By: Monster Science Productions
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| Amazing photo by Kari Elizabeth Godfrey |
Genre: Theater, comedy, historical, non-fiction, storytelling
What's It All About:
"Rev. Matt’s infotational talks return! Get the historical background, comedy jokes, and PowerPoint that you need about the monsters we create and the fears they embody. This year, the first two dates will feature a talk about Old Nick, the First Among the Fallen, the history of the Christian Satan himself. And the last three will be a piece about sirens, krakens, Great Cthulhu, and other horrors of the deep blue sea!'"
What We Thought:
Reverend Matt's Monster Science is becoming a Twin Cities institution, with a constantly-expanding array of hilarious, informative presentations about monsters. He has two shows at TCHF: Sympathy for the Devil (first two dates) and Demons of the Deep Blue Sea (remaining three shows). In Sympathy, Rev. Matt provides an in-depth look at depictions of Satan through the millennia with copious historical references. His trusty accompanying Powerpoint was particularly useful as some of the descriptions of the devil are truly bewildering (three heads? heads in stomachs?) This show made me wish for a syllabus--or at least a list of the complex names of the devil. (Or maybe not! Eek!)
Did we mention also the funny? One of the most unique aspects of Rev. Matt's particular brand of storytelling is his ability to add humor to a fairly academic presentation with only a quirk of an eyebrow or a well-timed shrug--in addition to superbly dry jokes, of course. The pop culture references are also a treat. We particularly loved seeing a favorite Harvey comics character pop up, which made us seriously rethink our childhood reading choices. Go see Rev. Matt. His delightful shows are a perfect intermezzo between more spooky offerings at the Twin Cities Horror Fest.
Side note: While I was writing this, this song came on my Halloween mix, so I'm sharing it with you. The incomparable Bessie Smith singing "Devil's Gonna Get You."
