Review: EVIL DEAD, THE MUSICAL is Live at TADA THEATRE

Walking dead. Live music. Madcap comedy. Mix them together in a quaint theatre, add a splatter zone, and you have a recipe for an unusually entertaining night.

EVIL DEAD, THE MUSICAL is a Canadian rock musical based on Sam Raimi's Evil Dead movies. With book and lyrics by George Reinblatt and music by Frank Cipolla, Melissa Morris, George Reinblatt, and Christopher Bond, it is similar in feel to THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW.

This is EVIL DEAD's second appearance at Lincoln's TADA Theatre, located in the Haymarket Square. It continues to sell out to new and repeat fans. I was seated next to a woman who had come to the show's premiere last fall. Celebrating her Halloween birthday with a bloody good show was a gift to herself and she was thoroughly enjoying it!

Also making a second appearance is Michael Tully as Ash, the chainsaw toting, shotgun waving hero who is warding off demons in a spooky cabin in the woods. Tully invokes Jim Carey in his performance with many of the same exaggerated facial expressions, speech inflections, and comedic movements. I don't know if Carey can sing, but Tully can. His powerful voice is as strong as his stage presence.

Another strong vocalist is Soren Tobey who plays two entirely different characters: Shelly, the stereotypical dumb blonde girlfriend who can't play a simple word game and Annie, the smart daughter of a scientist who finishes her colleague's sentences before he gets out two words. Her portrayal of the girlfriend is expected hyperbole, but as the daughter who is seeking to translate the Book of the Dead, she is more subdued and very funny.

Bob Rook, founder of the TADA Theatre (it stands for "The Arts Deserve Attention"), directs an energetic young cast who apparently enjoy playing the five college kids embarking on an adventure in the woods. Arriving at an empty cabin, they break in, intending to spend a vacation together. Ash and his girlfriend Linda (Chloe Schwarting), his best friend Scott (James Hansen) and Scott's recently acquired girlfriend Shelly (Soren Tobey), along with his book loving sister Cheryl (Dani Palensky) are just settling in when strange noises from the cellar cause them to question their decision to vacation in this remote spot where no one knows they are. Meanwhile, Annie (Tobey) and Ed (Chris Harroun) run into a guy in overalls named Jake (Daniel Peters) who takes them through dark woods to the cabin on a path that disappears.

Best moments for me were Peters' sudden transition from the shouting Jake to his goofy alter ego singing "Good Old Reliable Jake," which evolves into a Meatloaf-like rock number, and Tobey's "All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed By Candarian Demons" with Tully and Peters. Their choreographed prancing moves are hilarious. And they sound great! --Kudos to Cris Rook for musical direction and Laura Lynn Horst for choreography.

Although there is a lot of physical comedy based in the bizarre (chopping off heads, being bitten by a moose head mounted on the wall), there is a subtler humor present such as when Harroun tries to step into the spotlight. The dialogue is clever: "I'm not a killer, I'm an S Mart employee and it's against company policy," but it includes a heavy handed dose of profanity.

This cult like favorite attracts a crowd. Unfortunately, the show is sold out for the remainder of the run through October 28. Perhaps it will return like the zombies in the show for a third year in 2019. Keep an eye out...or should I say that?

Photo Credit: Megan Rook

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