From Amit Itelman of ‘Re-Animator: The Musical’ Comes ‘Bride Of Blood’
Gabriel Theis
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The term “Biblical Drama” probably evokes a preach-a-thon or a bloated sword-and-sandal epic a la Ben-Hur. You probably wouldn’t be expected to associate it with bizarro creature effects out of a midnight movie, or with the dry wit of a Monty Python sketch. That’s because you haven’t yet seen Bride of Blood, the latest theatrical outing from writer/director Amit Itelman.
Itelman began his career in theater 30 years ago in the legendary HBO Workspace, an experimental space that featured talents such as Tenacious D and Bob Odenkirk. As Itleman explained, “It was courageous, DIY, Weirdo Theater.” Afterward, Itelman became the Artistic Director for The Steve Allen Theater, where he premiered Re-Animator: The Musical, and founded Trepany House, which produced Bride of Blood.
Described as “an original phantasmic adventure of King Solomon,” Bride of Blood is “an unconventional biblical drama based on Apocrypha and fringe Jewish Folklore” whose cast features Davey Johnson, Tom Ballatore, Galen Howard, Aaron Kee, Kathleen MacDonald, Lalea Neiviller, and Rediet Work.
The official synopsis reads as follows:
“King Solomon, the son of King David, was famed as the wisest King in all the world. The King attempts to plumb occult Hebrew mysteries, but his understanding is challenged by Exodus 4:24. A perplexing passage in which Moses, his wife Zipporah and their child are endangered by the wrath of God. In his quest and mastery of occult secrets, Solomon is overtaken by his own pride and commits a serious infraction against the will of the Almighty. This opens a path for Asmodeus, A Demon of Wrath, to enter the land of the living.”
Bride of Blood has a residency at Titmouse Warehouse, the venue owned by the eponymous animation outfit whose prolific credits include Metalacoalypse, Star Trek: Lower Decks, The Legend of Vox Machina, and more. While their forte is animation, Titmouse plans to support live entertainment such as Bride of Blood in the name of what Titmouse founder Chris Prynoski refers to as “Gonzo Theater.”
“Gonzo Theater” is the perfect descriptor for Bride of Blood, an unabashedly eclectic performance that embraces traditional theater, alternative comedy, and cult cinema. Having known Itelman for his work in horror theater such as Re-Animator: The Musical and the gothic Nevermore which starred Jeffrey Comb as Edgar Allan Poe, I expected Bride of Blood to be cut from a similar cloth. It proved to be whimsically unpredictable, and I was taken by just how thematic, off-kilter, and sincerely philosophical it was.
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The genesis of the production was Intelman’s fascination with Jewish mythology, particularly its “phantasmic” qualities. After all, the Old Testament is awash with shocking tales of violence, carnage, and psychosexual material that rivals Troma Studios. “There are just some passages in the Old Testament that are insanely violent. And bizarre,” Itelman explained to me with a laugh. But as Itelman continued his research, reading extra-Biblical manuscripts such as The Dead Sea Scrolls, he gravitated more to the character of King Solomon, his quest for knowledge, and his contention with humility.
“A lot of people who are interested in the horror genre see Solomon as a dark wizard who dabbled in demonology. Which is not incorrect, but the text themselves are usually humility plays,” Itelman explained. “The authors of those stories are trying to say something. Not, ‘Oh wow, Solomon was cool and dabbling in black magic’. The intention of the authors is: to have humility.”
It’s that universal message that’s at the heart of Bride of Blood, beyond any of the theological musings or Hensonesque puppetry. As stated in the synopsis, Bride of Blood is a fantastical odyssey that centers on King Solomon in his quest to solve the mystery of the Exodus 4:24 proverb, which supposedly depicts God coming down from the Heavens to kill Moses. But it proves to be an enigmatic passage with drastic and profound implications through its ambiguity and contradictory interpretations. “Why on Heaven and Earth would God want to kill Moses?” as Itelman puts it. “To me, it was a microcosm of religious text: nobody really knows the truth.”
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Despite the title, Bride of Blood is not a splatterfest, although it shares creative DNA with the likes of Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon, who collaborated with Itelman before his passing in 2020. The show itself plays out as a Comedy of Errors with flourishes of practical FX and puppetry. If it was reminiscent of anything, it would be Life of Brian. That tracks since Davey Johnson (The Art of Self Defense), who stars as King Solomon, watched British comedy programs like Fawlty Towers to prepare for the role. That influence is most apparent in Johnson’s chemistry with Galen Howard (Brooklyn 99) as the hapless Jeremiah. It’s the humor that keeps Bride of Blood accessible, even to someone like myself who is not exactly well-versed in theological morality plays.
The text is dense and devoted to its philosophical themes, but the performances convert that into rapid-fire wit. Johnson is pitch perfect in his frantic and blundering portrayal of King Solomon, a man so consumed by the hubris of being the “wisest man who ever lived” that he foolishly threatens to doom his own kingdom.
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The entire cast shines, and it’s all the more admirable considering the amount of FX work they needed to incorporate into their performances. The set is so animated with ingenuity that even the chairs move. Other actors also have to incorporate the extravagant wardrobe and costumes more directly. Kathleen MacDonald (House) as The Spirit of Wisdom bears a ghostly veil that completely obscures her face. I was both admiring her repertoire with Johnson and admiring the fact that she could hit her marks despite her headpiece. Tom Ballatore (Once Bitten) not only portrays Asmodeus, Prince of Demons, but also operates the character’s multiple heads. Asmodeus was, unsurprisingly, Itelman’s favorite design.
The Creatures were designed by Amit Itelman and created by a team of veteran FX artists. For example, the Asmodeus costume was crafted by Stan Winston School of Arts alum Fred Fraleigh, whose credits range from Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy duology and Avengers: Infinity War to Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. The FX team also consisted of David Brooke, Andy Chavez, Kayla Chavez, Hunter Jackson, Dominik Krzanoski, Robert Miller, Jeff Small, and Will Morgan.
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The team has been so busy inventing new designs that the show I attended featured a new creature design that even Fraleigh didn’t realize would be there until it came out on stage.
While Bride of Blood mostly plays out as an eccentric comedy with a welcome amount of puppetry, the climactic sequence pulls out all the stops and truly harkens back to classic creature features. Aaron Kee (American Vandal), whose character Nebuchadnezzar plays a pivotal role in the sequence, had watched the iconic transformation from An American Werewolf in London for inspiration. I’ll refrain from going into any more detail, except that not even the gnarliest Troma movie dared to feature circumcision.
After this run at the Titmouse Warehouse in Los Angeles, the Bride of Blood team will be touring the show in Tokyo throughout February. They will return to Los Angeles to entertain audiences with their unique blend of puppetry, mythology, and comedy.
As Prynoski put it, Titmouse will continue to host live performances in order to “support weirdness in the world.” To keep up with their mission, you can follow them on Twitter and Instagram for details on future performances.
Performances will be on Saturday evenings “through 2024.” Schedule and tickets can be found at trepanyhouse.org. Admission is $25. You can follow them on Instagram here.
Bride of Blood mounted a workshop at the Skylight Theater in 2018. This production was made possible through donations and grants including the Thomas Hutton Foundation.
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