Review: Evil Dead The Musical an outrageous romp of blood and gore

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Evil Dead The Musical is two hours of silly, slapstick mayhem.

Under Jennifer Brewin’s direction and Sarah Dowling choreography, there isn’t a subtle moment to be had, and that’s what makes it so much unsophisticated fun.

If Evil Dead The Musical accomplishes anything, it’s to prove no topic is too bizarre to be turned into a musical. This one is based loosely on Sam Raimi’s trilogy, The Evil Dead, The Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. In the second two instalments, Raimi added humour to the gore, and that’s what writer George Reinblatt has done in spades. There’s plenty of gore, and ample laughs, which Brewin and Dowling have wisely capitalized on.

There’s no question Reinblatt is using The Rocky Horror Show and Little Shop of Horrors as his templates, but his efforts are not nearly as clever and tuneful; still, there is much to like in what he has accomplished, and the cast that Alberta Theatre Projects and Regina’s Globe Theatre have assembled are more than game for all the outrageous antics that Reinblatt, Brewin and Dowling have dreamed up.

The first musical number, Cabin in the Woods, sets up the premise and the characters. Five college students are commandeering a remote cabin for the week of spring break. The self-styled leader is Ash, who works part-time at S Mart. He’s brought along Linda, his co-worker and current squeeze. They are the romantic duo as they reveal in their duet, Houseware’s Employees. There’s also sexpots Scott and Shelly, and Ash’s sister Cheryl, who just wants to spend the time reading.

The quintet finds a trapdoor to the cellar and, in the cellar, there’s a Book of the Dead with incantations to rouse hungry demons, which they inadvertently do. Reinblatt’s script takes some playful jabs at horror tropes, as when Cheryl (Sierra Haynes) hears something in the woods outside the cabin. As she explains to the audience, she naturally goes out on her own rather than gathering the others to join her. She’s attacked by demon trees and is turned demonic, as she explains in the song Look Who’s Evil Now. It doesn’t take long before Cheryl is joined by Shelly.

There’s a late-arriving trio in Annie, Ed and Jake. They come into the cabin just in time to see a blood-soaked Ash using a chainsaw to mutilate the severed head of Linda. Understandably, they are shocked, but he assures them things are not as bad as they might appear, just one of many understatements.

As Ash, Mark Sinongco is a marvel of unrestrained energy. He bounces off walls and furniture, all the while singing and dancing as if this showmanship was second nature to him.

As the creepy, old local straight out of Deliverance, Kevin Corey is a genuine scene stealer. His number Good Old Reliable Jake is hilarious, and Corey sells it beautifully.

Amanda Trapp does double duty as both sexpot Shelly and Anne, the daughter of the man who discovered the Book of the Dead, who was the first victim of the demons. Anne is another horror staple. Pieces of her clothes keep getting torn off until she’s running around in her undergarments.

Nikko Hinayo’s Ed dies quickly, but fear not: he is resurrected for a great little number called Bit Part Demon. He also gets to dance, or more precisely gyrate, in the number Do the Necronomicon, which is supposed to be this show’s answer to Let’s Do the Time Warp Again.

A big shout-out to those demonic trees and the actors who portray them. They not only change set pieces but sing and dance, and they get to spray the people in the splatter zone seats with fake blood.

Anton deGroot’s set is as clever as it is functional. The talking, singing moose head is one of the best pieces of the set. Deitra Kalyn’s costumes tell us instantly who each character is, and Ajay Badoni’s lighting adds the finishing touches.

Musical director Benjamin Redant gets maximum mileage from musicians Dan Perrott, Auslen Doell and Joel Goundry, who never try to upstage the singers. That means we can hear the lyrics, and that’s important because there is so much humour and storytelling in them.

As the demons dancing the Necronomicon would say, get your freak on and enjoy all the nonsense of Evil Dead the Musical.