One rule of writing says a story shouldn't overdo outlandish aspects. You're allowed one, perhaps two or three at most, so Hobo Junction Productions' comedic love story (of sorts), "HORRIBLE" hits the quota with its heroine, Holly Goodly (Madeline Chilese), alone; she's a cannibal. But there's another rule at work — if you have good reason and the skills to pull it off, any rule can be broken. In this case, the "everything but the kitchen sink" school of whacked-out comedy produces a delightful show, with the entire team excelling, from writer Josh Zagoren and director Breahan Eve Pautsch down to the crack cast and even the zombified accompanying musical duo.
Malcolm Garrish (Mike Tepeli) is a workaholic doctor. He's never taken so much as a lunch break until he meets Holly — which only happens because he skips work for his mother's wake, and Holly is attending her father's wake in the same funeral parlor. Holly's a workaholic herself, although she has the excuse of inheriting her dad's flower shop and working constantly to survive. Her finances are so paltry that she's driven to cannibalism to eat, finding a serial killer's victims and using them as the Malcolm-pleasing "Holly Ham." That's only the top layer of weirdness; Malcolm's brother and receptionist, Gordon (Kaelan Strauss, earning laughs through mere posturing), is a cross-dresser, Holly's sister Meredith (Cyra K. Polizzi) is blind and all four of the couple's zombie-ghost parents join the dysfunctional action.
As in any, er, "romantic comedy," Malcolm must overcome deep-seated attitudes or the romance will die, only here that means losing the picky demand that his lover not be, um, a cannibal. An out-of-nowhere plot twist stokes the grand finale. By then, you're numb to the twistedness — but that numbness is like a good buzz from laughing gas.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
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