Review by Mari Lynne Rupp
It takes a lot of nerve to put a very popular horror/comedy franchise to music and a lot of fake blood to put it to stage. A very creative person had that nerve, and Jake Wheat had the fake blood. And a lot of friends. In an undertaking with putting a cult classic like that to stage, you know it's going to be bloody aweful or campy and fun.
I was privilege to see a media preview of "Evil Dead: The Musical" last night and they had my attention right from the beginning when the zombie-like usher asked if I needed a "safety kit".
"A what??" I asked. He then explained the first four rows were in danger of being sprayed and splashed by the stage blood during the show and to prevent staining and eye injury, the theater sold for 5.00$ safety kits, consisting of a plastic rain poncho and safety glasses. Looks like they were going for bloody aweful, but a show where you need to worry about being sprayed by blood can't be bad, in my opinion.
The show starts with the wonderfully campy "Cabin in the Woods" with all the innocence and foreshadowing present in the original film's first twenty minutes. I'll be honest with you, the soundtrack itself is not "Little Shop of Horrors", nor would it win any Tonys. The cast, however, sing and perform it with such enthusiasm and sense of fun that you end up tapping your feet, and trying to sing along to the chorus after the third verse.
From then on, it just gets better. Bad puns, inside jokes, and visual nods to Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi keep us horror fans in stitches. Even if it's your first time experiencing "The Evil Dead" you couldn't help having a good time.
Scott Anthony, who also did the musical direction, played Ash with just the right amount of campiness, and the cupporting players Keri Bagg (Linda) Rebecca Chaney (Cheryl) Jason Potts (Scott) and Felicia L. Corbett (Shelly) do a fantastic job to carry us through the story with singing, dancing and buckets and buckets of blood. Those of us familiar with the story were wondering from the beginning, "Do they do that famous scene with Cheryl and the trees? Will they have the guts?" Oh, they do. They have the guts for it. Then they have the blood a bit later. This show is one you could see on a weekly basis, with something new each time. Just fasten your safety goggles! 9/10