Red Carpet for Alleluia! The Devils’ Carnival
by Russ Allsup
On Aug. 11th I went to the historic Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Blvd. and attended the world premier of Alleluia! The Devils Carnival.
As I arrived and took in the festivities, I could see that this was not your normal red carpet premier- the were sideshow performers and most of the audience in line waiting for the movie were dressed in outfits and in makeup. Then began the red carpet arrivals, which featured stars of the film such as Paul Sorvino (of Goodfellas fame), Ted Neely (Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar), Adam Pascal (Rent) and also director Darren Lynn Bousman among others. As I entered the theater, I was greeted by a church choir who were singing and passing out fliers with instructions for a dance from the movie called ‘The Ark’.
Once everyone was seated, a band in clown makeup played and got the audience primed for the movie. After an introduction by the director and writers, the crowd was treated to the first viewing ever of what was an offbeat mix of cabaret and a musical in the vein of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The story involves lucifer and his minions getting ready to go to war with God and his disciples. This is a movie that isn’t aiming for a mainstream middle American audience, but more for the people who celebrate being on the outskirts of it.
