theatre review - THE EXORCIST HAS NO LEGS - All Puppet Players - October 15, 2015

photo: All Puppet Players

Click here for more information on this production that runs through October 30th.

"...The Exorcist is a horror classic...Shaun Michael McNamara and his All Puppet Players have turned the movie on its ear to spoof it, and the end result is a silly, fun homage to the classic film entitled The Exorcist Has No Legs....Twelve-year-old Regan MacNeil has been exhibiting erratic behavior...she begins to shout obscenities, speak in Latin, show superior strength, and pee in the middle of a dinner party, it seems that she is possessed by a demon and that an exorcism is the only solution....McNamara...includes plenty of actual dialogue from the film as well as reenactments of many of the film's most memorable moments. Just about every classic scene is dramatized; the only ones missing are a few where film "close-ups" would be necessary...Not everything works, including a few bits or scenes that run just a bit too long. But, surprisingly for a comedy spoof, the serious and spooky moments of the play actually succeed exceptionally well and hold their own alongside the funnier moments.  The cast is composed of six actors who have appeared in past All Puppet Players productions, plus one newcomer to the group. McNamara plays Karras, the largest part in the play, and he shows how good of an actor he is. While he gets plenty of laughs from his jokes, McNamara actually makes you sympathize with Karras as well. Anna Katen and Brianna Funk are Chris and Regan, and while Katen is appropriately concerned as the worried mother, Funk is simply hilarious as the demonic child.... Clare Burnett's lighting is simple yet effective and when her design combines with McNamara's sound effects they elevate the possession and exorcism scenes to major highlights, adding a bit of spookiness to the almost non-stop comic moments.  While a few of the jokes don't land and a few scenes run on a bit too long, there are many things that do work and, with a talented cast, The Exorcist Has No Legs ends up being a funny spoof, and a fairly faithful adaptation, of one of the scariest movies ever made."  -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)