ImprovBoston resurrects its annual blood-soaked Halloween show, GoreFest, with a musical production that puts the audience in the middle of the carnage in a way that it never has before. This year's revival of The Gruesome Tale of Penny Dreadful brings the actors up close for a fully immersive experience.
An ImprovBoston tradition, GoreFest is an intimate splatter musical with a steampunk vibe, dripping with unidentifiable bodily fluids and lacking in good taste. Dismemberment, disfigurement, disgust and dancing abound in Penny Dreadful, a Victorian-era love story that meets bawdy original musical comedy. ImprovBoston's GoreFest is part campy, part Broadway, part haunted house and all hilarious.
Matt Chapuran, director of Penny Dreadful, says, "It's a thrill to revisit this show. Bringing it to a more intimate space is going to make every drop of blood and every note of music more memorable for the audience."
Penny Dreadful creator, Don Schuerman shares, "I'm excited to see this show return to the stage. When we first produced it at ImprovBoston, I never thought GoreFest would be still running strong after 12 years, or that we would revisit Penny and her strange little Dickensian world again. Nine years ago the role of Dr. Listenburg, the show's unwitting villain, was created for Matt Chapuran. Matt is the perfect director for this year's revival."
The Gruesome Tale of Penny Dreadful splatters audiences from October 23-November 1 at ImprovBoston. Tickets are $25, $18 students at the door. For a full list of shows and times and to purchase tickets, visitimprovboston.com/gorefest. Follow the bloody tweets @IBGorefest.
The Gruesome Tale of Penny Dreadful features a book by Don Schuerman, music by Steve Gilbane, and lyrics by Don Schuerman and Steve Gilbane. Running time: 75 Minutes.
The cast includes Julia Deegler, Mac Gostow, Ciarán Grumley, Sarah Jacobs, Jimi McAvoy, Lauren Robinson, Liz Roderick, Bryan Smith, and Matt Walczak.
The show is directed by Matt Chapuran, with musical direction by Steve Sarro and choreography by Julia Deegler. The design team includes
Emily Rosser (Costume Design), Sam Monk (Gore/Effects Designer), Kimberly Margolis (Properties Designer), and Josh Garneau (Technical Director). Caitlin Mason is the Stage Manager and Christine Toohey is the Producer.
