Evil Dead the Musical
Those Candarian Demons are back!
That can only mean that EVIL DEAD – The Musical has returned for an extended run.
The show was put together by George Reinblatt, Christopher Bond, Melissa Morris and Frank Cipolla – a group of Queens University graduates who loved the film series with its campy, gory humour. Premiering in the back room at the Tranzac Club in the summer of 2003, this wacky, offbeat musical quickly attracted a small but growing cult following and ran for five weeks.
The following summer it played at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, and after some re-writing it opened in New York at the New World Stages in November 2006. The off-Broadway production received great reviews and enjoyed a six month run after which the producers decided to bring the show back to Toronto.
At first, the EVIL DEAD films seem an unlikely source for a musical, but the creative team has captured the satirical spirit of the films in the inane dialogue. They also add little jabs as musical theatre traditions in the over-the-top production numbers choreographed by Hinton Battle.
The show refuses to take itself too seriously, with characters that are purposefully one-dimensional. The rock-influenced score matches the style of the production – slightly over-the-top, loud and offbeat. George Reinblatt's lyrics are quite clever in their simplistic rhymes, making it even more regrettable that at the performance I attended major sound glitches caused many of them to be lost.
Once again Ryan Ward is back as the hero Ash navigating that fine line between camp and reality. He plays the role essentially straight, making it even funnier, and displaying a powerful voice. Sarah Cornell Shelly has a field day in the dual roles of Annie and Shelly, and Tara Macri as Ash's devoted girlfriend gets to do the requisite hysterical reaction bits, which she relishes.
No one has more fun on stage than Rachel Fischer as first one to turn into a demon. Fischer's facial expressions are priceless as she pops up through a trap door to spew forth a torrent of obscenities and bad puns.
For sensitive viewers it should be noted that there is some strong language in this show and a lot of blood. For those who dare sit in the first two rows known as the splatter zone be prepared to be drenched in it! Blame those Candarian demons.
Evil Dead: The Musical runs at the Diesel Playhouse, 56 Blue Jays Way, until Aug. 4. Performancs as Monday – Thursday at 8, Friday at 7:30 and 11 and Saturday at 7 & 11. For tickets, visit www.dieselplayhouse.com or call 416-971-5656 or
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