A group of actors will stage three readings/singings of the 1999 comedy film South Park: Bigger , Longer, & Uncut at Cafe Istanbul in New Orleans next week.
Slated for June 3,4 and 5, the performances will see the film brought to life like never before, complete with a “drinking game of Cartman-esque proportions.” Attendees are also asked to bring their own punch and pie.
The shows are being put on by a performance art collective called Four Sweater Vests, who brought an interpretation of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s The Nightman Cometh to the stage earlier this year. The production is directed by Breanna Bietz, with musical direction from Alan Payne and performances by Alex Wallace, Nick Stephens, Peter Smith, Trey Lagan, Alec Barnes, Allee Peck, Shawn Dugas, Alan Payne, Kayln Hepting, Will Monson, Bob Murrell, Denise Jena, Dustin Stevens and Marcea Pierson.
As future historians will almost certainly agree, South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut is one of the greatest satirical films to hit the silver screen in recent memory.
That may seem like a bold statement to some, but allow me to briefly elaborate.
Few movies have embodied the very thing they sought to lampoon as perfectly as Trey Parker & Matt Stone’s Oscar-nominated 1999 feature-length take on their hit TV show. The Oscar-nominated film, which examines the absurd ways that a group of uptight parents overreact to a vulgar animated movie, was intended to be just that: a vulgar animated film that would inspire an overreaction from uptight parents. It’s truly brilliant stuff that has earned the honor of a stage rendition, especially considering Parker and Stone’s highly successful foray into the world of musical theater (The Book of Mormon picked up a measly nine Tony Awards in 2011).
The upcoming productions will take place at 8pm on Friday, June 3 and Sunday, June 5, with an afternoon show set for 4pm on Saturday, June 4. Tickets are now on sale for $15.
And for good measure, here’s Robin Williams performing the film’s Oscar-nominated song “Blame Canada” at the 2000 Academy Awards: