BWW Reviews: EVIL DEAD -THE MUSICAL Blasts Austin with the Boomstick

This may or may not come as a surprise, but I was a bit of a theatre geek in college, and I dated "that guy"...you know him. He's the one that can directly quote from Kentucky Fried Movie, Evil Dead, and a variety of cult classics. Well, even though this might have been quite some time ago (eek), I have most of the delicious signature one-liners of the Evil Dead movies burned into my memory. So, my curiosity got the better of me when I heard that someone (George Reinblatt) was crazy enough to make a musical out of the camp-a-licious Sam Raimi movie we all know and love. Or, at least a few of us do.

Upon entering the doors for EVIL DEAD -THE MUSICAL on Wednesday night at The Long Center, and surrounded by scary, screaming mascots in costume that were reminiscent of creatures from Pan's Labyrinth, I was asked by a fellow audience member if I was seated in "The Splatter Row." Hearing this, I knew that I was in for an unusual treat. After all, it's not every day that one gets spattered with blood at a musical. After waiting in the gratuitously long line to get my $13 red wine in the toddler-sized adult sippy cup, my friend and I took our seats and noticed that the first few rows and floor were literally wrapped in Saran Wrap. Eighties hair-band music played the audience to their seats, and a packed house waited for the show to begin. I really had no idea what to expect. Was this going to be a gory rendition of a silly B movie? I mean, for goodness sake...how good can the music and score really be for a musical based on Evil Dead? Well, I must say, I was absolutely blown away with just how much I loved this show...and it wasn't just because of the memorable one-liners that the audience all waited for with baited breath. In this comedic take on the 1980s horror franchise, characters and demons sing and dance to catchy songs written specifically for the musical. And, as in the films, Ash is there to dish out his various one-liners and fight the never-ending demons.

The show begins with the five college students on their way to spend a weekend in an abandoned cabin in the woods, accidentally unleashing an evil terror. The show opens with a fantastically cheesy set, purposefully setting the comedic tone for the entire show right out of the gates. Along with the simple set as a backdrop, the cast immediately shows off their chops with the hilarious ensemble number, "Cabin in the Woods," as road signs and various woodland creatures float past the cut-out car, manually held-up in pieces by the ensemble. A small cast of eight, each and every performer does a perfect job of playing their respective caricatures larger-than-life. Other than a couple of mini-scenes that were a tad bit awkward in transition, pacing is just right, thanks to the non-stop energy of the cast. Using the powerful camp factor that the storyline already comes equipped with, this show actually builds even more on the comedic force of just how ridiculous the movie was to begin with, and even pokes fun at the inconsistencies and overdone characterizations in the original films.

Playing the role of Ash, David Sajewich perhaps does more of a lighthearted and youthful interpretation of the iconic role made famous by the cult favorite Bruce Campbell. Personally, for this role in particular, I would have preferred more of a traditionally resonant and commanding vocal presence, which would have added so much more of a comedic "Bruce Campbell touch" to those punchlines, and less of that thin and unsupported, microphone-needy "Glee-esque" color and quality that seems to be taking over in musicals these days. At times, it almost seemed that music levels needed to be lowered in order to adequately hear certain mic'd performers. And as Annie/Shelly, Callie Johnson seemed to struggle vocally a bit as Shelly, and lines were particularly hard to understand in her role as Annie. But despite this small criticism, this was seriously one of the best nights of theatre I've experienced in Austin. In the fabulously hilarious duet, "Housewares Employee," Julie Baird (Linda) and Sajewich recall how their love began at S-Mart with perfect style and tongue-in-cheek humor with their purposefully-overdone soaring vocals. Baird has a sizable and versatile voice, and was one of the standout performances of the evening. But without a doubt, my two favorite performances were the roles of Jake, played by Andrew di Rosa, and Scott, played by Creg Sclavi. In the song, "Good Old Reliable Jake," di Rosa displays an incredible sense of style, nuance, line delivery and above all, quite an amazing voice. In a style similar to Meatloaf in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, di Rosa manages to showcase the power of his sizable voice without letting up on comedic timing for a moment. And as Scott, Sclavi absolutely has the side-splitting humor of his perfectly asinine character down to a science. His body language and line delivery capture the essence of that character we remember from every old, bad horror flick. Remember? He's always one of the first victims to go...because by the time he's done proving how idiotic he is, it really doesn't end up being a big loss. For me, Sclavi immediately set the tone for the show right away, and I knew that I was in for a treat. In the role of Cheryl, Demi Zaino is also a standout performance, showing off her substantial vocal power and her ability to deliver those awful horror flick puns in a bit of a comedic homage to The Exorcist. The highlight of the evening came in the form of a fabulous tango entitled, "What the F*** Was That" which takes place after Ash and Scott blow away the bodacious and demonic dim-witted girlfriend, Shelly. Honestly, at this point, I practically fell out of my seat. Finally, in a culmination of dancing demons, "Do the Necronomicon" is an homage to "Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Show and Thriller, all wrapped in one. Only at this point were the first few rows of the audience splattered with blood from the stage as Ash blows the kandarian demons away with his "Boomstick." Honestly, I felt a bit bad for those who sat wrapped in plastic for the duration of the show, since the bloody finale doesn't take place until nearly the end of the musical.

This might go without saying, but with songs like "What the F*** Was That" and "Blew That B**** Away", I wouldn't recommend taking the entire family out to see EVIL DEAD -THE MUSICAL; You might want to save the kids for The Nutcracker. But as for the rest of us adults, especially those of us who come from the original Evil Dead generation, I highly recommend this show. "Gimme some sugar, baby."

EVIL DEAD -THE MUSICAL produced by Starvox Entertainment in association with Jeffrey Latimer Entertainment plays The Long Center at 701 W Riverside Dr, Austin, TX 78704, now thru Sunday, Sept 21st. Performances are Wed, Sep. 17th 8:00 pm, Thu, Sep. 18th 8:00 pm, Fri, Sep. 19th 7:00 pm, Fri, Sep. 19th 10:30pm, Sat, Sep. 20th 5:00 pm, Sat, Sep. 20th 9:00 pm, Sun, Sep. 21st 3:00 pm, Sun, Sep. 21st 7:00 pm
For ages 12 and Up. Tickets are $19-$79. For tickets and information, please visit http://thelongcenter.org/event/evil-dead-the-musical/.

To post a comment, you must register and login.