In troubled times who doesn’t need a laugh? I mean there’s no reason you can’t laugh during untroubled times but these days with all the toxic social media, endless tsunami of misinformation, and foreign funded campaigns to turn neighbour against neighbour we could use a night out at the theatre. We could use a laugh. We could use something over the top. Something farcical and musical and able to make us forget all the other horrors going on in the world.
And the good news is that right now you can find a bit of gruesome joy by hopping on over to Alberta Theatre Projects and catching their high energy, splatter-filled, pitch-perfect production of Evil Dead the Musical. The production is being produced in assocation with Globe Theatre Regina. Now, of course, if you don’t want to hop you can always walk. It’s just hopping is more fun. And let’s face it Evil Dead the Musical is all about having fun.
Based on the Evil Dead movies and characters created by Sam Raimi the book and lyrics are written by George Reinblatt with music by Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, Melissa Morris, and George Reinblatt. The musical was first brought to life as a workshop in Toronto in August 2003 and eventually ended up as an Off-Broadway production in 2006 where it was a huge hit. Since then, the musical has seen hundreds of productions around the world and has become a legendary part of our culture.
The story begins when Ash, Linda, Cheryl, Scott and Shelly drive out to an old, abandoned cabin in the woods, so they can party hard during spring vacation. Mark Sinongco brings an unstoppable energy to playing the buff, ready-for-fun, future demon killer Ash, who leads this band of unlucky campers.
Kenni Chomyn is his girlfriend Linda who just wants to have fun and can’t wait to spend a week snuggling with her honey bun. Caulin Moore is Ash’s best friend Scott who is your typical sex-obsessed teenager who hooked up a few hours ago with his new girlfriend Shelly. Amanda Trapp plays Shelly as your typical party girl you find in these horror movies and is a perfect match for Scott as all she wants to do is have sex and get wasted.
Sierra Haynes plays Ash’s sister Cheryl as a bookish nerd who is the fifth wheel in all this but to be honest has some of the best puns and lines in the play once she becomes a demon. Cheryl is looking forward to making some snacks out of Hershey bars and Chex while enjoying nature’s tranquility and getting a chance to catch up on her sleep and do some reading.
When the group arrives at the cabin after walking through the woods and across the only wooden bridge you can take to get to the cabin, they are greeted with the spooky whispering of demons urging this doomed group of friends to “Join Us.” Then when the cellar door pops open, rather than getting the hell out of there, Ash and Scott jump down into the cellar and return with an old cassette tape recorder and an ancient book of spells.
When they play back the tape they hear the voice of Professor Raymond Knowby who explains that the book they now hold comes from the Castle of Candar and is called the Necronomicon Ex Mortis which translates roughly into the Book of the Dead.
The book speaks of an evil that roams the forests and warns that the recitation of the book’s passages gives this dark spirit license to possess the living. So, of course they listen to the tape and the phonetic pronunciations of those passages and so the demon possessions and chaos begins including the demonic possession of a mounted moose head on the wall of the cabin given voice by Brent Gill who previously appeared in a production of the Evil Dead in 2012 at the Pumphouse Theatre and which I happened to see.
One of the fun things about Evil Dead is the splatter zone where audience members get splattered with fake blood. While the Pumphouse production designated the front rows as the splatter zone Alberta Theatre Projects has moved the splatter zone directly onto the stage so that the folks in those seats become a part of the show.
As Ash and his friends fight for their lives back at the cabin, we meet Professor Knowby’s daughter Annie, played by Amanda Trapp as a take-charge no-nonsense woman who has just flown back from Cairo. Nikko Hinayo plays her meek and dominated boyfriend Ed who she meets at the airport. Ed has been tasked with driving them both up to the cabin so they can meet with her father because she has some exciting news. On her archeological expedition to the middle east Annie found some missing pages from the Book of the Dead that she thinks might prove significant.
Unfortunately, when Annie and Ed reach the wooden bridge, it’s been destroyed and their efforts to get to the cabin look dim until Kevin Corey shows up as good old reliable Jake and offers to guide them over an alternative trail to the cabin. They reach the cabin only to find a pile of bodies and Ash with a buzz saw on one hand and the severed head of Linda, his demon possessed girlfriend, in the other. And so, ends Act One.
Act Two is filled with just as much action and murderous mayhem while it moves the story forward and resolves all of our lingering questions. Will Ash save the day? Will those pages Annie found prove to be important? Will Ash’s malicious severed hand continue to cause chaos? Only those who see the show will ever know.
Much of the fun in Evil Dead comes from the music which includes a collection of bright funny campy musical numbers that deliver laughs while forwarding the story with such memorable tunes as Cabin in the Woods, What the F*ck Was That, Good Old Reliable Jake, Bit Part Demon, and All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed By Candarian Demons.
Director Jennifer Brewin has assembled a musically talented and high energy cast that easily switch from choreographed dance moves to bloody stage fighting to broad slapstick comedy and campy one liners, bad puns, and over-the-top farce.
The design team includes set designer Anton DeGroot, costume designer Deitra Kalyn, lighting designer Ajay Badoni, and sound designer Darren Young. All the production elements set the scene and create a creepy atmosphere while providing plenty of space for choreographer Sarah Dowling and fight director Brianna Johnston to take full advantage of the play’s dance numbers and demon fights.
Musical Director Benjamin Redant works with Band Leader Dan Perrott and the rest of the band to be fully a part of the show while the sound mix is designed to not overpower the singing so we don’t miss any of the jokes. Of course, a show like this where we witness the insane on-stage antics of the characters is only made possible by having a great backstage crew that keep everything in order and running smoothly.
While it’s great fun to watch all the demonic shennanigans I think it’s important to remember that you can’t blame a demon for what they do. Nope. It’s just their nature to possess souls and kill people and work towards the destruction of mankind. I mean demons are evil. They are born evil. Created evil. They couldn’t be good even if they wanted. They are true to their nature so we shouldn’t be surprised when demons attack. Humans on the other hand have a choice. That’s where true evil lies.
So, if at this spooky time of the year your mind turns to demons and devils and the forces of darkness and you find yourself in need of some horror comedy make sure you plan on seeing Evil Dead the Musical at Alberta Theatre Projects. The forces of darkness will be on stage until November 14th. Tickets are available online at AlbertaTheatreProjects.com or by calling the box office at 403-294-7402.
Evil Dead the Musical
Book & Lyrics by George Reinblatt
Music by Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, Melissa Morris & George Reinblatt
Based on Characters Created by Sam Raimi
By Special Arrangement with Renaissance Pictures, Ltd. & Studiocanal
In association with Globe Theatre Regina
Cast (alphabetical)
Kenni Chomyn – Linda
Kevin Corey – Jake
Samantha Currie – Ensemble (understudy Cheryl, Shelly/Annie, Linda)
Brent Gill – Ensemble/Moose (understudy Jake, Ed)
Sierra Haynes – Cheryl
Nikko Hinayo – Ed (understudy Scott)
Caulin Moore – Scott (understudy Ash)
Mark Sinongco – Ash
Amanda Trapp – Shelly/Annie
Creative Team
Jennifer Brewin – Director
Sarah Dowling – Choreographer
Brianna Johnston – Fight Director
Anastasia St. Amand – Intimacy Director
Anton deGroot – Set Design
Deitra Kalyn – Costume Design
Ajay Badoni – Lighting Design
Darren Young – Sound Design
Benjamin Redant – Musical Director
Dan Perrott – Keyboard/Band Leader
Auslen Doell – Guitar
Joel Goundry – Drums
Carissa Sams Rouleau – Stage Manager
Kate Pallesen – Stage Manager Cover (Oct 31)
Millie Ross – Assistant Stage Manager
Niamh McCallion – Apprentice Stage Manager
Photos by Tim Nguyen, Fifth Wall Media.
