Slasher
by Allison Moore
Blurb:
When she’s cast as the “last girl” in a low-budget slasher flick, Sheena thinks it’s the big break she’s been waiting for. But news of the movie unleashes her malingering mother’s thwarted feminist rage, and Mom is prepared to do anything to stop filming…even if it kills her. It's a comedy that will make you laugh until the knife... errr... curtain comes down.
Cast:
Sheena - Natasha Toro
Hildy - Marcy Weigert
Francis - Lavonne Byers
Marc - Chopper Leifheit
Jody - James Cougar Canfield
Bridget/Marcy/Beth/Madison - Maggie Conroy
Christi - Colleen Caul*
* represents members of Actors' Equity, the union of professional actors and stage managers
Mentions/Awards/Kudos:
2010 Kevin Kline Award Winner:
Best Sound Design - Matthew Koch
Download the archival photos here.
Video Spot:
Director’s Note:
I have been a huge fan of Allison Moore’s play Slasher since I saw its premiere at the 2010 Humana Festival of New American Plays. There are so many images and moments that linger: the absurdly extreme, and yet somehow endearing, comic characters, the razor-sharp satire of Hollywood, Slasher movies, and post-Betty Freidan feminism, and the outrageous machine-like plot that moves like lighting toward the inevitably over-the-top climax. But what I remember the most was how much I, and the audience around me, laughed. We laughed from the very first scene and didn’t stop until the hilarious final of the play. It is one of the funniest plays that I have seen in a long, long time. So I was very pleased when HotCity was able to secure the rights to do the Saint Louis premiere of this play. And I was even more pleased when the casting for the play was finished. HotCity’s cast for Slasher includes some of the finest talent that Saint Louis has to offer. I am thrilled, after years of near misses, to finally be working with the amazingly talented and flat-out hilarious pair of Lavonne Byers and Chopper Leifheit. Both of these actors have been an important part of the HotCity family for many years and I am pleased to welcome them back. I know that the audience will not be disappointed.
- Chuck Harper, Director
Radio Ad:
Cast Interview Video
Critics' Reviews:
Joe Pollack:
It's all hangin' out at the Kranzberg Arts Center. Blood and bodies, screams and sobs, manic maniacs and violent virgins, repressive mothers and repressed children, religious zealots and frantic film directors. It's "Slasher," a new play by Allison Moore that had its premiere a year ago at the Humana Festival. Produced by Hot City Theatre, it's on stage at the Kranzberg Arts Center through Dec. 18. A spoof of Hollywood films of the slasher genre, it's wild and woolly, fast and furious...
And then there's Lavonne Byers, every hair in its place as the diva in "Master Class" a few months ago... She's a trip, and over-the-top funny as she spouts all the cliches used a couple of decades ago when women's rights were on a front burner."
Broadway World:
... a brilliantly conceived and staged production, and it will certainly warm the cuckolds of any groovy ghoul's heart.
... Chuck Harper's direction is pitch perfect, and he capably guides this fine cast through the fast-paced action that unfolds.
... HotCity Theatre's production of Slasher is a real treat, and a cool option when pondering the myriad of choices available during the holiday season.
- Chris Gibson
DestroytheBrain.com:
... Slasher is a fun show filled with blood, boobs, and laughs. What is even better, is realizing that writer Allison Moore clearly has a knowledge of the genre she is writing about.
... Just as Hooper’s film was able to entertain while also hinting at larger issues, Slasher is also able to show you both sides of the knife.
- Michael Haffner