[Susan Foreman]

Yesterday it was time for the monthly viewing of "Alice Cooper's Theatre Of Death' DVD

To say that this is my favourite concert DVD is an understatement! It's something I watch regularly, and still thoroughly enjoy

What we have here is a recording of the show at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009. It is pure Rock and Roll theatre. It is a true concept piece, although that was probably not realised by the audience at the time

The whole 'Theatre of Death' concert tells a story. To be honest, I'm not sure if the main character is Alice, Vincent or Stephen, but keeping with the WTMN motif, I will refer to him as Stephen

My reading of this show is that it is something that happens within the head of a mentally disturbed teenager

THE REVIEW

ACT ONE

The lights go down, and we are introduced the Stephen on the last day of school, counting down the seconds before the final bell rings (School's Out). Stephen is a teenager (Department of Youth / Eighteen) who has a secret - he is psychotic fascist, who dreams of destroying those who are not 'in tune' with him (Wicked Young Man), but of course murder is not accepted in polite society, and Stephen is captured, and placed in a straight-jacket (Ballad of Dwight Fry) where he is executed by guillotine

ACT TWO

Stephen wakes up in Hell (Go To Hell) where he is forced to face up to his actions, where he realises that what he has done was wrong (Guilty) but this is an alien concept to him, and he has to confront this (Welcome To My Nightmare). But Stephen is unable to do this, once again his madness surfaces, this time in dreams of necrophilia (Cold Ethyl), but as all sane people know, this is not right, and once again he is executed, this time by lethal injection (Poison)

ACT THREE

But this is not real, because it's all in his head, and once again he wakes up (The Awakening), but this time he is in an asylum (From The Inside). Unfortunately, the person looking after him is a sexually alluring and sadistic nurse (Nurse Rozetta) who Stephen finds he has got feeling for (Is It My Body), but when she rebukes him, he has to kill her (Be My Lover). For possibly the first time in his life, he has conflicting feelings - he has killed someone he loves (Only Women Bleed), but is unable to show any emotions about this (I Never Cry) which, of course lead to the gallows where he is hung by the neck until he is dead

INTERLUDE

The Black Widow

ACT FOUR

Because of his feelings for another person, Stephen is confused. Part of him still wants to extract revenge on his 'enemies' (Vengeance Is Mine / Devil's Food) but another part of him wants redemption, and he tries to 'buy off' the witnesses to his crimes [the audience] first with jewellery (Dirty Diamonds) and then money (Billion Dollar Babies), but there is no redemption for him (Killer) and he is placed inside an iron maiden, to be killed once more

INTERLUDE 2

I Love The Dead

ACT FIVE

But Stephen's mind has gone, and he is truly evil. There is to be no saving him (No More Mr. Nice Guy) [for the next song, other then getting into a car, and running over people, I cannot fit 'Under My Wheels' into this synopsis], but then the school bell finally rings, (Schools Out) and Stephen is out of school and on the streets again

So that's my reading of 'Theatre of Death'. If you have not seen it, then I urge you to do so. If you have seen it, and your reading is something different, I would be pleased to hear it