related items
To horror film fanatics all over the world, what the "Evil Dead" franchise has come to symbolize the very best is self-consciously campy zombie flicks. Incorporating elements of traditional horror film themes (abandoned cabin deep in the woods, demonic possession, lots of gore) as well as slapstick humor and black comedy, "Evil Dead" has a rabid cult following that appreciates horror as much as they do absurdity.
In 2004, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell (director and star of the film franchise, respectively) approved a musical adaptation of the classic flicks written by comedy writer George Reinblatt, which was a blend of the three films’ plotlines and characters featuring the “deadites” dancing and singing to original songs inspired by the wackiness of the movies.
That musical, based on this Michigan-rooted film series, is currently being produced by WDIV’s Best Theatre Group of 2008 and 2009, Who Wants Cake?, at the Ringwald Theatre in Ferndale.
"Evil Dead: The Musical" is, above all else, a celebration of the campy nature of the "Evil Dead" movies. Our hero Ash, in the role that made Bruce Campbell and his chin internationally famous, battles the deadites unleashed by the Book of the Dead, spilling lots of zombie blood and chopping off his own possessed hand along the way. Mitchell Koory has Campbell’s leading man looks and does his best to imitate Campbell’s rubber face. He delivers all the hammy one-liners with a raised eyebrow and sense of self-aware schtick.
Christa Coulter gives a standout performance as Ash’s sister Cheryl, who is the first to succumb to possession by a Candarian demon and who taunts Ash relentlessly throughout the show with incredibly cheesy pop culture puns. Her shrill taunts and guttural growls make her the most entertaining actor of the bunch, the one who best nails the over-the-top evil undead spirit of the movies.
There are plenty of self-referential moments in the production that make for good insider giggles. Cheryl reads Bruce Campbell’s autobiography "If Chins Could Kill." Ash and co. repeatedly strike a pose that echoes the "Army of Darkness" poster (Ash with the chainsaw attached to his arm and a damsel clinging to his leg). Annie makes a comment about how badly "Spider-man" was directed (another Sam Raimi film).
It is unfortunate that, while these self-referential puns were easily understood by the audience, much of the spoken dialogue seemed to fall flat: lines that should have elicited belly laughs from the audience could just as well have made crickets chirp (except for this one guy, whose gasping guffaws made me think of Tenacious D’s “Inward Singing”). Many of the actors seem to have only a shaky sense of comedic timing, delivering lines too hurriedly, too over-emphatically, and just a few seconds off (or flubbing lines entirely, and having difficulty recovering).
But what they lack in comic delivery they make up for with strong singing. The cast was full of talented singers who seemed most comfortable in their actors’ skins when they were engaged in song and dance. Expect outlandish numbers such as “Do the Necronomicon,” a song-and-dance ritual performed by the Candarian demons vaguely reminiscent of “Thriller” that is their “traditional” dance they must perform before taking over the world (and of course allowing the hero plenty of time to thwart their plan). Also, “What the Fuck Was That?” is a great number performed with frightened bromantic hilarity between Scott (Jay Mapile) and Ash.
If you’re sitting in the first few rows, beware the “Splatter Zone.” There is a great deal of stage blood spilled, sprayed and squirted throughout the play (particularly Act Two), and a whole lot of it ends up in the audience. (Ponchos are available at the door; “Evil Deadites” like to wear white T-shirts and take them home as spattered souvenirs.)
Overall, Who Wants Cake? Theatre’s production of "Evil Dead: The Musical" is entertaining for all its ludicrous camp, and theater-goers really can’t expect too much more than that. This is, after all, a musical in which dismembered heads and hands continue their homicidal pursuits, the love theme is about S-Mart (as in K- or Wal), demons practice ritual choreography, and audience members need to wear tarp as if they were at a Gallagher show (or a particularly raucous "Rocky Horror Picture Show" performance). It’s cheesy and fun, and that’s all it needs to be.
