Since its humble beginnings in the back room of Toronto’s Tranzac club back in 2003, Evil Dead The Musical has steadily risen in infamy as a ridiculously fun, tongue-in-cheek, gore-soaked musical experience. From those earliest shows, the musical has gone on to make an off-broadway debut, to win and be nominated for several Dora awards, and to play in dozens of cities around the world, from Montreal and Vancouver to Tokyo and Madrid. It was high time that the show make a triumphant homecoming to a stage in Toronto, and it finally has, at the Randolph Theatre.
Based on Sam Raimi’s trilogy of films (Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness), this musical interpretation takes the campiest, corniest elements from its source material and joyfully jacks them up into glorious parody. With the self-awareness of any good slasher movie, the play makes no pretense about its innate ridiculousness, instead celebrating its tropes and cliches at every available opportunity.
With many veteran cast members returning—including Ryan Ward, who originated the lead role of Ash in the debut Toronto production, and Alison Smyth, who reprises the role of Cheryl, which she played in the 2008 Toronto production—there’s a deep comfort and chemistry among the company. Daniel Williston is stunningly good as “good old reliable” Jake. He has the funniest song in the entire show, plus a wonderful physical presence and an utter commitment to the absurdity of the plot.
That plot is at once simple and delightfully messy. It begins with the most classic slasher trope: five college students heading up to a remote cabin in the woods for a weekend of relaxation and debauchery. Soon enough, the Necronomicon, a book “bound in human flesh and inked in human blood” is discovered, and demons begin to possess both people and foliage. Along the way, the daughter of a famous archeologist, her submissive fiancee, and a trigger-happy backwoods guide join the party. Predictably, the show is a bloodbath.
Evil Dead The Musical borrows lovingly from its source material, working in as many classic plot points as possible, from the gruesome Necronomicon itself, to Ash’s chainsaw hand. Lines lifted directly from the films are framed as obviously as possible, and the audience can often be heard speaking them along with the cast.
As fun as the references are, it’s the songs and the fantastic dance numbers that make this musical such fun. The score, composed by George Reinblatt, Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, and Melissa Morris, references everything from ’50s doo-wop to tango. And holy hell can this cast move. The duet between Ward’s Ash and Margaret Thompson as his girlfriend Linda is fantastic, and the climactic dance number during “Do The Necronomicon” is excellent, referencing everything from The Rocky Horror Picture Show to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
Like anything full of self-aware, over-the-top humour, Evil Dead The Musical is best when embraced wholeheartedly. Have a beer or three, sit in the Splatter Zone (the plastic-covered section of seating where audience members are guaranteed to be splashed with fake blood during the show), and laugh yourself half to death.
Performances will take place Tuesdays through Thursdays at 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. There will be special performances on October 31, 2013 (Halloween) at 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.