Review: SHPIDER! at THE BRICK HOUSE THEATRE
Matt Ritchey's SHPIDER! is the surprise hit comedy of the season!
By: Tracey Paleo Nov. 13, 2024
Before seeing this show, I knew nothing of it besides a quite comedically tantalizing Instagram promo video and a snazzy 60’s referencing sci-fi movie poster. The script and plot however was as elusive as even the idea of a commonly puerile film executive attempting to write an exploitable and profitable, A-list silver screen-play hit written by a bunch of particularly un-talented and servile lackeys. And yet, SHPIDER! is as surprising a runaway hit as (spoiler) the comedy’s fantastical ending!
SHPIDER! is without a doubt, the meta-absurdist, hi-camp hilarity, small theater stand-out success of the season. (Did I give you enough adjectives? Here’s a few more.) And it’s an absolute amazement by no stretch of the imagination.
This B-movie creature feature world premiere play is full-frontal, writer/director Matt Ritchey at his best. If you’ve experience any of Ritchey’s past productions (Blackboxing, Romeo and Juliet in Hell, Angel’s Flight, Poker Night) you’ll be quick to realize that this latest production is not only a departure but a serious level up that deserves considerable praise and audience attendance in equal measure.
When a group of Executives for the shlocky science fiction channel “SyFi” try to find their next (cheap) hit movie, they decide to fire the actors and writers and do things on their own! The result is SHPIDER! A classic-style monster film about a shark equipped with lasers who is bitten by a radioactive spider and turns into a mutated abomination! SHPIDER! follows scientist Brody Marcus, Aqualogist Sadie O’Kist, General Hy Steria, and low-paid rideshare driver Branson Hanscomb as they battle transmogrified terrors, undead fiends, and 405 traffic! (Brought to you by Metabolyte Mint Chocolate Metabolic Breakfast Drink.)
The shlock in SHPIDER! is so deliciously cheesy! And the cast (Christopher Brosnan, Carlos Chavez, Ron Gabaldon, Trevor Gregory, Michelle Miyamoto-Galván, Sebastian Muñoz, David Tucker, Hanna Tucker, Tally Vartanian, and EmLee VassiLos) is on pointe for the entire 70-minutes of fast-paced, zaniness with Sebastian Muñoz as the Jackie Gleason/Lou Costello-ish, stellar driving lead.
Force of Nature’s production of SHPIDER! is a 100% winner and a must-see.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Matt Ritchey once again teams up with the mighty Force of Nature after their LA Valley Theatre Award-nominated show ROMEO AND JULIET IN HELL (2019 - nominated Best Director, Best Ensemble, Best Sound Design, Best Stage Manager) to write and direct the over-the-top comedy. “There’s a serious message in the play,” says Ritchey. “I just… haven’t found it yet … I know I put it somewhere….”
World Premiere of SHPIDER!
Tickets: https://www.fonproductions.com/shpider.html
Written and Directed by Matt Ritchey
Featuring the Talents of: Christopher Brosnan, Carlos Chavez, Ron Gabaldon, Trevor Gregory, Michelle Miyamoto-Galván, Sebastian Muñoz, David Tucker, Hanna Tucker, Tally Vartanian, and EmLee VassiLos
Assistant Director: Heather Vazquez
Original Music and Sound by: Tricia Guthrie-Minty
Props by: Michelle Miyamoto-Galván
Costumes by: Melissa Muñoz
Lights by: Sebastian Muñoz
Set by: Jerry Chappell
Poster Design by: Katelyn Schiller
Produced by: Force of Nature Productions, in association with Write Act Repertory
SHPIDER!
A World Premiere
(9) Performances:
Fridays, November 8, 15, and 22 at 8pm
Saturdays, November 9, 16, and 23 at 8pm
Sundays, November 10, 17, and 24 at 2pm
Also, stick around after intermission for THE SYFI CHANNEL FOCUS GROUP – An interactive experience consisting of a collection of short plays, ahem, live-action trailers and movie pitches by Force of Nature writers that continue the SyFi Channel’s devotion to horrible film ideas!
THE SYFI CHANNEL FOCUS GROUP
(6) Performances:
Fridays, November 8, 15, and 22 at 9:45pm
Saturdays, November 9, 16, and 23 at 9:45pm
Tickets:
$24 each show or bundle both for $40!
The Brickhouse Theatre
10950 Peach Grove Street
N. Hollywood, CA 91601
Photo credit: Carlos Hernandez. (L-R) Ron Gabaldon, Sebastian Muñoz, Trevor Gregory and EmLee VassiLos.
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