The
Des Moines Register reports that a new musical about the
Cardiff Giant hoax has debuted in Iowa:
It's an unlikely recipe for a musical: an odd 19th-century hoax set to the music of Iowa composer Karl King. But a group of creative minds in Fort Dodge, led by Deann Haden-Luke, managed to pull it together with a financial boost from the Iowa Arts Council. "Cardiff," presented by Comedia Musica Players, premieres tonight in Fort Dodge and plays through Sunday.
I usually think of the Cardiff Giant as a New York hoax, but it's true that the stone for the giant did come from Iowa. Anyway, I'll need to add this to my
list of odd musicals. The Cardiff Giant has already been the subject of a fictional novel,
American Goliath by Harvey Jacobs, which was surprisingly raunchy (and funny too). Doesn't look like the play will be raunchy like the book, though you never know. Audiences could be in for a surprise.
Comments
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Re: the original post, the composer listed of the Cardiff Giant musical is Karl L King:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_King
He is best known as a composer of Circus marches, including the Barnum and Bailey March, so it seems fitting that his music be associated with a spectacular hoax.
I'm thinking it should be the theme for a David Copperfield show. He could produce the rabbits from her birth canal. Ta da indeed!
Link: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr;=&client=safari&rls=en&q="seven+bridies+for+seven+brothers"&btnG=Search
Also, Shrewsbury School took a musical to Edinburgh based on the collapse of the South Sea Stock Company in the 18th century.
Link: http://www.culturewars.org.uk/2003-01/bubble.htm