Review: EVIL LIBRARIAN: A NEW MUSICAL at Landless Theatre Company

Many of us have less-than-fond memories of high school, and can relate to the idea that “high school is hell” – enough so that a musical about a high school literally at the mouth of hell, overrun by demons and evildoing feels fairly apropos. It’s not a unique idea in media (especially to those of us who grew up with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, or Stranger Things), but it’s a recurring genre because it’s so fitting. But, given that it’s a bit of a crowded field, it’s also important to have a fresh approach to keep audience attention.

Landless Theatre Company attempts to do that with their latest adaptation, Evil Librarian: A New Musical. The musical is based on the YA book of the same name, the first in a series by Michelle Knudsen. Both the musical and the novel follow a similar plot: sixteen-year-old Cynthia Rothschild notices a change in her best friend and classmates upon the arrival of the new school librarian, Mr. Gabriel. Following a series of odd occurrences, Cyn begins to theorize that Mr. Gabriel is behind the oddities and that he may not be entirely human – which she confirms when she and her crush, Ryan, stumble upon the librarian performing a bloody ritual while adorned with wings and horns. Cyn and Ryan then must race to save their friends and teachers before opening night of the school musical (Sweeney Todd, of course, because all demons love the Demon Barber of Fleet Street), when Mr. Gabriel intends to use the souls of the school to fuel his bid for the demonic throne.

The plot has the potential to be incredibly fun and campy, which could lend itself to a great musical experience (the show’s promotional materials evoke references to the famous musical episode of Buffy), but, unfortunately, the execution seems to be unsure as to whether or not to take this premise seriously or humorously. This aimless approach is the first of many flaws in Landless’ production, which fails to fully commit in either direction and instead opts for a confusing and often lethargic middle ground. The script treats the plot seriously, but is laced with attempts at humor that undermines this, and the actors likewise take a mixture of approaches, with some conveying a genuine sincerity while others reduce their characters to elaborate poses or inexplicably stalk the stage in a full mascot costume. Even moments that should have leaned more solidly in the camp direction, like a full musical number featuring canes and every character singing about their climactic plans, felt more tired than humorous, as though even the characters (and performers) can’t quite stir up any real emotion – enthusiasm or disdain – for their situation.

The result is an uneven production that’s further poorly served by the lackluster creative and production elements. Jillian Blevins’ book underexplains the plot, often telling the audience what they need to know about the characters rather than showing, resulting in wild leaps in character behaviors and motives, and crams in so many cringe-worthy attempts at Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang that even fans of the books will likely recoil. Blevins and Andrew Lloyd Baughman (Landless’ Artistic Director whose credits on this production include music, lyrics, and performance) overstuff the songs with rambling word salads, pulled from Knudsen’s longwinded prose, in a matter that mangles any semblance of rhythm or cadence and is often in conflict with Baughman’s underdeveloped tunes. Baughman’s music often feels flat beneath the weighty verses, but also pushes the range of the performers to a point of discomfort, which is a disservice to both the creative elements of the show and the young actors themselves (the majority of the performers are either in high school or recent graduates). Even the more seasoned performers seem to struggle with the musicality of the production, often stumbling on the uneven cadence or audibly slipping in and out – possibly due to a sound design issue, though it only happened for certain performers specifically during musical numbers, so the source was unclear. Other production elements were also rough – the performers’ costumes were often ill-fitted, props didn’t match dialogue descriptions, and, while a minimalist set could work well for a show like this, the decision to keep the stage mostly sparse with hand-drawn panels on the side undermined the professional feeling of the production overall, feeling more like a production at an underfunded middle school than a professional venture; even the clever light fixtures embedded on some pages couldn’t save the haphazard overall effect. In truth, the lighting was the true highlight of the show: from the embedded stars and demonic symbols to the clever punctuation on demonic revelations, the quality of the lighting design (another element from Baughman) was a uniquely standout element to an otherwise floundering production. It’s unfortunate that it didn’t have better elements to highlight.

The performers really make a valiant effort, but with rough material and uninspired technical elements, it’s just too much for them to overcome, especially with Lee Blaser’s often confusing direction choices – some performers seem to be genuinely trying, while others appear to be holding themselves back in ways that hurt the overall impact. Compounding this, the show seems to have an uneven resource commitment, with little care put into costuming and set pieces (except for the infamous Sweeny Todd chair, which is a good enough prop that it’s genuinely mismatched from the show around it), but attention put into elements like the lighting and a CD recording of the less-than-thrilling songs – a baffling decision to prioritize over investing more time and potential funding into the performance itself. It’s a confusing mismatch of priorities, and this dissonance hurts the production as a whole.

It’s disappointing to see a show with promise flounder, but Evil Librarian is so soulless, one has to wonder whether even the titular demon could achieve this level of lethargy. It seems unlikely.

Landless Theatre Company’s production of Evil Librarian runs at the Writer’s Center through June 21. Production run time is approximately 120 minutes with one 10-minute intermission. More information on the production, including tickets and talkbacks can be found on the Landless website.