2008 Woodie Awards
Evil Dead: The Musical is bloody awesome
Kristen De Palma
Issue date: 5/29/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Where: Diesel Playhouse, Toronto
Tickets: $27.50 - $49
Rating: 4/5 stars
As audience members took their seats in the Diesel Playhouse on May 12, it quickly became clear that it would not be an average night at the theatre.
Prior to starting, an announcer overhead warned that there would be "plenty of blood", but assured them not to worry, it would wash out of their clothes.
The true fans could be found crowded together in the first three rows, otherwise known as "The Splatter Zone". As the curtains floated away, low-budget and over-the-top horror movie fans were brought back to the glorious days before Sam Raimi's Spider-man success.
Evil Dead: The Musical, an adaptation of Raimi's legendary '80s B-horror movies, is back for its second round of entertainment this summer, having debuted in 2003 at Toronto's Transac Club, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
While producers compete for theatre space with nine-figure film budgets, it's rather pleasant to retreat back into the less complicated, yet crazier world of Ash and his buddies at their cabin in the woods, if not just for a couple of hours.
The show opens with the five adventuresome teens of the tale driving along in miniature cardboard vehicles, belting out their vacation anthem, "Cabin in the Woods", entirely unaware of the Candarian demons that they will soon unintentionally release upon their cozy cabin.
Even in the 380-seat theatre, it was easy to tell who had seen every Evil Dead movie at least a few times over. They were the ones smirking and clapping when main character Ash (Ryan Ward) repeated Bruce Campbell's famous lines from the original, "Gimme some sugar, baby" or "Good, bad … I'm the guy with the gun".
Ward executed Campbell's performance almost flawlessly. He has the same smooth yet marvelously corny way of speaking, he knows how to handle a chainsaw and of course, he puts on an entirely compelling fight with his possessed right hand.
A cast of Canadian characters joined Ward on stage, with Sarah Cornell standing out second to Ash, while acting as both the ditzy Shelly and the overtly talkative Annie throughout the musical.
The musical played with the humour of Evil Dead II rather than the horror of the first, and Campbell/Raimi fan or not, it was apparent that everyone could find something to laugh about during the play. The Playhouse was filled with fans of all ages - there were seniors to the right and students to the left. A boy no more than five-years-old was grinning in the first row, fake blood dripping down his poncho.
While creators must be delicate in re-creating any cult classic so as not to upset its dedicated followers, the cast and crew of Evil Dead: The Musical did not stray far from the originals, only adding their own doses of humour and irony when appropriate.
If you do get out to see it, expect "Do the Necronomicon" to be stuck in your head for at least a few hours later - and leave your fancy clothes at home if your seats fall in the Splatter Zone; it's a bloody two hours.
Evil Dead: The Musical runs at the Diesel Playhouse until June 23.
Tickets: $27.50 - $49
Rating: 4/5 stars
As audience members took their seats in the Diesel Playhouse on May 12, it quickly became clear that it would not be an average night at the theatre.
Prior to starting, an announcer overhead warned that there would be "plenty of blood", but assured them not to worry, it would wash out of their clothes.
The true fans could be found crowded together in the first three rows, otherwise known as "The Splatter Zone". As the curtains floated away, low-budget and over-the-top horror movie fans were brought back to the glorious days before Sam Raimi's Spider-man success.
Evil Dead: The Musical, an adaptation of Raimi's legendary '80s B-horror movies, is back for its second round of entertainment this summer, having debuted in 2003 at Toronto's Transac Club, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
While producers compete for theatre space with nine-figure film budgets, it's rather pleasant to retreat back into the less complicated, yet crazier world of Ash and his buddies at their cabin in the woods, if not just for a couple of hours.
The show opens with the five adventuresome teens of the tale driving along in miniature cardboard vehicles, belting out their vacation anthem, "Cabin in the Woods", entirely unaware of the Candarian demons that they will soon unintentionally release upon their cozy cabin.
Even in the 380-seat theatre, it was easy to tell who had seen every Evil Dead movie at least a few times over. They were the ones smirking and clapping when main character Ash (Ryan Ward) repeated Bruce Campbell's famous lines from the original, "Gimme some sugar, baby" or "Good, bad … I'm the guy with the gun".
Ward executed Campbell's performance almost flawlessly. He has the same smooth yet marvelously corny way of speaking, he knows how to handle a chainsaw and of course, he puts on an entirely compelling fight with his possessed right hand.
A cast of Canadian characters joined Ward on stage, with Sarah Cornell standing out second to Ash, while acting as both the ditzy Shelly and the overtly talkative Annie throughout the musical.
The musical played with the humour of Evil Dead II rather than the horror of the first, and Campbell/Raimi fan or not, it was apparent that everyone could find something to laugh about during the play. The Playhouse was filled with fans of all ages - there were seniors to the right and students to the left. A boy no more than five-years-old was grinning in the first row, fake blood dripping down his poncho.
While creators must be delicate in re-creating any cult classic so as not to upset its dedicated followers, the cast and crew of Evil Dead: The Musical did not stray far from the originals, only adding their own doses of humour and irony when appropriate.
If you do get out to see it, expect "Do the Necronomicon" to be stuck in your head for at least a few hours later - and leave your fancy clothes at home if your seats fall in the Splatter Zone; it's a bloody two hours.
Evil Dead: The Musical runs at the Diesel Playhouse until June 23.
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