REVIEW: The Human Centipede Parody Musical - Synergy Production Co., Left of Right Theatre Company, PIP Theatre

REVIEW | The Human Centipede Parody Musical

Presented by: Synergy Production Co., in collaboration with Left of Right Theatre Company and PIP Theatre

Venue: PIP Theatre, Milton

Date attended: 7 October 2026 (Preview)

Music: Thomas Currie

Book and Lyrics: Liam Hartley and Oliver Catton

Director: Liam Hartley

Assistant Director and Choreographer: Maureen Bowra

Musical Director and Sound Designer: Nate Stevenson

Production Designer: Tamzen Hunter

Lighting Designer: Claire Yorston

Costume Designer: Jemma Crowhurst

Stage Manager: Lindsay Cooper

Intimacy Coordinator: Michaela Faux

Photography: Lavender Productions

"There is always a light at the end of the anus."

Possibly the most inspirational thing you'll hear from a musical about three people surgically sewn together, mouth to backside.

I've seen a few horror parodies, but nothing quite like The Human Centipede Parody Musical. I haven't watched the original 2009 film, and I never will. I know enough. Yet here I am, willingly watching its musical adaptation and laughing at jokes that would be deeply concerning in any other setting. Don't let the source material get in the way of a good time!

Written by Liam Hartley and Oliver Catton, with music by Thomas Currie, this spectacularly tasteless Australian creation returns under Hartley's direction. Since its 2023 Anywhere Festival beginnings, it's acquired a full set, projections, and a lighting rig, giving its characters considerably more theatrics to suffer through.

The story follows two clueless American tourists, Lindsay (Rae Rose) and Jenny (Georg Gleeson), who fall into the hands of Dr Heiter (Beau Wykes), a sociopathic German surgeon with a friendly disposition and an appalling medical project. They're joined by Katsuro (Chris Nguyen), an equally unfortunate captive who thinks he's been invited to a party. Bless his soul.

Before any unpleasantness, however, we're treated to a familiar opening scene lifted straight from The Princess Bride. Douglas Berry plays the grandfather reading to his sick grandson, played by Chris Nguyen in a dreadful wig (and playing with an actual Game Boy, btw!). This sets the tone for the theatrical thievery and obscene nonsense to follow, with performers committing to every ridiculous decision as though their dignity isn't already beyond saving.

Beau Wykes plays Dr Heiter as a cheerful German sociopath, approaching his surgical ambitions with the enthusiasm of someone unveiling an exciting craft project! Come Act Two, Wykes channels Frank-N-Furter meets Beyoncé, later leading a tap break in which the human centipede taps with its hands. Yes, hands. There's only so much conventional choreography one can manage when one's face is attached to someone else's rear end...

Rae Rose and Georg Gleeson look like they've wandered straight out of S Club 7's wardrobe and taken a wrong turn on holiday. As their predicament worsens, the pair throw themselves into frantic singing and physical comedy, with Gleeson's intense eyes conveying every stage of terror. Rose brings superb vocal control and musicality to 'The Centre of a Centipede'. Their group number, 'We're Fucked/We're Fine', sees them rolling around on chairs, desperately convincing themselves everything's fine when, quite demonstrably, it isn't.

Chris Nguyen provides a comic counterpoint to the surrounding hysteria. His initial cluelessness is rather adorable. The trio eventually develop a peculiar companionship with an unexpectedly cute conclusion. I'm told the film takes a somewhat different approach to the ending...

Meanwhile, old-fashioned noir detectives Kranz (Casey Martin) and Voller (Douglas Berry) investigate the situation, though they're more interested in narrating their actions and indulging in musical diversions. Their exaggerated Brooklyn accents (which they maintain even while singing), rapid-fire exchanges, and theatrical choreography make for a wonderfully ridiculous double act. Martin switches between detective smoulder and buffoonery easily, with a face made for black-and-white crime films, while Berry matches his energy and looks as though he's fighting for his life through the choreography.

Their recurring number, 'Ain't a Second to Spare', sees the detectives repeatedly announce their lack of time while wasting an extraordinary amount of it. Just when you think they're finished, they're back for more. Musical theatre, country western, rock 'n' roll, crooning, and a kickline, naturally. (Martin going full hillbilly absolutely sent me). Choreographer Maureen Bowra has found another way to torture people in a show already dedicated to that activity. The song threatens to become the one that never ends, and I'm not convinced the detectives would mind. Bowra's choreography makes inventive use of the physical limitations of being attached to other humans. Thankfully, costume designer Jemma Crowhurst has provided padding and knee protection for the cast's prolonged adventures on the floor. Even a mad scientist's victims deserve appropriate workplace safety considerations.

Thomas Currie's score features catchy melodies, clever reprises, and outrageous lyrics. Hartley and Catton enjoy a good pun, particularly involving rear-ends, bodily functions, or unfortunate positioning. Gleeson's song 'I'll Be Right Behind You' acquires an entirely different meaning here. The Act One finale weaves earlier songs together during Lindsay's morphine-induced nightmare. Even the musical numbers end up interconnected.

I also caught references to Les Misérables, Hamilton, and A Chorus Line. 'Three Heads Are Better Than One' brings sparkling showmanship to a grotesque situation. Nate Stevenson's musical direction and sound balance ensure every dreadful pun comes through clearly. Claire Yorston's lighting design is equally sharp, with precisely timed cues and bold colour changes complementing the show's over-the-top parody style. During 'Hide and Seek', I caught myself thinking, 'Oooh, lighting change!' (Yes, I'm that person.) Alongside Tamzen Hunter's set and projections, the technical design provides a fuller playground for the madness.

For all its disgusting subject matter, the staging is less visually revolting than expected. One fart noise (more of a shart, really) does much of the dirty work, while the costumes leave plenty to the imagination. The actors even break the fourth wall to judge us for attending this show in the first place. I glanced around the theatre to see most audience members covering their mouths in shock. Quite the collective reflex, considering what we've paid to watch. Perhaps we're instinctively protecting ourselves from recruitment?

As the show acknowledges, "As sadistic as it is, I want to know how it ends." And I did. The performers commit completely to the satire, and I became invested in these ridiculous characters despite knowing their ghastly predicament. The Human Centipede Parody Musical is gleefully stupid, unashamedly camp, and wildly inventive (and far more entertaining than an adaptation of this film has any right to be).