Carnival Macabre

Something a bit different was on the cards for EODS’ annual concert, which embraced a Hallowe’en theme as we were all invited to visit the Carnival Macabre.  The fun started in the foyer, which was decked out with cobwebs and pumpkins, and continued in the programme, where the members of the cast were pictured in their best scary outfits – some of which were actually pretty freaky indeed!  The show had attracted quite a young audience, many of whom were also decked out in their Hallowe’en finery, contributing to a fun atmosphere inside the Henrician auditorium. 

Carnival Macabre is the brainchild of EODS members Gemma Bailey, Jon Roberts and Nathan Warren.  Conceived as a visit to a mysterious circus freakshow, complete with ‘Devilish Dancers, Spectral Singers and Malevolent Musicians’, the tone was set right from the start.  The set made a very strong first impression, a simple but very effective circus tent setting, well designed, constructed and lit.  At the rear was a platform that was occasionally occupied by be-winged performers singing into old-fashioned microphones.  Otherwise, the stage was open, ready for the spooky shenanigans to begin!

There was a very strong opening to the show, with the cast showing striking movement in yellow gloves – the first in a string of excellent pieces of choreography from Chloe French, Hayley Roberts and Claire Watson.  As the show progressed, we were treated to a wide range of styles, from jerky zombie limbs (with ‘Thriller’ making a perhaps inevitable, but welcome appearance) to ghostly gliding, and everything in between.  In fact, there was so much choreography throughout the show, often quite complex, that I am at a loss to know how the cast managed to remember it all! 

The show was made up of a mixture of scary ‘Hallowe’en’ type numbers; songs alluding to things such as spells or magic; re-imaginings of songs with a macabre edge (I never thought I’d see ‘Tiptoe through the Tulips’ as performed by a serial killer!); and finally songs with no apparent link to the theme, other than that they were being performed in what might be described as ‘macabre burlesque’.  I felt that the most successful numbers were those where the concept, song and choreography were most closely married together, such as ‘Zombie’, featuring good movement in elasticated bonds; ‘Paint it Black’, with its disaffected clown; and ‘This is Hallowe’en’ – an extremely effective group number. 

‘Sound of Silence’ was very effectively staged, with its mass of candles and imposing vocals – the lights going out at the end was very striking.  I also liked the pairing of ‘White Wedding’ and ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’, jaggedly sung by a corpse bride – eerie and actually quite unnerving – mission accomplished, I guess!  I must confess, though, that I was a little bit puzzled at the inclusion of AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’, especially when ‘Highway to Hell’ was right there! 

At the end, we were all encouraged to stand up and jump to the left as the cast belted out Rocky Horror’s ‘The Time Warp’, with the performers eventually joining us in the audience (however this led to a slightly strange ending, as we applauded to an empty stage.)  This happened a few times, although I guess it was in keeping with the off-kilter theme of the show.

Effective costuming, hair and make-up are essential to pulling off a show like this, and I’m happy to say that the EODS team absolutely nailed those elements.  Well done to the whole team, in particular make-up artists Mina Watson-Staite and Lara Clements.  Lighting too was very well done to enhance the atmosphere, with good use of smoke from time to time. 

My congratulations to all at EODS for delivering a performance full of spooky chills and thrills.  The show featured a number of youthful performers who I believe are new to the Society, and the ability and enthusiasm that they showed can only bode well for the future. There’s always a risk in trying something a little bit different, but in this case it was a risk that clearly paid off.  Well done to all, and I look forward to seeing what delights you have up your sleeve as a quite different kind of show – Rent – hits the stage next year.

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