Evil Dead (musical)

Evil Dead: The Musical is a rock musical stage play based on the film series. First performed on stage in 2003 at the Tranzac club in Toronto, Ontario, the show instantly became a hit and eventually moved on to an off-Broadway run in 2006 at the New World Stages. Many regional productions of the show have been performed all over the world. Critics praised the show and one critic for The New York Times even hailed the musical as "the next The Rocky Horror Show".[1]

Evil Dead: The Musical
Original Off-Broadway cast album cover
Music
LyricsGeorge Reinblatt
BookGeorge Reinblatt
BasisEvil Dead franchise
Productions2003 Toronto
2004 Montreal
2006 Off-Broadway
2007 Toronto
2008 Seoul
2009 Tokyo
2012 Las Vegas
2012 Madrid
2013 Toronto
2014 North American Tour
2016 Toronto
2017 Seoul
2017 North American Tour

Plot

Five college students spend the weekend in an abandoned cabin in the woods, accidentally unleashing an evil terror. In this comedic take on the 1980s horror franchise, characters and demons sing and dance to songs written specifically for the musical. And, as in the films, Ash is there to dish out his various one-liners and fight the neverending demons.

The musical takes creative liberty with the plot line of the movies, mixing together the characters and concepts of all three, as well as changing sequences for the sake of the stage and comedic intent.

Production

With the approval of both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, the show was first staged as a workshop in Toronto in August 2003. The same team remounted the musical in Toronto that October for an additional 3 weeks. The show was presented in July 2004 at the 22nd Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal.

Media Premiere of Evil Dead: The Musical, Tranzac Theatre, Toronto, August 13, 2003

During the Northeast Blackout of 2003, the intransigent cast and crew performed the show on the front lawn of the Tranzac club in Toronto. The band played acoustic instruments and cast members provided sound effects from backstage. As the evening wore on, flashlights and car headlights were used to illuminate the actors.[2]

Off-Broadway

The New York off-Broadway production started previews on October 2, 2006. The Official Opening Night performance was November 1, 2006 and it ran, performing 8 times per week at the New World Stages, until February 17, 2007. The cast album debuted at #4 on the Billboard Show Charts.

Toronto revival production

Evil Dead returned to Toronto, again starring Ryan Ward as Ash, at the Diesel Playhouse starting May 1, 2007. While the initial run was only to last until the end of June 2007, it was extended to August 4, 2007, September 8, 2007, June 26, 2008 and finally until September 6, 2008. It celebrated its 300th performance on June 26, 2008, which marked it as the longest running Canadian production in Toronto in 20 years.

It won the Dora Audience Choice Award and praised by the Toronto Star.[3]

Subsequent productions

Over 300 productions of Evil Dead: The Musical have since been staged by professional, amateur and school theatre groups throughout North America and around the world in cities including Seoul (2008), Tokyo, and Madrid (2012).

From October 13–31, 2011, Off-Strip Productions and RagTag Entertainment teamed up to present the Sin City premiere of the show. It was presented at The Onyx Theatre and was helmed by Sirc Michaels. The show received rave reviews from critics and fans alike, and as such the production was brought back to Las Vegas for another successful run in January 2012.

Evil Dead: The Musical opened in Oshawa, ON, Canada on February 1, 2019. The production had had a successful initial run in October 2017 (for only six performances). The new production was produced by the Mansfield's Cabaret in downtown Oshawa. After 13 weeks, and becoming Oshawa's longest-running musical to ever play the city, the production closed on April 27, 2019. A new production will open at the Mansfield's Cabaret on April 17, 2020 for 32 weeks.

Evil Dead: The Musical will have a limited run in Fort McMurray, AB, Canada from December 12–14, 2019. The show will be produced by Theatre; Just Because and will feature local talent.[4]

Wolfbane Productions

The Virginia-based, experience themed theatre company first began productions of Evil Dead in 2013. Bringing Broadway actors into the forests of Virginia, this unique production has garnered critical acclaim and a massive audience following.

Complete with a 150-seat splatter zone, a fully realized replica cabin, live band, active vehicles, zip lines and Broadway quality special effects, this fully realized production has opened the door for an arts revolution in the Appomattox area.

It played its final performance on August 5, 2017 after five successful runs.

Ultimate 4D Experience

On June 22, 2012, Sirc Michaels Productions brought the show to the Las Vegas Strip as a resident, open-ended production at the V Theater. The production is now officially the longest running production in the history of the show.

Due to the nature of the show, including the addition of 100 seat splatter zone, audience interaction, multi-media elements, and state of the art effects, lights, and sound, the name was altered slightly to include "Ultimate 4D Experience" to reflect production and design elements that separate the production from other stagings of the show.

The show moved to the Tommy Wind Theater on December 1, 2015 and to the Windows Showroom at Bally's on September 15, 2017.[5][6]

North American Tour (2014-2015)

The first North American Tour was primarily cast out of Chicago, Illinois. It spent four weeks rehearsing there before it opened in Madison, Wisconsin (09/11/14). It will then tour to Austin, Texas before returning to Chicago for a three-week engagement at the Broadway Playhouse. The cities on the tour schedule include Sandusky (OH), Fort Wayne (IN), Effingham (IL), Nashville (TN), Cleveland (OH), Greenvale (NY), Hartford (CT), Schenectady (NY), Hamilton (ON), Toronto (ON), Charlotte (NC), Tampa (FL), Sarasota (FL), Fort Lauderdale (FL), Newark (NJ), York (PA), Mesa (AZ), and Dayton (OH).

This production was produced by Starvox Entertainment and directed by Christopher Bond. It was choreographed by Stacey Rene Maroske and Assistant Choreographed by Corinne Giannotta. Musical Directed by Aaron Eyre and fight choreography by Kevin Robinson. This production was stage managed by Phoebe Harper. The cast is as follows:

  • Ash: David Sajewich
  • Cheryl: Demi Zaino
  • Annie/Shelly: Callie Johnson
  • Jake: Andrew Di Rosa
  • Scott: Creg Sclavi
  • Linda: Julie Baird
  • Ed/Moose: Ryan McBride
  • Shemp/Male Swing: Ryan Czerwonko
  • Female Swing/ Dance Captain: Jessica Kingsdale

There have been 3 successful North American tours since this time.

Pensacola (2019)

Jan. 3–6, 2019, "Evil Dead: The Musical" became the first theatrical production staged at Vinyl Music Hall, following a successful Kickstarter campaign.[7][8][9]

Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker and Theresa Tilly, who originated the roles of Cheryl, Linda and Shelly, respectively, in the 1981 film, were special guests of the production, and each appeared on stage in cameo roles on closing night, marking the first time any of them had appeared in a production.[10] The production was also noteworthy for updating several dated references, changing Ed's gender and (as a result) changing "All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed By Candarian Demons" to "Everyone in My Life Keeps Getting Killed By Candarian Demons." Dan Sperry also appeared as an opening act at all five performances.

Cast:

  • Ash: Garrett Summitt
  • Cheryl: Kay Joyce
  • Annie/Shelly: Hannah Sharpe
  • Linda: Sierra Hobbs
  • Scott/Moose: Christopher Holloway
  • Ed: Fiama Mastrangelo
  • Jake: Michael Daw
  • Lead Demon: Darren Campbell
  • Professor Knowby: David Matthews
  • Headless Linda: Marianne del Gallego

Creative team

Created by the Canadian team of George Reinblatt, Christopher Bond, Frank Cipolla and Melissa Morris, the show is co-directed by Bond and Tony winner and "Buffy" alum, Hinton Battle.

Make-up and Special FX are created by Louis Zakarian, whose film credits include Requiem for a Dream, Dogma and Romeo + Juliet.

Cast members of the New York production included Jennifer Byrne (Linda), Jenna Coker (Cheryl), Renee Klapmeyer (Shelly and Annie), Tom Walker (Ed), Ryan Ward (Ash), Brandon Wardell (Scott), and Darryl Winslow (Jake).

Musical numbers

2003

Act One

  1. "Cabin in the Woods" - Ash, Linda, Scott, Shelly, and Cheryl
  2. "Housewares Employee" - Ash and Linda
  3. "It Won't Let Us Leave" - Cheryl
  4. "Look Who's Evil Now" - Cheryl and Shelly
  5. "What the Fuck Was That?" - Ash and Scott
  6. "Join Us" - Cheryl and Moose
  7. "Good Old Reliable Jake" - Jake
  8. "I'm Not a Killer" - Ash

Act Two

  1. "I'm Not a Killer (Reprise)" - Ash
  2. "Bit-Part Demon" - Ed
  3. "All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Kandarian Demons" - Annie
  4. "Do the Necronomicon" - Demons
  5. "It's Time" - Company
  6. "Hail to the King" - Company

2006-present

Act One

  1. "Cabin in the Woods" - Ash, Linda, Scott, Shelly, and Cheryl
  2. "Housewares Employee" - Ash and Linda
  3. "It Won't Let Us Leave" - Cheryl
  4. "Look Who's Evil Now" - Cheryl and Shelly
  5. "What the Fuck Was That?" - Scott and Ash
  6. "Join Us" - Cheryl, Moose, and House Spirits
  7. "Good Old Reliable Jake" - Jake, Annie, and Ed
  8. "Housewares Employee (Reprise)" - Ash and Linda
  9. "I'm Not a Killer" - Ash

Act Two

  1. "I'm Not a Killer (Reprise)" - Ash
  2. "Bit-Part Demon" - Ed
  3. "All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons" - Annie, Ash, and Jake
  4. "Ode to an Accidental Stabbing" - Jake and Annie
  5. "Do the Necronomicon" - Scott and Demons
  6. "It's Time" - Ash and Company
  7. "We Will Never Die" - Demons
  8. "Blew That Bitch Away" - Company

Cast recordings

An original cast recording was made in December 2006 and was released on April 2, 2007 and debuted at #4 on the Billboard Show Charts.

A live cast recording of the Ultimate 4D Experience was made in early 2014 and was released in summer of 2014. Currently it is scheduled to only be available at performances of the show, which are based in Las Vegas.

Film adaptation

In the fall of 2008, it had been reported through various sources that Sam Raimi, director of the original series of movies, had given his okay to producer Don Carmody for the production of a 3D movie version of Evil Dead: The Musical, to be helmed by the theatrical production's director, with the original choreographer, as well as some of the original cast members.

However, George Reinblatt dispelled these rumors on the EDTM Facebook page:

"hey guys... George Reinblatt here ... hate to break your heart on this, but this whole internet buzz thing about this 3D movie is completely untrue. Sam Raimi hasn't agreed to do anything like this with the musical... and until that happens, it doesn't matter what any other producer says... We are lucky Mr. Raimi lets us do the stage musical all of you love so much. He has been more than generous to let us keep the Evil Dead thing alive. Would we like to do a movie someday? Sure. But I'd also like to do Evil Dead as an ice show. But neither is agreed to at the time. And until it is, all of these "news" organizations printing this stuff should really check their sources.
Right now - we have the stage rights all over the world. And big things will be happening at a playhouse near you soon.
Until then, don't believe what you read on the internet!!!!
george"

References
  1. Gates, Anita (November 2, 2006). "Music and Mayhem, Blood Trail Included". The New York Times.
  2. "Evil Dead The Musical comes back to life | The Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  3. "Big splatter matters to front-row fans". Toronto Star. June 14, 2007.
  4. "Evil Dead the Musical". Theatre; Just Because.
  5. Desk, BWW News. "EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL Relocating to Tommy Wind Theater". BroadwayWorld.com.
  6. "Lance Burton pulls an elephant ride from his trunk of tricks". October 15, 2017.
  7. ""Evil Dead: The Musical" Pensacola, FL". Kickstarter.
  8. "Pensacola duo has a devilishly fun time raising the 'Dead'". Pensacola News Journal.
  9. "Evil Dead: The Musical Pensacola, FL". www.facebook.com.
  10. "Facebook". www.facebook.com.
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