On an isle
of gourd people, where head size
determines status, the quest for power,
huge heads, and rampant public
consumption leaves a bitter taste . A
puppet play inspired by archeological
evidence from Easter Island.
x
"User"
Reviews:
"'Cannibal
Island - A Taste of Paradise'. With real
"cannibal" food to boot. Amazing
show, hit all the right buttons - side
splitting moments, tense moments,
uplifting moments.... and
sometimes unspeakable moments. Bodies of
the gourd-headed people littered the
stage at the end, but somehow I still
think it's older-kid friendly. I'm
sneakily hoping that they can bring it to
the National Festival one day. It's
definitely good enough." Lex Rudd,
Primal Visions
"This show does
not shy away from big themes. On the
surface, it delves into the mysteries of
Easter Island, often portrayed as the
remotest location on the planet. We all
know about the great stone monuments,
colloquially referred to as big heads. In
"Cannibals", big
head is virtually the only line of
dialogue I can recall, but the
information it comes to convey is
stupefying.
Rank, privilege, arrogance, and the
entitlement of the rich and powerful are
all easily recognized. There is the
destruction of a closed environment
through the reckless misuse of its
natural resources. There is the
inevitable collapse as those resources
disappear. That it is all
done to such an economy of words is much
to the credit of its creators.
And, just in case Ive been making
it sound too high-brow, the puppets are
fun and original, and the show is
as entertaining and funny as any
Ive ever attended. If you
get a chance to see it, dont miss
it."
Reviewed by Rhys Wade
"I had
the delight of attending a rehearsal and
a performance of Magical
Moonshine Theatre's puppet show, Cannibal
Island. The family of performers --
Michael and Valerie Nelson, and Benjie
Holson -- have performed together for a
lifetime, and still had such obvious FUN
blending their scripted interaction and
improvisational moments. With funding
support from The Jim Henson Foundation,
this original show draws from Balinese
puppetry traditions to tell a fanciful
story about a society where head size
determines status, inspired in part by
Jared Diamond's account of the Easter
Island cultural collapse. It's often easy
to forget the gourd-headed islanders are
being manipulated by the puppeteers, who
control their characters without hiding
-- lending puppets their hands and facial
expressions while speaking and singing
their parts. Don't take my word for it.
Go see the show!" Greg Hayes,
Gregory Hayes Photography
Cannibal
Island is both fun and thought provoking
theater. The performance is
compelling, clever and resourcefully
inventive. Bravo! Lee Armstrong,
Video Consultant for P of A &
Co-owner Images In Motion Inc.
Want to learn
more about Easter Island?
Click
on the image for a good overview of the
history of Easter Island, the depletion
of its resources, the birdman cult that
arose, and the eventual effects of
outsiders on the inhabitants of this once
verdant paradise.
Created
with Funding Support from the Jim Henson
Foundation