Six Reasons Why Evil Dead The Musical is a YP Must See

Spurting blood, glorified guts, a token blonde bimbo, gratuitous sexual references and repeated drops of the f-bomb. Sound like your typical musical? We caught the opening night of Evil Dead: The Musical on Tuesday in Toronto at the newly renovated Randolph Theatre. Based on the ever-so-guiltily pleasurable Evil Dead film franchise, the musical tells a bloody outrageous story of five college friends who find themselves trapped in an abandoned cabin in the woods after accidentally unleashing an evil force that turns them into demons. Ridiculous? Yes. But we loved it.

The show returns to the city where it all started, with Ryan Ward once again as the lead role of Ash, and staged by its co-Creator and original Director, Christopher Bond. Produced by Starvok Entertainment in association with original producer Jeffrey Latimer Entertainment, Evil Dead: The Musical on features a Canadian Equity cast of Kenton Blythe, Evan Dowling, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Brianna Love, Alison Smyth, Margaret Thompson, Laura Tremblay and Daniel Williston, alongside Ward. 

Far from your typical evening at the theatre, here’s why Evil Dead is a must-see for young professionals (just maybe not with the parents).

It’s a play even “theatre haters” will enjoy 
We get it; theatre isn’t for everyone. Far from “boring theatre” (as an ex of ours liked to call any live performance), however, the show is guaranteed to hold your attention throughout and to defy your expectations about musical theatre. There is nothing rainbow, lollipop or traditionally “feel good” about this production. This means musical numbers like “What the F*ck Was That?” “All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons,” and “Look Who’s Evil Now.” “Evil Dead: The Musical is the most fun you can have in a theatre. It’s a show everyone loves, even if you don’t love musicals,” said Cory Ross, President of Starvox Entertainment. “Since being called ‘the next Rocky Horror Picture Show’ by The New York Times, the show returns to Toronto where all the fun started.”

It makes for Instagram-worthy pre and post-show photo opps
Perhaps the best part of Evil Dead is the coveted Splatter Zone. Located in the first three(ish) rows, those sitting in the Splatter Zone get covered in fake (but very washable) blood as the show incorporates gruesome real-time effects when the production reaches a climax (and then some). All of us sometimes narcissitic, social media-loving YPs know what that means: opportunities for great pre and post-show Instagram shots, made all the better when your crew arrives dressed all in white.

It breaks the ice on a first or second date
If there is ever a production (other than live comedy) to break the ice on a first date, it’s Evil Dead with its sexual innuendos, outrageously ridiculous humour and far from stuffy theatrical experience. Not only will it loosen the mood when you can’t help but laugh along (for us, sometimes awkwardly after the rest of the audience had stopped) and it makes for great conversation over post-show drinks at a nearby pub along Bloor Street. Not to mention, it is a lot more fun than your typical job interview-esque date.

You can stop taking yourself so seriously for a few hours
We’ll be the first to admit, we young professionals take ourselves way too seriously sometimes. We may remain tightly wound all day at the office and through rigid presentations, client meetings, workplace issues and everything in between. Even certain social events, like art gallery openings or charity events, tempt us to take ourselves too seriously. Evil Dead, on other hand, offers a chance to relax all inhibitions (whether you plan to or not), tap into your silly teenaged side and leave with your work as the last thing on your mind. We guarantee that you will laugh out loud and won’t even think about sneaking a glance at that work phone.

It’s so much more fun than your typical client dinner
A visit to Evil Dead is so much more fun and unique than your typical client dinner or teambuilding exercise. Plus, if you sit in the Splatter Zone, you get to see your boss soaked in blood and guts. In a departure from the typical holiday party, many companies have purchased groups of tickets for clients and employees. A word of advice? Warn anyone (especially potential clients) ahead of time about seats in the Splatter Zone. Hitting an important post-show engagement covered in blood isn’t a good look once Halloween weekend ends.

It’s good theatre
Despite its over-the-top outrageousness, Evil Dead is good theatre. This is reflected in everything from the acting in general to comedic timing, vocals, the cabin-inspired set design that effortlessly blended with the gothic-feeling theatre, and even an ensemble dance number that had the audience moving in their seats. Notable highlights included Laura Tremblay’s hilarious performance of Shelly and a large-chested bimbo with eyes and expressions more vacant than a black hole – who is not so shockingly killed first. Her versatility as a performer is revealed in the second half, when she returns as the conservative (and brunette) Annie, the owner of the cabin’s daughter who shows up unexpectedly. Ryan Ward was engaging throughout, but a highlight was his one-man fight scene. Another crowd-pleaser was the large farmer’s tan-bearing Daniel Williston, who won the audience over early on with a solo performance of “Good Ol’ Reliable Jake.” The set itself is detailed (the type where you noticed a different element throughout) and features an eclectic assortment of items on the walls, like a mounted talking moose head, paddle, snowshoe, clock and lamps, all of which move when things start to get really crazy, contributing to the frequent visual overload that completes the production. 

Check out Evil Dead for yourself. Tickets range in price from $20 to $80 and are available online at Ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1-855-985-5000. The performance runs until Sunday, December 22nd.