I suppose I should start at the beginning. When I woke up Friday morning, I had no idea there was even such a thing as "Evil Dead: The Musical". I had no idea there was a cult classic musical based on the cult classic film series that had been a smash hit in Toronto, Montreal, and New York. Not only that, but I was blissfully unaware that the musical was having its Midwest debut that very night in my own city. I knew none of those things.
On my way to work that morning, I turned on the radio to Z 99.5 (which I listen to in the mornings only because the daytime DJ amuses me). My ears perked up when he announced that his in-studio guests were members of the cast of "Evil Dead: The Musical". As they performed a number from the show - "All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed By Candarian Demons" (which ended up being one of my favorites) - I couldn't help but laugh. So amused was I by the song, I decided to call the station to see when it was running. The conversation went something like this:
Producer: "Hello, Smiley Morning Show!"
Me: "Yeah, I think this musical sounds great! How long is it running?"
Producer: "Uh... through Halloween, I think."
Me: "Through Halloween? Cool. Hey, are you guys gonna be giving away tickets?"
Producer: "Uh, not yet..."
Me: "Do you know when you might be doing that?"
Producer: "Hold on a second."
And, suddenly, I'm put on hold. He comes back a second later and asks for my name and, suddenly, I'm talking with the DJ, who's telling me that they're gonna give me tickets. No stupid contests or trivia games - I just get them. The catch? They were for the opening night show... that night.
Two tickets. One me. A problem arose - who would I take? My sister (whom I usually go on these little excursions with), though she would appreciate the humor and likes the odd musical, would probably not like the horror aspect (campy though it was). I called a few other friends, who all were busy - either working or having made other plans. I was running out of options.
Finally, I mentioned the musical to one of the new teachers at CCHS whom I'd befriended over the course of the past nine weeks. He seemed interested, so I invited him along. He even went so far as to invite his wife and buy her a ticket at the box office (which I didn't mind in the least - the more the merrier!). So the three of us were on our way to see "Evil Dead: The Musical". It turns out they were great people to see the show with, too. They were really excited about the prospect of sitting in the "splatter zone" (where you're more likely to get hit with fake blood) and got a kick out of a lot of the gags and jokes in the show.
The show itself was too much fun. More fun than I've had at the theatre in a long time! I wasn't overly impressed with the first act, but the second act more than won me over with numbers like "Bit Part Demon," "Do the Necrinomicon," and the aforementioned "All the Men in My Life..." and classic lines like 'Good, bad... I'm the guy with the gun' and 'This is my boomstick!'. The actors were really quite good as well - all local talent (which I found refreshing) who enjoyed the campy horror elements as much (if not more) than the audience. It was obvious they were having a lot of fun on the stage, which is the makings of a great show in anyone's book.
One of the characters got under my skin a bit, mainly because she spoke entirely in bad puns (which anyone who knows me well knows that I abhor). The actress herself was good enough and had a good range of emotion (more evident before her character gets turned into a demon). The actor portraying Ash was more than effective. He is no Bruce Campbell (but seriously, who is?), but he did manage to play the part well enough, recalling the film well. One of the actors later told me that he'd rehearsed the role extensively, and it was very evident. He did well. The real standout, in my mind, was the actress playing Shelly and Annie. She played not one, but two roles with ease. She was an obvious comedianne who played each moment well, without pandering to the audience or being overly obvious. I found out later that five of the cast members were improvers... and, once again, it seemed obvious looking back. These were people who understood humor.
I could go into a lot more details about the show - like the little nuances that made the show great, the show-stopping musical numbers, and the rest - but I really think that, if this sounds 'up your alley' then you should definitely check it out. Tickets are $25 ($20 for seniors and students) and can be ordered at Theatre on the Square. While you order tickets, I'll let you know about the after-party.
Ah, yes. An after-party. The entire audience was invited to an after-party/opening night reception at the Scholar's Inn (about a block from the playhouse). The three of us decided to take them up on it. So, not knowing anyone really, we went down to the restaurant and chilled outside. We chatted with each other for a while and, when the cast showed up, we got a chance to talk with them. Particularly, we talked with Luke McDonnell (who played the mostly mute Ed) and Evan Wesselmann (who played party-boy best friend Scott). Both guys seemed pretty cool and we chatted with them for a couple of hours, actually. Evan busted out his impressions of everyone from Peter Griffin and Mr. Burns to Christopher Walken and George Carlin, while Luke chatted with us about the show, his theatrical background and any topic that popped up. We didn't end up leaving until 1:00am.
All in all, a great time. I plan on seeing this show again at some point, but you should also go and check it out. The cast is one of the best local groups I've seen in a while and the show itself is reminiscent of shows like "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Reefer Madness" (other movies-turned-musicals). Check it!
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