EVIL DEAD – THE MUSICAL by George Reinblatt, Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, Melissa Morris (Starvox/Jeffrey Latimer). At the Randolph Theatre (736 Bathurst). $19.99-$79.99. Runs to December 22. evildeadthemusical.com. See listing. Rating: NNN
You have to be pretty smart to put on a dumb musical, and the makers of Evil Dead – The Musical are smart enough to have made this clunky cult show not just survive but thrive for a decade.
It began 10 years ago in a modest production at the Tranzac, but – in retooled, pumped-up and engorged productions – has played venues across the continent, including New York City and Las Vegas.
Now it arrives in all its splatterific glory at the Randolph Theatre, and while it still makes as much sense as Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead horror movies, about a bunch of students who unleash demons in a cabin in the woods, it’s got a handful of catchy songs and lots of energy. Oh, and plenty of blood.
In fact, the highlight of the current production is the inventive ways blood is shown onstage. From pierced hidden body packs to what appear to be nozzles hidden in the walls to a full-on sprinkler system descending from the ceiling, it’s raining red. (The first several rows are called the Splatter Zone, and you unleash your inner Carrie White by sitting in them, or you can use a plastic sheet to cover yourself.)
The show itself is somewhat anemic. As directed by Christopher Bond, there’s a bit too much mugging and one-note acting in the first act. You can laugh only so many times at send-ups of the film’s inconsistencies. But by the time the song Join Us arrives, which makes inventive use of Lindsay Anne Black’s set, the audience takes the title seriously and gives in to the fun.
And the second act, with its pastiche of melodies that reference Chicago, girl groups and – that elephant in the room – The Rocky Horror Show, is a demented delight.
Ryan Ward brings a self-conscious stiffness to his portrayal of Ash, a role he originated, although there seems to be more Clint Eastwood to his performance than Bruce Campbell. Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll makes Ash’s loutish buddy Scott extremely likeable, and Laura Tremblay nearly steals the show as Annie, the daughter of the backstory’s anthropologist. Tremblay alone knows how to present bad dialogue so it’s consistently compelling.
A lot of care has been lavished on the costumes, makeup and choreography to create one of the most popular funny-scary stage experiences in the city.
May Evil Dead live another decade.
