Ground Zero, Hit & Myth, and Keystone Theatre have brought their production from Calgary just in time for Halloween, but they've also brought a bit of controversy with them.
Down Stage Right Productions, a Vancouver based theatre company, have also decided to mount Evil Dead: The Musical to Vancouver this Halloween. That makes two productions of the same musical in the same city, at the exact same time.
While Down Stage Right's production hasn't begun performances yet (the show opens on October 29th at the Norman Rothstein Theatre), people have been flocking to the Vogue downtown to see Ash and his friends battle demons as they sing and dance and quote iconic lines from the two Sam Raimi (known by mainstream film goers as the director of the Spiderman movies) films.
The great thing about a show like this is that you don't have to be familiar or a fan of the films to appreciate the campy goodness. George Reinblatt, Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, and Melissa Morris have done a wonderful job as the writers of the work, creating a simple, 2 hour show that leaves a smile on your face, and a little blood on your clothes.
Having said that, with material this good, it's important for the cast and directorial team to be up to the task. For the most part, they are.
Cailin Stadnyk is a gem as Shelly/Annie. She's the strongest vocally of the cast, and is a joy to watch. She plays Shelly perfectly as the ditz, and she's just as strong as the intelligent and rather stubborn Annie. Jamie Tognazzini is up to the task as Ash's sister Cheryl, and while we only see her pop her head up through a trap door for most of the show, she makes it work. She has the daunting task of having most of the "cheesy" lines in the show and bad puns are rampant, but Tognazzini makes the best of it.
The rest of the supporting cast, including Kevin Corey as Scotty, Lynley Hall as Linda, Bruce Horak as Jake and Guilly Urra as Ed are all generally strong, save for a few moments in "Do The Necronomicon" in the second act. It seems like some of the cast simply ran out of gas in that number.
Evil Dead: The Musical is really a show that hinges on how great Ash is. In this production, Tyler Rive has the challenging task of making us forget about Bruce Campbell's portrayal of the character, as well as carrying this rather challenging score, square on his shoulders. While Rive is a strong actor and embodies everything you'd want in an Ash, his vocal chops are simply not up to par. There were numerous tuning issues, and most of the time it sounded like he was singing into a metal tube. While Rive doesn't let the show down, we need the actor playing Ash to be a terrific actor with great comedic timing (which Rive has) and with tremendous vocal ability, which he just doesn't have.
The direction by Kevin McKendrick is slick, with the show's pacing almost at a frantic pace, which is perfect.
Is this the best musical you'll see this year? Probably not. Are you likely to find a better way to spend just two hours over the next little while? Not likely. Evil Dead: The Musical at the Vogue is worth the ticket price, and you should head downtown to check it out.
Or you can wait until the Down Stage Right Production opens at the end of the month. Either way, you'll be in for an absolute treat, and don't be afraid to shout out your favourite lines from the movie in Act Two. This campy Canadian musical is not your typical theatrical fare, and that's the way we like it, so whether you're a bit part Demon or a full fledged devotee to the Necronomicon, you're bound to have a lot of laughs, and a lot of fun.
Evil Dead: The Musical plays at the Vogue Theatre on Granville until November 14th. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
*** (out of five)
Mike Mackenzie - Mike Mackenzie is an actor, writer, director and theatre producer. Recently, he performed in Man Of La Mancha at the Heritage Theatre in ...
