In 1981, director Sam Raimi unveiled "The Evil Dead." This low-budget horror film would become a cult classic and spawn two sequels: "Evil Dead II" and "Army of Darkness." The films combined dark humor, innovative camera techniques and masses of gore to become one of the most popular cult franchises ever. Grungy horror films do not normally lend themselves to being adapted into musicals, but in 2003 "Evil Dead: The Musical" debuted in the back room of a small bar in Toronto. The show went on to be very popular with fans and critics, and now it is here.
"Evil Dead: The Musical" tells the story of five college students who decide to stay in a cabin for spring break. Ash (Justin Habben) and Scott (Anthony Sullivan) take their respective girlfriends Linda (Carolyn Barry) and Shelly (Liz Bancroft), along with Ash's sister Cheryl (Ella Raymont). While staying in the cabin, the group discovers a tape recording. When played, a voice speaks ancient incantations and evokes a demonic spirit in the woods. Now the group must try to survive the evil that has been awoken or become the next victims of the "Evil Dead."
"Evil Dead: The Musical" can be commended for its seamless ability to combine the story of all three films in the "Evil Dead" series. Granted, the first two movies are nearly identical, but the script still does a good job of weaving all three movies together. The musical numbers are mostly well thought-out. These sequences capture the tongue-in-cheek nature of "Evil Dead" and deliver a lot of the iconic one-liners well, better in fact than the actual dialogue itself. The dialogue itself isn't very strong; too often a lot of jokes come off flat instead of with any standing power.
The music in "Evil Dead" overpowers the actors far too often. There are large stretches of songs and dialogue that could not be heard. Ash's sister, Cheryl suffered from this more than any character. I think at least three-fourths of her lines were lost because they simply weren't audible. Judging by the long pauses after most of her dialogue, a lot of these lines are intended as jokes, but what's left are awkward pauses.
One of the biggest problems of the show is how Ash is managed. As the lead, Habben is certainly likeable enough and definitely draws the audience to him, but a lot of his one-liners come off a little flat. I think this has to do with the inflection of the lines delivered. In the films, Ash delivers each line with a cocked brow and in deep monotone. In the play, most of these lines end on a high note without the ironic tone. Essentially, I didn't feel like Ash's lines carried enough ironic or heroic weight, and I had a hard time buying into Habben as Ash.
The two most believable actors in the play were Megan Farley and Nicholas Rogers, who play Annie and Jake respectively. Farley certainly captures the calculating attitude of Annie, while simultaneously providing a nice wink towards the nature of female roles in horror films. Rogers also does a fantastic job with Jake. Many of the more entertaining passages of the show are when he is on stage. Through Jake, he provides a different kind of energy that lifts the show in the early-goings of the second act.
Fans of the "Evil Dead" series will have a lot to cheer about. The dialogue has virtually every memorable line you can think of, and there are plenty of in-jokes relating to the series. One of these involves a joke about Spider-Man (which Raimi also directed) and another is a Bruce Campbell reference, the lead actor from the "Evil Dead" films.
The production value for "Evil Dead" is also a plus. The set is very believable, with nice use of doors to create spatial depth onstage, and overall it is just a good layout. The props are all believable. The chain saw, shotgun and ax all look and feel like dangerous weapons. The special effects do their job, which is mostly to spew tons of blood in every which direction.
All in all, "Evil Dead" is a production that fans of the film series will enjoy. The in-jokes and images alone will be enough to ensure their enjoyment. However, if you are not familiar with the source material, this is probably not the show for you.
"Evil Dead: The Musical" receives 2.5 out of 5 stars.
If you want to see "Evil Dead: The Musical" it will be showing tonight at 7:30 and 11 and at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2-5 at Strother Theatre. Tickets are available at the Ball State box office.
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