Evil Dead: The Musical

by Sass

Where: Diesel Playhouse until June 14th, 2008

What's the deal? Based on the 80's films, five college kids (odd, because all the actors look at least 150% older than the average college attendee) go camping in the scary woods. There's an ancient book of the dead which transforms most of the cast into zombies. They deal with that icky sitch. It's a musical, so lots of singing and dancing. The spoken portions are lathered with sexual innuendos and bad puns. All in all, it's very silly and entertaining. Naturally, the fat guy is the funniest. The selling point being the excessive use of stage blood which the cult fans seek to be splattered with.

You'll like this musical if you like: Cheesy zombie flicks, Rocky Horror, and getting showered in red corn syrup.

Indicative quote: "All the men in my life keep getting killed by Candarian Demons."

Highlight: The zombie killing spree, when cast members and the set itself spew litres of blood on the 'splatter zone' audience.

Lowlight: The dude pulling out his intestines from his stomach wound, which invariably ended with extracting his gonads. So nauseating.

What was the audience like: Rockers and AV nerds. First two rows dressed in white (preferably previously splattered) t-shirts with "I survived the splatter zone" slogan. Production provided plastic ponchos for the inexperienced.

Who you should bring: Your mildly-pseudo-alt geeky gay brother. Or a bunch of fun-seeking friends who revel in idiocy.

Verdict: I attended on comped tickets and paid zero dollars to see the show, but Evil Dead was still a fun night worth stepping out for. The first act is a good warm up for those who are unfamiliar with the cult hit. The second act is much more eventful and funny. Big song and dance numbers akin to the kind of musicals I generally enjoy. This production is definitely for the already-committed fans of the horror comedy genre. If you like camp, gore and out-right silliness you're sure to enjoy this show along with all the other rave reviewers and many repeat offenders. If you're not already sold, give it a shot for some unconventional entertainment, good ol' fashioned cussing and guaranteed laughs.