Evil Dead, the Musical is a Bloody Great Show

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - The Pacific Northwest has plenty of mysterious legends synonymous with the area, some hauntings, even aliens. Still, it was Evil Dead, the Musical that brought the Salem-News.com staff to Portland one recent summer evening.

The two hour rock musical stage play is a tribute to the “Evil Dead” film trilogy, which has developed a strong cult following since the first film’s release in 1981. We are unique in that several of us have followed “Evil Dead” since its inception. Yes, we are cult fans.

The mood of the people in line outside the Wonder Ballroom on Russel St NE was almost one of exhilaration. Most had been waiting with anticipation for this “special” musical.

One man even argued with the United States Marines at Camp Wilson about it. He told us that the Corps had threatened to change his leave, and they asked him what was so important that the Marines should do without him. He answered, “It’s Evil Dead sir. My girlfriend got us tickets, and I have to go to Oregon. It’s Evil Dead!” The Marines were apparently satisfied, or just confused, but either way, he and his girlfriend got to the show on time, almost a thousand miles away.

The musical adaptation began in 2003, going off-Broadway in 2006. It was an instant hit, and has since developed into a full-on audience participation-fueled show, with dismembered limbs being cast about, demons telling bad jokes, and incredible “Splatter Zone” seating, where audience members near the stage get doused with stage blood (mostly).

We had heard a lot, and now it was time for our own experience. We entered with high expectations.

The doors opened right on time and we noticed that people were being seated in two directions- the safe seating, and the splatter zone. We headed for the latter. Splatter!

The Splatter Zone was black plastic lining the walls 20 feet high, with tarped floors reaching over half of the theatre. It was an instant indication of what type of show this would be: an all-out dedication to cult fans that wanted nothing more than to get drenched in blood like the famed hero of the series, ‘Ash’ does in every film.

The deadish atmosphere was immediately in force upon seating. The few audience members up close that invested in plastic ponchos were almost joyously targeted by pre-show zombies strolling about, looking for unassuming onlookers to douse with blood- head first. That was just to get started.

The first character to emerge from backstage looked suspiciously like someone from another musical horror. Then the guy started singing, “Sweet Transvestite”, and we knew something had to be happening. A few lines later, Ash stepped onto stage with his boomstick and yelled, “This is not your show!”, as he leveled the imposter. Back to Evil Dead.

This is the only stage play, ever, that is based on a series of movies. Like many attendees, I was somewhat skeptical, and curious as to how certain infamous scenes from the films would be incorporated while maintaining story integrity -and tastefulness- on stage. The best example of this is the unforgettable “tree violation” scene from the first film. I was both shocked & impressed by the creative methods they used, poking fun at these ‘touchy’ haunted trees.

As a fan of Evil Dead but unfamiliar with the musical, hearing the various songs that were written for the show was a real experience since the “musical” factor was so far from the initial style of the films that I know and love. I soon came to appreciate that every campy joke, ridiculous reference, and clever lyric in the show was written specifically for the die-hard fans. Having a book written by Bruce Campbell as a prop on stage was a subtle "inside joke" we all enjoyed. Well done.

Being a chronologically illogical film trilogy, we were definitely anxious to see how the events from the 3 films would be successfully combined into a stage show, without seeming awkward.

BACKGROUND: Evil Dead Trilogy Chronological Breakdown:

The first Evil Dead film tells the story of 5 people in college (Ash, his `sister Cheryl, girlfriend Linda, and friends Scott & Shelly) who venture to a seemingly abandoned cabin in the woods for a night of “Partying Down”. The events take a turn for the worst when they discover several ancient artifacts in the house (Notably a human-skin-bound book called the ‘Necronomicon’), and a tape recorder that indicates that the cabin was being used for research by a “Professor Knowby”, who has since disappeared.

The research done by Knowby tells of beings beyond the grave who, when given permission via incantations found in the Necronomicon, can possess living beings. The 5 friends are then possessed one by one by these entities starting with Ash’s sister Cheryl and all attempts to leave the cabin are halted by the now-living and very aggressive trees in the woods. Eventually, responsibility completely falls on the Ash character who takes it upon himself to bodily dismember each of his demon-possessed friends and destroy the Necronomicon, the only known way of banishing the spirits and ending the horror.

In Evil Dead II, rather than being a direct sequel, the story is re-invented so that only Ash and his girlfriend Linda venture to the cabin. From there the story turns a different direction and Ash is eventually joined by a different cast of characters, one of which is Professor Knowby’s daughter Annie who herself is an expert on the Necronomicon.

Events spin out of control as Ash goes through hell battling various possessed characters even severs his own hand after it gets “infected” by the evil and turns on him. This “sequel” took the series in a more comical direction as Ash equips himself with a full-on chainsaw for a prosthetic hand and a double-barreled shotgun to battle the evil. These weapons became iconic to the series.

Ash continues to become more badass progressively throughout the film and gets completely drenched in Karo-Syrup (aka: blood) throughout the process. The climax involves Ash eventually getting sent back to the year 1300 AD, where the events of the third (and most budgeted) film begin, Army of Darkness.

An important factor in the first two films is the Cabin’s Cellar. Throughout Evil Dead I, Ash’s possessed sister Cheryl is locked in the cellar and torments Ash psychologically throughout the film. In Evil Dead II, this character is substituted by the possessed body of Professor Knowby’s wife Henrietta, who torments both Ash & Annie throughout the film until the climax.

The events in Army of Darkness involve Ash (in the year 1300 AD) rallying two opposing kingdoms together to fight against their common enemy, the “Deadites”, which are manifestations of the evil in the first films but much more prominent. Ash is regarded as a prophet in the ancient time and eventually time travels back to the 21st century.

Army of Darkness introduced more one-liners than either of the first two films such as Ash presenting his shotgun to the ancient people as his “BOOMSTICK”.

Attention S-Mart Shoppers! Grab your chainsaw and "Boomstick"!

Evil Dead the Musical leaves out the character of Henrietta and the possessed Cheryl remains as the “Cellar Deadite” throughout the play. The first two films are brought into one by adding in the characters from the sequel as the first film’s characters are killed off. Although the actors make fun of the films’ chronological errors on stage, the re-imagining of the 3 storylines did the Evil Dead series respect.

The events in ‘Army of Darkness’ were generally skipped, however much of the memorable material was incorporated into the performance, so we were very satisfied with the finished product.

References & jokes regarding pop culture outside the Evil Dead universe kept the dialogue up to date without pushing any Evil Dead material out of place. Everything from more modern horror movies and series like True Blood, to a lengthy tribute to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, to a comment by the (super-hot) Cheryl character about the supposed “zombifying” bath salts that caught current media attention gave the show a wide degree of humor. Audience participation more than doubled during the second half of the show, as did the stage blood being thrown at the willing group. Many memorable lines like "This is my Boomstick!" from the 3 films were yelled aloud in unison by the whole audience, creating a real sense of cultish-togetherness.

‘Ash’, played by Chance Newman, looked quite a bit like the icon Bruce Campbell, who plays the character in the films. Though not all the actors were cast to match the look of the films’ original actors, this fact was made irrelevant by the impressive & passionate performances each actor uniquely displayed on stage. The story line stayed true to the films, their singing was above par, as was the overall character portrayal, and stage presence. With song titles like "All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons" and "What the F*@k was That?", who could ask for more?

This event was like a party, with laughs and good times lasting beginning to end. And more than a little blood, but who's complaining?

When the show was over, the cast wasn’t finished yet. They took their bows, then assembled in the back of the theatre with Jailbreak Photography; the crowd was invited to have their photo taken with the cast for no charge. Donations were accepted.

Evil Dead the Musical is more than just a cult performance. It is a roaring good time for people of all ages, even if you aren't a fan of the films.

If you haven’t been to a show “like this”, this is a great choice. I highly encourage you to see Evil Dead the Musical when it is in your town. It may be a bit messy, but people are just dying to get in. Groovy.