Original EVIL DEAD - THE MUSICAL Star Ryan Ward Back for Toronto Run at Randolph Theatre, Beg. Tonight

It's baaaaack! Evil Dead - The Musical, winner of the 2007 Dora Audience Choice Award as Toronto's favourite show, returns to the city where it all began tonight, October 24 for a limited engagement at Toronto's Randolph Theatre (formerly The Bathurst Street Theatre).

Evil Dead - The Musical will once again star Ryan Ward reprising the lead role of Ash and will be staged by its co-creator and original director Christopher Bond. The hilarious, record-breaking Canadian musical (created by George Reinblatt, Frank Cipolla, Melissa Morris and Bond) tells the outrageous story of five college friends spending the weekend in an abandoned cabin in the woods after accidentally unleashing an evil force that turns them all into demons.

The original production, based on the Evil Dead film franchise, opened 10 years ago at the Tranzac Club in Toronto and enjoyed an immensely popular run, with 150 productions eventually presented in cities around the world. It has been performed more than 300 times in Toronto, with sold-out houses and rave reviews from critics. The new production, produced by Starvox Entertainment in association with original producer Jeffrey Latimer Entertainment, will feature a Canadian Equity cast consisting of Kenton Blythe, Evan Dowling, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Brianna Love, Alison Smyth, Margaret Thompson, Laura Tremblay and Daniel Willistonperforming alongside Ward. Staged at the newly renovated Gothic-style Randolph Theatre, the one-of-a-kind venue offers a perfect setting for the hilarious, zombie-inspired story.

"Evil Dead - The Musical is the most fun you can have at the theatre. It's a show everyone loves - even if you don't love musicals," said Corey Ross, president of Starvox Entertainment. "Since being called 'the next Rocky Horror Show' by The New York Times, the show is primed to return to Toronto, where all the evil fun started."

Those familiar with Evil Dead - The Musical will remember that audience members sitting in the designated "Splatter Zone" (the first three rows) get covered in fake blood as the production incorporates some fun 'real-life' effects during certain scenes. In addition to some dismembered limbs, demons telling bad jokes, and catchy tunes ("Look Who's Evil Now", "All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons"), the show features a saucy combination of wit and sexual innuendo that keeps audiences laughing out loud.

Tickets range in price from $19.99 to $69.95 and are available online at Ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1-855-985-5000.

Image courtesy of Starvox Entertainment

To post a comment, you must register and login.