Evil Dead: The Musical is a totally off-beat, totally eccentric, and totally awesome rendition of Sam Raimi’s 1982 cult classic. As a big fan of the original series, I was a bit skeptical by the concept of musical macabre, especially a transliteration of gorror films of which I’m very possessive. But with songs such as “Blew That Bitch Away” and “What the Fuck Was That?”, I realized that no one was taking themselves too seriously. So after reading the program with the biggest smile I’ve allowed in a long time, I took a seat in the “splash zone” (second row motherfucker!) and listened to the ominous heartbeat soundtrack as the show began.
As one might expect, the play covered the first and the second Evil Dead scripts, including some key lines from Army of Darkness to indulge the more masturbatory fan-base (myself included). I admit I felt aroused when Ash (played by Adam Carter) raised his shotgun high in the air and listed off its many physical characteristics. Besides the indulging effects of these lines, however, they cheapened the experience as a whole. Overall, I loved it, and if you follow me on the Kosmo, I don’t give many rave reviews, so this one might be worth checking out.
The play begins with a lighthearted tune about five kids going to a “Cabin in the Woods” for a week of debauchery. After a few minutes of filler which set the tone for the characters of the play (Scott’s a sexist, Cheryl’s a geek, okay…), shit starts to get real. Ash finds a tape with recorded incantations from an ancient Sumerian text called Necronomicon ex mortis, roughly translated (what does that even mean?): Book of the Dead. The book is bound in human flesh and inked in human blood; naturally, the characters take a deeper look at this totally inviting text. Suddenly, the characters start turning into Candarian demons!
Meanwhile, the child of the cabin owner and a few unlikely tag-alongs make their way to the “Cabin in the Woods” only to discover that Ash has killed all of his friends! After an awkward explanation or two, Ash and his new counterparts determine that the only way to get rid of Candarian demons is to create an interdimensional passageway through a rift in the space/time continuum. And to sing and dance. That always seems to work.
Evil Dead the Musical is best when it isn’t totally emulating the movies Evil Dead and Evil Dead II. Seeing our favorite characters on stage, Scott, Cheryl, Shelley, etc., is exciting, but when they do new things, things that aren’t in the movies, then it’s really exciting. For example, Scott makes it clear from the beginning that he’s interested in sex and only sex, something at which we could only guess in the films. The acting itself needs to be taken with a grain of salt: these are amateur volunteers that did a great job. The complexity of and interactions with the set delineated a much more professional cast and really made Evil Dead the Musical an enjoyable experience.
I’m going to cut this review short for a few reasons. I want to tantalize my readers into seeing this play; I want to build up the courage in you to go see Evil Dead the Musical; I want you to support the local theater scene and show your appreciation for these volunteer actors, actresses, and tech crews. This is a very entertaining, albeit low budget and amateur, production. Check it out.
Whole Art Theatre (which is actually spelled “theater”) is located at 359 South Kalamazoo Mall in Kalamazoo. Evil Dead the Musical runs until Halloween, October 31st; tickets are available by calling 269-345-7529 (reservations are strongly recommended). Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students with a valid school ID (it’s expensive, but worth it).
