Repo! The Genetic Opera

How good is good? Well, Paris Hilton gave a fabulous performance. I said it. That is not a misprint, I'm not sucking on a huge blunt, nor was I given a lobotomy. I watched a useless celebutant whose usual talents include talking on cell phones and saying things like "that's hot" actually give a sparkling performance.

Any movie, let alone a musical/opera that can get the best out of Paris Hilton is set to establish itself as a remarkable piece of film.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

Repo is set in a bleak future where a pandemic outbreak of organ failure has gripped the populace. To the rescue is biotech company Geneco. They provide transplants (along with other elective surgeries) to anyone who is willing to sign on the dotted line. Of course there are strings attached, but what else could one expect from an evil corporation. If the person defaults on the loan, the Repo man repossess the organ.

The casting is as odd as it is brilliant. They have taken actors from different genres like Sarah Brightman from the musical theater camp, to campy with Paris Hilton, television cult following with both Anthony Head and Paul Sorvino, kid films with Alexa Vega, hard core music Nivek Ogre from Skinny Puppy, and horror/sci films with Bill Moseley. Despite the morbid curiosity factor of the cast, they all work brilliantly together and make a weird kind of sense.

Perhaps most startling aspect of this cast and the part that is most enjoyable is everyone here can sing and sing well. Except for Sarah Brightman and Ogre, we do not think of these actors as singers but if we look closely it's not actually surprising. Paris had the spunky Stars are Blind, Alexa Vega belted out a tune at the end of Spy Kids (3 I think), lets not forget the musical episode of Buffy.

Speaking of Buffy, I would be remiss if I did not mention the title character of Repo Man.
The Repo man played with aplomb by Anthony Head (Giles from Buffy the vampire slayer) is a Jekyll and Hyde character that vacillates from loving but misguided single dad to a Repo Man. His voice soars and wavers as Dad Nathan and growl es and rumbles in an effective baritone as sadistic and gleeful Repo Man.

Why not have such an odd cast in this odd opera? The whole damn thing is a celluloid freak show which includes intro and character back stories told like in a comic book. The costumes smack of BDSM and fetish and it's all filmed in an unsettling neo-noir dirtiness akin to Bladerunner. Yet in the contrast of the creepy darkness, the characters have an ethereal glow. The entire story is sung like in an opera with no actual dialogue but traditional opera or theater music is missing. In it's place is a throbbing and sinister sound more like Nine Inch Nails or Type O Negative with 1 punk and 1 real opera number tossed in for good measure. The sound track could easily fit in at a Goth night club, a strip club, or an orgy but it's also extremely sing along able.

Those who dislike musical theater will love Repo since it lacks pretension or that contrived feeling that goes along with jazz hands, choruses, and choreography. Instead it has a horror scifi heart and an even darker sense of humour. One of the funniest moments is when the Repo Man uses a victim like a puppet. It's blood, guts, and gore with a tongue firmly placed in cheek.

Yet, those of us who love musical theater will also love Repo because despite its anti-theater aspects it actually knows its stuff and it should as it was based upon a stage play (just like Rocky Horror Picture Show). It has stage cred. Case in point, it uses dissonance to jangle the nerves and rile the ears in many of its songs like Zydrate Anatomy. Also the introduction of the Largo siblings and their unique relationship with each other is done in a very traditional musical theater kind of duel in Mark It Up. The audience knows exactly who these characters are without too much extranious exposition. Best of and most theater-ey of all is the character of Grave Robber. He IS the MC. Just like the Ben Vereen Character in Pippin who helps to fill in the details and move the story along. Except Grave Robber is a Goth chick's wet dream and I am positive every dark theater geek, goth kid, and boy that is looking for a sexy male costume for next Halloween will be dressing like Grave Robber. At least now the Crow costume can R.I.P.

I should note that the character of the Grave Robber played by Terrance Zdunich who is also a composer, writer, actor, artist (illustrator, storyboard artist) and get this, wrote this awesome beast. He's also a baritone no less.

Despite the futuristic setting of Repo! The Genetic Opera is merely a wink away from our current global corporatocracy situation. It's not really such a far leap. We have a melting global economy, a melting and toxic planet, and a plutocracy all tightly corseted into hyper vanity. This movie could not have come out at a better time. We needed this. We needed something new, dark, reflective, unique, and telling. Most of all, we need the celluloid equivalent of Zydrate to take the pain of real everyday horrors we are facing right now. This brilliant confection may have not gotten the props it deserves from the daily rags but many cult classics like Bladerunner and Rocky Horror were sniffed at by critics. All one has to do is look at the sold out shows and its rabid fans to see the magic. Everybody everybody get up and testify!