When there’s a thud from the basement or a scream from outside, common sense tells us to leave it alone. But that wouldn’t make for a very good movie, and horror movies are where common sense goes to die. We want the characters to go investigate. We want characters like Cheryl from Evil Dead: The Musical.
“Now mother always said that whenever you hear a strange, frightening and potentially life-threatening ghostly chant coming from the dark woods, there’s only one thing that you should do — not wake the others and go investigate it alone!”
It’s just that sort of logic that frolics throughout Evil Dead: The Musical, now playing at Longmont Theatre Company. Bringing to life one of the most iconic horror franchises, the show combines the three classic films into one bloody, musical adventure. The story follows Ashley “Ash” Williams and his group of college friends who head to an empty cabin in the woods and accidentally conjure up evil spirits that one by one turn his crew into zombies. The musical is a good choice for any scary movie lover and a great choice for Evil Dead fans — Ash spews some notable lines and shows off his boom stick.
Most musicals based off of movies are entertaining reinterpretations of the source material, amplifying certain moments and exploring the factors that make the original movie so great. And while it may seem unlikely, Evil Dead is ripe for a musical makeover. The stage spotlights the film franchise’s campy nature by exaggerating the characters and poking fun at horror movie conventions, with the upbeat lyrics like, “We’re five college students on our way to an old abandoned cabin in the woods, oooh yeah!” The songs provide funny banter and riff off of musical genres like the doo-wop diddy “All the Men in my Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons” and tango-inspired “What the Fuck Was That?”
It’s a self-aware show that doesn’t take itself too seriously. And just as it celebrates the movie it was based on, it also fully embraces its heritage decade, the ’80s. It stirs the nostalgia pot, peppering the audience with a long list of familiar, and knowingly outof-date, references including Hulk Hogan, Footloose and Who’s the Boss?
Longmont Theatre Company’s production of Evil Dead delivers a fun, high-energy performance that keeps up with the spirit of the show. It is a musical jaunt through the land of zombies, full of hilarious jokes and impressive performances.
The cast has a good time on stage, which makes for a pleasurable watching experience. Lonnie Person excels as our faithful leader and zombie killer Ash. The other main performers, Taralyn Shepherd (Linda), Chelsea Winslow (Shelly/Annie), Max Robert Johnson (Scott) and Samuel Garvin (good, ol’ reliable Jake) are all great additions to a cast who consistently deliver humor and talent. But the best performance of the night comes from Erica Trisler, who plays Cheryl, Ash’s sister and first zombie convert of the night. With a showstopping voice and spot-on wit, she’s a joy to watch and is always missed when offstage.
The overall production is an admirable nod to the films, but there are some downfalls. Evil Dead: The Musical proves that intermissions aren’t necessary for every show; in this case it even impedes the musical’s punch. When you put on an Evil Dead movie, it’s a 90-minute blood bath full of constant intensity and thrill. But in the musical, intermission divides the action in half. Smack dab in the middle of Ash cutting off the head of his zombified exgirlfriend is not a great moment to pause for a 15-minute intermission. The musical loses its pace as the audience snaps back to reality — checking their phones, getting a refill of popcorn — only to plop right back into a zombie beheading. It makes the second act less striking than the first, and even with the addition of more zombies, it starts to drag.
But the most unfortunate hitch of Longmont’s production is the lack of sound effects. While there are a few, sometimes misplaced, gunshot bangs, the chainsaw’s audio is completely missing. In a horror musical where it’s the hero’s weapon of choice, you gotta have that spine-tingling, blood-curdling yell of a chainsaw, a sound effect that is surely available as a phone app or on a CD at a Halloween store. The absence of the sound lessens the climatic fight scene where Ash uses said weapon to kill all the zombies, and it leaves the audience wanting more.
All in all, the cast’s charisma and the musical’s charm overshadow any problems, and the show serves as a good addition to the Halloween season. Whether you’re rooting for Ash or the zombies, it’s time to go see Evil Dead.
“Time to fight, time to brawl, time to kill, time to maul. Kick you square, in the balls,” the cast sings. “It’s time to rip you to tatters. Time to make your blood splatter. Through the shed, join the evil dead. It is time!”
