staged and the play is sprinkled with great ideas and great scenes and