Evil Dead The Musical
EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL kicks into non-stop, vibrating action when a group of
kids venture into the mysterious woods on their college vacation. The setting
is far from urban life and far from the innocence of the Amish country. Although
the blood letting that goes on here evokes the evil that exist at both extremes
of our society.
So, what ignites when these students and S-mart employees encounter an archeologist’s
cabin and take it over for a free vacation is “one ravenous demon killing
spree.” In a collage of revenge taking scenes and rock ‘n roll
arias, author/lyricist George Reinblatt spoofs a palate of popular genre
that include horror films, juke box musicals, adventure flicks and romances.
Some audience members who have the most fun sit in the first few rows where
they are covered with plastic rain gear to avert the splatter of stage blood.
But you’d be nuts not to enjoy it, you’d have one hell of a headache
if you didn’t. Especially because the music is as loud and persistent
as the plot.
If the show has one consistent punch line, it has to do with the evil that
lurks in humans; we are after all the creators of our own horrible destiny.
Not to lessen the pain of their victimization, the characters wind up back
at the S-mart with the banality of evil represented by the Housewares Department.
And our hero, Ash, having already killed most of the women and the bad guys,
winds up back at his job waving his righteous rifle through the super store’s
aisles.
Ah well, a plot that begins with a DAVINCI CODE-like mystery – has to
have someplace to go. That EVIL DEAD doesn’t is a celebration of
its flagrant satire. And the show’s production values from the talking
taxidermy to the carnivorous trees are remarkably effective as are the performances.
The most convincing is Jenna Coker’s Cheryl, the hero’s tag-along
sister and the first to become evil. Coker’s tough, physically exuberant
and deranged little sister is just astonishing, popping up with her favorite
refrain, “Look who’s evil now?”
While the other female roles are iconic stereotypes, both Jennifer Byrne and
Renne Klapmeyer render their femme fatales like the heroines of popular comic
books. The men with their voracious violence come across as more self-conscious
and traditional in their roles, although Ryan Ward sounds off as the ghastly
Ash, EVIL’s true hero with considerable grace. Painfully thin yet macho,
Ward’s sense of satire calls up images of Harrison Ford (without any
apparent effort to evoke the comparison).
For better or worse, these kids clearly have a mission.
That’s This Week Off Broadway. I’m Isa Goldberg.
