Evolution: The Musical!
Encyclopedia
Evolution: The Musical! is a short musical comedy
depicting the struggle between Evolution
and Creationism
, through two groups of fictional characters: "The Beasties" and "The Blesseds". While the bulk of the film surrounds the struggle between these two groups, a love affair develops between two of the characters on either side, as the film progresses.
musical number, Who Begat, about the lineage
of The Blesseds (Creationism
).
The focus of the narrative then turns to "The Beasties", who dwell in the forest near the church. A "Beastie" named Flippy (Paco Romane
) asks another "Beastie", Wog Wog (Andrew Bancroft
), how the Beasties came into existence. Wog Wog begins a song "Thumbs", which depicts the history of The Beasties (Evolution
). At the conclusion of the song, Queen Bonobo (Melanie Case
), queen of "The Beasties", is informed that her husband, Chief Cranius, has been killed by "The Blesseds". "The Beasties" then exit the forest in search of revenge.
Back at the church, Father Catheter explains to "The Blesseds" how he had gone into the woods, and killed the leader of "The Beasties". It is at this point that "The Beasties" burst into the church and begin to taunt "The Blesseds" in musical fashion, with another song "Pagans". It is also at this time that the love story begins, when Mary and Wog Wog see each other for the first time. The sequence ends with Queen Bonobo taking Mary hostage in retribution
for killing their chief.
"The Blesseds" find "The Beasties" in the forest, and the two groups close in on each other. But before they meet, Jesus
(Sean Hayes
), appears and persuades his followers (The Blesseds) not to choose a path of violence. "The Beasties" take advantage of this opportunity, and close in on the Blessed group. At this point, Charles Darwin
(Joe Higgins), appears and stops the Beasties in a similar fashion. The two groups make amends momentarily, but resume fighting when they see Jesus and Darwin fighting. Wog Wog and Mary flee to the ocean. The film concludes with another song "We've got to Evolve", which brings the two groups together in peace
.
by San Francisco based production companies illBilly productions
and Mothership Pictures. Andrew Bancroft
wrote the screenplay, wrote seven original songs, helped compose the music, and played the "Beastie" character Wog Wog. Kenny Taylor
directed the film, worked closely with editor Eric Schultz, and made a cameo as the "Blessed" character Eziekiel.
Evolution: The Musical was filmed entirely in the San Francisco Bay Area
, in California. Specifically, all of the outdoor scenes were shot in the Marin County Headlands
, and the Church scenes were shot in Oakland, California.
Reviews
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
depicting the struggle between Evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
and Creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
, through two groups of fictional characters: "The Beasties" and "The Blesseds". While the bulk of the film surrounds the struggle between these two groups, a love affair develops between two of the characters on either side, as the film progresses.
Plot
The film begins in a church on the edge of a forest, which is home to "The Blesseds". Inside the church, Mary Catheter (Tonya Glanz) is requesting a trip outside the church for her birthday. Father Catheter (Jon Wolanske), her father and head priest of "The Blesseds", will not allow the request because he fears it will be too dangerous. Mary questions her father’s judgment, so Father Catheter and Mother Grizzard (Shaye Troha) begin a hip-hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
musical number, Who Begat, about the lineage
Lineage (evolution)
An evolutionary lineage is a sequence of species, that form a line of descent, each new species the direct result of speciation from an immediate ancestral species. Lineages are subsets of the evolutionary tree of life. Lineages are often determined by the techniques of molecular systematics.-...
of The Blesseds (Creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
).
The focus of the narrative then turns to "The Beasties", who dwell in the forest near the church. A "Beastie" named Flippy (Paco Romane
Paco Romane
Paco Romane is a comedian, actor, multi-instrumentalist, humorist, writer, and stand up comedian based in San Francisco after leaving the great midwest. His true love is comedy. He has a large fan base and his short comedy films have won him numerous awards and a big following.- Style :Romane's...
) asks another "Beastie", Wog Wog (Andrew Bancroft
Andrew Bancroft
-Films:Bancroft wrote and starred in Evolution: The Musical! which was screened at the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival. He also wrote, directed and starred in the music video "Maximum Wage".-Features in the media:...
), how the Beasties came into existence. Wog Wog begins a song "Thumbs", which depicts the history of The Beasties (Evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
). At the conclusion of the song, Queen Bonobo (Melanie Case
Melanie Case
Melanie Case , a.k.a. Melanie Salazar Case, is a Colombian-American actor, comedian, writer, theater director, filmmaker, producer, and teacher...
), queen of "The Beasties", is informed that her husband, Chief Cranius, has been killed by "The Blesseds". "The Beasties" then exit the forest in search of revenge.
Back at the church, Father Catheter explains to "The Blesseds" how he had gone into the woods, and killed the leader of "The Beasties". It is at this point that "The Beasties" burst into the church and begin to taunt "The Blesseds" in musical fashion, with another song "Pagans". It is also at this time that the love story begins, when Mary and Wog Wog see each other for the first time. The sequence ends with Queen Bonobo taking Mary hostage in retribution
Retributive justice
Retributive justice is a theory of justice that considers that punishment, if proportionate, is a morally acceptable response to crime, with an eye to the satisfaction and psychological benefits it can bestow to the aggrieved party, its intimates and society....
for killing their chief.
"The Blesseds" find "The Beasties" in the forest, and the two groups close in on each other. But before they meet, Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
(Sean Hayes
Sean Hayes (musician)
Sean Padrick Hayes is an American singer-songwriter.Hayes is a native of New York City, but raised in North Carolina. He began playing traditional American and Irish music with a band called the Boys of Bluehill...
), appears and persuades his followers (The Blesseds) not to choose a path of violence. "The Beasties" take advantage of this opportunity, and close in on the Blessed group. At this point, Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
(Joe Higgins), appears and stops the Beasties in a similar fashion. The two groups make amends momentarily, but resume fighting when they see Jesus and Darwin fighting. Wog Wog and Mary flee to the ocean. The film concludes with another song "We've got to Evolve", which brings the two groups together in peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
.
Cast
- Andrew BancroftAndrew Bancroft-Films:Bancroft wrote and starred in Evolution: The Musical! which was screened at the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival. He also wrote, directed and starred in the music video "Maximum Wage".-Features in the media:...
as Wog Wog - Tonya Glanz as Mary Catheter
- Jon Wolanske as Father Catheter
- Melanie CaseMelanie CaseMelanie Case , a.k.a. Melanie Salazar Case, is a Colombian-American actor, comedian, writer, theater director, filmmaker, producer, and teacher...
as Queen Bonobo - Shaye Troha as Mother Grizzard
- Paco RomanePaco RomanePaco Romane is a comedian, actor, multi-instrumentalist, humorist, writer, and stand up comedian based in San Francisco after leaving the great midwest. His true love is comedy. He has a large fan base and his short comedy films have won him numerous awards and a big following.- Style :Romane's...
as Flippy - Sean HayesSean Hayes (musician)Sean Padrick Hayes is an American singer-songwriter.Hayes is a native of New York City, but raised in North Carolina. He began playing traditional American and Irish music with a band called the Boys of Bluehill...
as Jesus - Andy Alabran as Chimpy
- Joe Higgins as Charles Darwin
- Olive Mitra as a "Beastie"
- Cameo appearanceCameo appearanceA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
by Jamie DeWolf
Production
Evolution: The Musical was jointly producedJoint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
by San Francisco based production companies illBilly productions
IllBilly productions
illBilly productions is an entertainment company based in San Francisco. Founded by Kenny Taylor and Andrew Bancroft, illBilly productions is responsible for numerous live comedy shows and films that range in subject matter from a rapping jelly donut, to a version of the Angel Gabriel that prances...
and Mothership Pictures. Andrew Bancroft
Andrew Bancroft
-Films:Bancroft wrote and starred in Evolution: The Musical! which was screened at the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival. He also wrote, directed and starred in the music video "Maximum Wage".-Features in the media:...
wrote the screenplay, wrote seven original songs, helped compose the music, and played the "Beastie" character Wog Wog. Kenny Taylor
Kenny Taylor (director)
Kenny Taylor is an American filmmaker.Born and raised in Southern Oregon, Kenny Taylor moved to Los Angeles as a teenager, where he began working as an actor, stand-up comic, and screenwriter....
directed the film, worked closely with editor Eric Schultz, and made a cameo as the "Blessed" character Eziekiel.
Evolution: The Musical was filmed entirely in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, in California. Specifically, all of the outdoor scenes were shot in the Marin County Headlands
Marin Headlands
The Marin Headlands is a hilly area at the southernmost end of Marin County, California, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Headlands are located just north of San Francisco, immediately across the Golden Gate Bridge. The entire area is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
, and the Church scenes were shot in Oakland, California.
Film Festivals
- Accolade Film Festival 2007
- San Francisco International Film FestivalSan Francisco International Film FestivalSan Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
2008 - Digital Video and High Definition Film Festival 2008
- Atheist Film Festival 2009
- Black Rock City Film Festival 2010
External links
- Interview with the Filmmakers on SF360.org
Reviews
- Review of Evolution: The Musical! by Boxoffice.com
- Review of the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival by Indiewire.com
- Review of Evolution: The Musical by the San Francisco Chronicle
- Review of Evolution: The Musical! by Synergy Magazine
- Review of the San Francisco International Film Festival by SF Weekly