Evil Dead: The Musical Review Country : USA Year: 2006 Genre: Horror/Black Comedy Format: Live Stage show Running Time: n/a Distributor: n/a EVIL DEAD as you've never seen it before! Live, on stage in New York City. Interested? You should be... Credits Co-Director/Choreographer Hinton Battle, Co-Director/Composer Christopher Bond, Composer/Music Supervisor Frank Cipolla, Book and Lyrics/Composer George Reinblatt, Composer Melissa Morris, Scenic Design David Gallo, Comstume Design by Cynthia Nordstorm. At the edge of Broadway lies a new breed of musical that may just be the most fun you’ll have at the theater this year. The play is based on the cult classic films by Sam Raimi, who has now moved on to the more commercial Spider-Man franchise, although his unique mark still remains. For fans of those films, the show is a real treat. Although it strays a little from the story of the original two films in the series (the third, Army of Darkness, goes untouched), the theme and the most loved elements and lines are still intact. The play starts out with a musical number while Ash, his sister, his friend and a girl he recently picked up are all driving to a secluded cabin the woods for a little bit of debauchery. What happens next, though, is exactly what you’d expect whether you’ve seen the films or not. The group is terrorized by evil demons when they find the Necronomicon (Book of the Dead) and try to survive until dawn, though, this time they’re singing about it. Canadian Ryan Ward plays Ash and although he doesn’t appear to look too much like Bruce Campbell at first, he’s got the mannerisms down pat and really embraces the spirit of the character, eliciting cheers from the audience when he delivers the signature Ash lines from the film. The seven other cast members (some members play two characters) do work well as an ensemble and it is carefully directed by Christopher Bond and three-time Tony winner Hinton Battle (who choreographed the Outkast movie, Idlewild). Originally a hit in Toronto, the show is about as campy as it gets, but it’s incredibly entertaining. With song titles like “All The Men In My Life Keep Getting Killed By Candarian Demons”, “Do The Necronomicon” and “What The F**k Was That?”, it proves to be a unique Broadway experience from a lyrical standpoint if nothing else. The other unique experience is the possibility that, if you were to sit in the first few rows, you might get splattered with a fair amount of fake blood. Known as the “Splatter Zone”, the audience is warned beforehand that they run the risk of getting sprayed but are welcome to move if they aren’t ready for such a thing. Of course, complimentary ponchos are passed out for the adventurous souls in the front, although many of them came prepared with raincoats and even umbrellas. The modern and hip setting of the New World Stages is the perfect place for such an event. It’s not as old and stuffy as many Broadway theaters just a few blocks away. You’ll also hear the unusual sounds of the likes of 80s rock guilty pleasures Twisted Sister, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard while you’re waiting for the play to begin. Although the play opens just days after Halloween, it’s the perfect time of year for such a play and, with any luck, word of mouth will carry this one into an extended run so fans from all over the world will be able to experience the one and only production that will probably ever combine singing and Candarain demons. It’s a fun night for anyone with a sense of adventure and a change of clothes nearby. OFFICIAL SITE CHRISTOPHER BOND INTERVIEW DISCUSS ON OUR FORUMS Review by Paul Salfen, for Pitofhorror.com