FINAL EXTENSION! MUST CLOSE SEPTEMBER 8TH!

COME GET SOME! BRUCE CAMPBELL TICKETS TO BE RELEASED AT 5PM TODAY!

A block of tickets to Evil Dead: The Musical for both shows at 6PM and 10:30PM on Saturday August 11th (including some tickets in the Splatter Zone) will be released. This is not only your chance to see Toronto's Favourite Show, but to see the star of the original Evil Dead movies - BRUCE CAMPBELL!!!

Bruce is coming to Toronto this Saturday to help celebrate the success of Evil Dead: The Musical and will be giving audiences an intimate talkback after both performances.

Showtimes are 6:00 and 10:30.

Tickets are available for this and ALL performances:
By phone 416 971-5656
Online (recommended) http://www.evildeadthemusical.com/toronto/
In person at the Diesel Playhouse Box Office - 56 Blue Jays Way

GET 'EM WHILE YOU CAN!

VOTE FOR EVIL DEAD

IN THE DORA AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

If you think Evil Dead the Musical is the best show in Toronto – let the world know!


Visit http://www.nowtoronto.com/dora/, and enter Evil Dead as a write-in candidate for best show.
(unfortunately Evil Dead is not on the list of nominees – so to vote, you must scroll down to #2 where it says "vote for your own pick", and type in EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL)

It's really simple and will only take you 5 seconds.

And even though it's a write in candidate – we know EVIL DEAD can win this

So VOTE!

But do it fast!

Voting closes this Thursday at 11 PM – so we don't have much time. Let's show Toronto we can have a write-in winner!

And let's get Evil Dead the Dora Award we all know it deserves!

Groovy!

MORE BLOODY LAUGHTER!

MORE BLOODY FUN!

MORE EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL!!!


You asked for it… you got it.


EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL is extending for 6 more weeks - until August 4th.


And as a special bonus to our loyal fans… we're giving you the very first chance to buy tickets for our next block of shows.


We're making a public announcement about our extension on Thursday… but if you go to http://www.evildeadthemusical.com RIGHT NOW you can be the very first to get the best seats.


As you probably know, Evil Dead is the hottest ticket in Toronto. And we've been flooded with emails from people saying they didn't act fast enough to get Splatter Zone seats last time. Others complain that they had to sit in the back corner because it was the only seat left in the theatre. Well, stop complaining! If you want good seats – BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!


We're warning you -- These tickets will go fast!


JOIN US again at EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL.


ALIVE ON STAGE TO AUG. 4th!

Ok Friends and Fans, here is one way to help us keep this great show alive!

CLICK ON THIS LINK: To get the HTML code to drop into Myspace, Blogs, Forums and anywhere else you can think to help us tell New York, and the World, that this show is great and needs to be rescued!  So GO GO GO post the image/link above!


Groovy,
Evil MattYour Loyal Servant of Evil and Webmaster
www.evildeadthemusical.com
www.myspace.com/evildeadthemusical
(Damn the Man... Save EDTM)

Here's a great Blogged review by Tony.  Thanks Tony!
Cheers,
Evil Matt.
__________

Tony

EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL review

Plot Outline

Basically, if you've seen the movie, you know what the play is about. The play is based on the two films, with a scene and a reference of the third one. There are pop culture jokes, crude humor, blood, zombies, prudes, blood, violence, sexual innuendoes, oh, and did I mention, blood?

The Good

There are many things that are great about this play, which I'll break down into seperate paragraphs.

First off, the setting was great. The setting basically takes place in the cabin, but there are several shots outside of the cabin. The setting looks exactly like the actual movie settings, but there is not one scene that doesn't have a great setting.

Next, we cannot forget the jokes. It is true what you heard, the play is hilarious. There are many bad puns that make you just want to laugh. There are also jokes that involve with the film. There is one joke where Scott tells Ash's sister to go read, and she responds back by saying, "Fine! I will!" and guess what she takes out... you guessed it, the Bruce Campbell book. My favorite joke is where Linda says, "The in-flight movie was "Spider-Man"; ugh was that horrible! The direction sucked!" (which if you didn't get that joke, go look it up). There is at least one joke per minute of the play, and at least one chuckle during a song.

Which leads to my next paragraph. I love musicals on film, and I never have seen a musical on Broadway before (well, the Rockettes, but does that count?), and I didn't know whether or not if the music will be enjoyable. Rest assured, it is. The opening song, "Cabin in the Woods", begins right away, and there are several great lines in the song. Then you have "Housewares Employees", which is a slow song with a laugh or two. Then we have Jake being introduced, with him singing "Good Old Reliable Jake", telling how reliable he is, suggesting that you can ask him anything, whether if you had to get through the woods or bypass surgery. Ash performs "Not A Killer", which is slow but is very comical. Ed joins in by singing "Bit-Part Demon", beginning where he thinks he can kills Ash until he is convinced that he is only a Bit-Part Demon, where he doesn't have enough strength to kill Ash. But the one song that I'm pretty sure that everyone is pretty much coming for is the fantastic song "All The Men In My Life," but other great songs include "Do The Necronomicon" and "You Blew That Bitch Away".

Ryan Ward, who plays Ash, does excellent. He produces his lines superbly, and never fails. He takes his time with his lines just so people know when the cue is to repeat the line; the lines that got the best reaction were "This is my BOOMSTICK!" and "Give me some sugar, baby!". I also really enjoyed Cheryl, who produced the bad puns.

If you ever do get a chance to go to the show, make sure you get the SplatterZone seats. The SplaterZone speaks for itself, you get blood splattered on you, which they save the fun to the nonstop bloddy ending. Of course, if you don't want to get soaked in blood, you don't need to; they hand out ponchos. I had SplatterZone seats when I went, but I only got splattered once. Suggestion is to get seats in the 10+ range; I had seat 6 and only got wet once.

The souveniers are great too. They have a number of shirts, including a white "SplatterZone" shirt, mugs, a chainsaw-foamed hand, pins, and the film poster.

The Bad

Nothing, absolutely nothing in my opinion.

Overall

I think that the play was great! If you ever get to New York soon, make sure you buy tickets to go see it. I would really only recommend it to true fans of Evil Dead, and if you aren't, then go see "Rent" or "Producers" on Broadway.

Hi everyone,  I had the pleasure of interviewing with Mike and Ike recently.  So without further adu read on below.  There is a forthcoming CAST interview with Mike and Ike, so you might want to subscribe to their blog.

Real interviews with a feverish comedy punch... or sheer madness... both good!

Cheers,

Evil Matt.

 

Mike&Ike

 

WARNING:  THERE IS A SILENCE OF THE LAMBS MUSICAL.  AVOID IT

 

Mike: (English accent) Greetings and salutations.  He's not Mike.

 

Ike: (English accent) He ain't Ike, but we are both excited as a pedophile who's just discovered Yahoo messenger.

 

M:  Yes, dear friends, it is indeed a frabjous day.

 

I:  Callooh!  Callay!

 

M:  For we are taking a trip to New York City.

 

SALSA FAN VOICES:  NEW YORK CITY?

 

I:  That's right.  Mike and Ike are headin' for Broadway.  Well, near Broadway

 

M:  And why are we heading for near Broadway.

 

I:  I'm glad you asked.  We are headin' for near Broadway because we got free tickets to

 

EVIL DEAD-THE MUSICAL

 

I:  Can ya frakkin' believe it?  I get ta see dancin' zombies, I get ta see dismemberments, and I get peppy show tunes.  And I'm getting' it all for free.

 

M:  And how did we get these free tickets, Isaac?

 

I:  Oh, it's quite simple, Michael.  We are just too cool for our own egos.

 

M:  And we are passing the coolness along to you, our faithful readers.  Not only will you soon be reading a review, as well as our take on the New York theatre scene.

 

I:  It's a whole new group ta piss off.  Can't wait.

 

M:  We also have not one, but TWO very special interviews with the cast and crew.

 

I:  Of a show that's playin' near Broadway.

 

M:  Haven't we been banned from a couple of theatres in Ohio that "did not wish to be associated with our kind of humor?"

 

I:  Yes, we have.

 

M:  Didn't we get an email saying that we "owed the entire Northeastern Ohio theatre community an apology" for pretty much the same reason?

 

I:  Yes, we did.

 

M:  And even after all THIS goodness, do we not have an interview with an actual movie star coming up (Hint:  He was in Waiting for Guffman)

 

I:  Yes, we do.

 

M:  Are we gloating?

 

I:  Yes, we are.

 

M:  Okay.  Just wanted to make sure.  Our first

 

EVIL DEAD-THE MUSICAL

 

M:  interview is with Matt Olmstead, who runs the musical's official Myspace page.  The man's got over 33,000 friends on it, so he's got to be doing something right.

 

I:  In addition ta bein' the show's voice ta the fans for the New York production, he's played the character Scotty, he designed and constructed the special effects, props, and set, and built and operated several puppets (4 at one time apparently) in the Toronto run before it hit the big time.  He's also a teacher, a scientist, the owner of several large publishin' companies, a spy, and current holder of the Miss Nude World title. 

 

M:  For the New York production, he is credited as Web Designer/Web promotions and (Oh, do I love this) Blood Delivery Systems Consultant, with a man named Peter Higgins.  We don't know who you are, sir, but you worked on this show, so we like you.

 

I:  We caught up with Matt at his day job, workin' the drive-through at a Burger King in Toronto. 

 

M:  There wasn't a line, so we were able to ask him a few questions.

 

FLASHBACK MUSIC

 

Matt:  Welcome to Burger King.  May I take your order, please?

 

M:  Matt, it's Mike and Ike.

 

M2:  Oh, hey, guys.  We can do this until a car shows up.

 

I:  No prob.  Okay, first question:  How bloody is this thing?

 

M2:  That's a trade secret.  Seriously . . . we swore ourselves to secrecy back in the day.  .

Lots is a very good answer though.

It's funny.  I have heard many different volumes of blood quoted in the media for our show... all wrong.  Only about 5 people actually know the numbers.  Of course, we use several TYPES of blood too... sticky blood to hit Ash in the face with the Blood Delivery System... runny blood for the audience (stretches the budget and cleans out better)... FX blood for adding wounds (it's a jelly like substance)... etc.

 

M:  Matt continued to refuse our request for exact gallonage until we agreed to a secret ceremony involving peyote, The O' Reilly Factor, and genital mutilation.

 

I:  But we know.  Oh, yes.  We know.

 

M:  Do you want to know?

 

I:  Ask Matt.

 

FLASHBACK MUSIC

 

M:  When you were designing the special effects, did you study the Grand Guignol at all?

 

M2:  A very intelligent person asked me that the other day.  I never realized that we were reforming a 120 year old theatre tradition.  We mainly did the special effects by the seat of our pants.  There was a hardware store near the theatre that had to deal with some pretty strange requests.  Every day we'd show up and go through their stockroom, asking for things that could squirt, spray, flap, spring and explode.  My basement ended up looking like a real mad scientist's lair.

 

I:  How cool a song is What the Fuck was That?  Cause it's the coolest song title in history.

 

M2:  It's really cool.  It's Ash and Scotty trying to figure out what's going on and what to do next.  It hits you right out of a very dramatic moment in the show where the energy is really high then WHAMMO!  they're singing this crazy song about disbelief and escape and the ridiculousness of the whole situation.  It gets better from there . . . there's some tango in there and there's a grand tri-tette—Is that a word?

 

I:  What's it mean?

 

M2:  It's a duet plus one, with Ash, Scotty, and Demon Cheryl.

 

I:  Works for me.

 

M2:  It was a bit scary doing the show for an audience for the first time because of all the swearing.  Scotty has a real sailor mouth, and says some very VERY racy things.  We wondered if that would kill the show before it even got started, but the audience LOVED it.  People got in trouble for singing the song at work.  My brother got sent home from school for wearing a t-shirt with "What the Fuck was That" on it (We sold them during our second run).  It was a hit.

 

M:  When did you know you had the audience?

 

M2:  I knew we had them when the whole house broke out in laughter after the third repetition of "What a stupid bitch!"  (I know... but it's funny in context) and started hooting and hollering.   The show as a whole knew we had them when the cabin came alive for the first time and the crowd went just as insane as Ash.  By the end of act 1 we knew we had a great show.

 Of course this was all on the 2nd night of the show as the first night was performed outside during the blackout and all rules were out the door (along with the set, puppets and band...)

 

M:  Wait a minute.  You did a show during the East coast blackout?

 

M2:  Yeah.  Our opening night performance was August 14 2003.  

We hauled what we could of the set out onto the lawn of the theatre and set up shop under a tree.  The show started at dusk lit by candles, flashlights and car headlights.  The band was a ragtag trio of our sound designer on a snare drum, our keyboardist on a borrowed micro-cassio running on 4 D-cells, and our guitarist on the theatre's back room acoustic that fell out of tune by the end of each song.

 We roamed the neighborhood yelling that we were doing a show and lo and behold 350 people showed up.  That was our largest audience until a year later in Montreal.

 By the time the zombies started popping up, getting killed and popping up again it was fully dark and CREEPY!  A zombie musical in a silent city.  Perfection.

 When the blackout actually occurred I was 25 feet above the stage fixing our giant Necronomicon (that opened and closed to display pages of the text during the show) and I just about broke my neck getting off that ladder while bitterly yelling at our lighting designer Gareth to turn the lights back on.

 We got a good amount of press for our "Show must go on" attitude, and the rest is history... in the making.

I did have my greatest ever theatre line during that show.  All the cast members looked at me like I was crazy as I climbed a large tree in the middle of our impromptu play space in front of the theatre in the middle of our big opening song and dance number "Cabin in the woods".

They realized what I was up to when my lyrics came up

"In a few hours you will see me

doing the nasty in a Tree!"

As I humped a large tree branch, swung down to the ground with one arm, and joined in the dancing like it was all choreographed.

 

M:  What happens when things just don't go right during the show, or has it been blessed?

 

M2:  This show has never been blessed with anything except a great concept and a lot of people who are unwilling to give up on it.  We have faced blackouts, strange reviews, crazy audience members (REALLY CRAZY sometimes), broken props, broken actors, blood failures, lighting and sound breakdowns, and more blood-fried mics than I can count.  However there's always been a core group that simply steps up and gets something to work before that curtain has to open again.

 I have walked on stage as the curtain opens on the show while handing a drill off to an assistant stage manager.  I have picked breakable glass out of my face.  It's not about how bad things get... it's about how good we make it in spite of the disasters.

 Personally... I LOVE the challenge.  Whenever a director said "I wish we could do X, but it's impossible" I would try to have it working in 2 days.

 

I:  This is my next most important question, after the blood one:  How hot are the zombie chicks?

 

M2:  Very very hot.  George and Chris like to mention that they are the minority in this case.  Straight guys writing and producing Musical theatre.  They also want to hit a much stronger male market with this show and they have cast some very fine looking ladies to get all bloodied up on stage.  The female characters also have different styles... sexbomb Shelly, nerdy but cute sister Cheryl and perky Linda.  It's like Charlie's Angels style zombies.  That sounds like fun.  Evil Dead vs. Charlie's Angels!

 

I:  If it were porn, I'd watch it.  By the way, how come we ain't been in your top Myspace friends yet?  We sold tickets, man!

 

M2:  I get this a lot... have you ever tried to find ONE specific person amongst 33,000 friends to put them on that list?  I do have a system now for finding people so... Ike, you  may just give your day in the sun.  Mike... sorry... can't do it brother.

 

M:  I see. 

 

SHORT PAUSE

 

M:  And now, Matt, we end the interview like we end all interviews, with the famous questionnaire written by some Frenchman.  Tell us, what is you favorite word for breasts?

 

M2:  Boobies.  It's got a roundness to it that lends itself to the body part.  Must be those to O's side by side.

 

I:  What's your least favorite word that rhymes with chair?

 

M2:  Éclair.  Come on now... you translate that tasty treat out of French and you are eating LIGHTNING!!  What a waste of a name.

 

M:  What turns you on more:  Jessica Alba in a kiddie pool filled with Jell-O or the fact that you have a much better health care system than America?

 

M2:  Health care 10 to 1.  As an independent contractor in every damn job I do... I rely on our health system since I'll never get actual health care benefits.  But... if I'm feeling healthy... what flavour Jell-O? 

 

I:  What turns ya off more:  Ron Jeremy in a kiddie pool filled with Jell-O or the fact that Keanu Reeves has a career?

 

M2:  I met Ron Jeremy at Just for Laughs in 2004 when performing with Evil Dead... Keanu can win Oscars for all I care... just keep that kiddie pool full of hairy McLongman to yourself.  (You washed it before you gave it to Jessica right?)

 

M:  What's your favorite word that you can't say on television?

 

M2:  I am a Canadian.  If it can't be said on television, then those words simply don't exist to us (until we use them on stage).  I guess in honour of Scotty it would have to be Bitch.

 

I:  What sound, noise, or body function d'ya love?

 

M2:  I love the sound of a train in the distance and I think that the production of  Insulin by the pancreas is pretty sweet.

 

I:  What sound or noise d'ya hate more:  fingers on a blackboard or Celine Dion?

 

M2:  Celine Dion.  Why... WHY does she keep telling people she's Canadian?  Couldn't we stop with Mike Myers, John Candy and Wayne Gretski to represent us?  ... even Shonia Twain is decent... but Celene... bah!

 

M:  What legal or illegal drug would you like to have the corner on?

 

M2:  Tylenol 3.  It's a pain killer!  No! It's a party drug!  Stop! You're both right!

 

I:  What would ya do for a Klondike bar?

 

M2:  Shrug apathetically and say "Meh?"  (Not a big fan)

 

M:  And finally, assuming, of course, Heaven exists, who do you think really deserves a good smiting right now?

 

M2:  I'm not the vengeful god type.  I would hand out some minor smiting to anyone who does a job that trades morals for cash.  I do believe in karma though... so watch out!   I would also like to hand out a micro-smiting to anyone who has sold their dreams for cash.  I see to many sad, dead-inside looking commuters.  "Bzzzzaaap!  Wake up!  Do what you love... at least part time!"

 

I:  And then suddenly there was a car beepin' behind us, so we got a couple a Whoppers and drove off inta the night.  By the way, another reason we think Matt's a higher life form:  He told us he'd like ta see the show done with puppets for TV.  That gave me such a warm fuzzy.

 

M:  And there you go.  Coming soon, an interview with the cast and maybe, if you're really lucky, the writer and director of

 

EVIL DEAD-THE MUSICAL

I:  Namaste.

 

PAUSE

 

I:  Oh yeah!  We are #2 on the show's band/soundtrack page now, so we're happy.

 

M:  And if you're at all interested in finding out about my recent death and revivification, please read Reader Mail .47 and DC Comics Presents World Without a Mike.

 

LONGER PAUSE

 

I:  Whore whore whore.

A great article on the show from www.hobotrashcan.com
The orignal article is at http://www.hobotrashcan.com/hangingaround/evildead.php

Cheers,
Evil Matt.

Following in the tradition of "Spamalot" and "The Producers," "Evil Dead: The Musical," which is currently playing at New World Stages in New York City, takes the franchise made famous by Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell and sets it to music.

The story, which combines elements from both Evil Dead movies, centers around five friends who spend the night at an abandoned cabin in the woods and unwittingly unleash a pack of Candarian demons using the Necronomicon, or "Book of the Dead." One by one, all five are possessed by these demons and it's left up to the hero, Ashley J. "Ash" Williams, to defeat the demons. He receives help from Annie, the daughter of the man who originally lived in the cabin, who arrives at the cabin with her boyfriend Ed and a local hillbilly named Jake.

While the first Evil Dead film was more of a true horror film, the sequel injected a lot of humor and slapstick into the franchise. "Evil Dead: The Musical" takes the concept a step further, acting as almost a parody of the films by using inside jokes about Raimi and Campbell and by openly acknowledging plot elements that didn't necessarily make sense. And, of course, there are the musical numbers, which include Annie singing "All the men in my life keep getting killed by Candarian demons" and Jake and Annie giving an "Ode to an Accidental Stabbing."

Deadites from across the country will surely flock to New York to experience their favorite films in a brand new way. Evil Dead fan Ryan Ward came all the way from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada for the show. Of course, Ward had a good reason to make the trip - he stars as Ash in the play.

Ward's involvement in the project began three years ago in Toronto. "I was still in school at the time," Ward said. "I was trying to get some acting work in the summer in Toronto. I saw a flyer and said, 'Oh, Evil Dead. I love Evil Dead.' "

Ward didn't exactly have high expectations for the project going in. "I figured it would be a bunch of guys putting it on who were just Evil Dead dorks. I was pretty sure it wouldn't be any good."

Still, being an "Evil Dead dork" himself, Ward went in and tried out for the show. "I didn't think I'd get to play Ash, I figured I'd play 'Wiseman' or some small character."

But, he believes his knowledge and respect for the film helped him win the lead role. "I think I was really the only guy who tried out who kind of understood what Ash should be," Ward said. "After I read 'boom stick' they jumped up and cheered."

Ward was cast in the lead role and was actually able to give creative input as the show evolved and was refined over time. Through trial and error the show was eventually tightened up and, due to its success in Canada, was brought to New York City. Ward was the only original cast member kept on when the project moved to the U.S., most likely because of his ability to truly capture the essence of the role and his resemblance to Bruce Campbell.

Ryan Ward as Ash

When he tried out for the play, he didn't think he looked much like Campbell, but most people who see the show see a striking resemblance between the two.

"I think I look a bit like Bruce Campbell. I have dark features and I'm tall. I'm sure I'm not as big as Bruce Campbell was," Ward said, "I think it's more the facial expressions."

After studying the films, Ward was able to effortlessly recreate the trademark eyebrow arching and facial expressions, but he also has tried to establish a delicate balance between simply mimicking the role that Campbell made famous and giving the character his own interpretation.

"I wanted to make it half my own thing, but I knew what was expected of me," Ward revealed. "I tried to get the right bits of what Bruce Campbell did to try to satisfy people who liked Evil Dead because I know what I would want to see if I watched the play."

Ward has also been able to recreate some of the famous physical comedy bits from the films, including smashing bottles over his head and wrestling with his hand before chopping it off. Ward has always been comfortable with physical comedy, citing John Ritter and Jim Carrey as inspiration. He was also able to draw from a one man show he wrote and performed called "Noctürnal Müsical," which centered around a man trapped in his own dream whose alter ego is trying to kill him.

While recreating the physical aspects and mannerisms of Campbell were important, Ward knew there was one thing he absolutely had to know by heart.

"My biggest concern is: don't screw up the important lines," said Ward. "I know that everybody in the theater is probably saying them with me."

Of course, he has screwed up the important lines from time to time, including the famous 'boom stick' line. However, fans of the franchise have still embraced him and he has received a lot of praise in the role, include praise from Bruce Campbell's wife.

Campbell and his wife attended the show on the first two nights. After the show, Campbell's wife told Ward, "It was so weird sitting next to Bruce because I was looking at you playing Ash and it looked like Bruce 20 years ago."

Campbell himself was also impressed with the show. "He really liked the show, he thought it was funny," Ward said. "I was a little bit nervous. I was keeping my eye on him. I was trying to see if he liked it or if he was bored."

Renée Klapmeyer, who plays both Annie and Shelly in the show, really enjoyed Campbell's presence. "It was awesome having him there, just knowing he was out in the audience and hoping that we were all representing something that he did that was close to his heart," Klapmeyer said.

Klapmeyer, who is originally from Stillwell, Kansas, wasn't familiar with the Evil Dead franchise when she began working on the play, but has since become a fan. "I had never heard of Evil Dead. I didn't know anything about the movies," Klapmeyer admitted. "I just saw the audition and it said, 'Come prepared with your best horror scream.'"

Like Ward, when she landed the role she watched the films to help develop her two characters, but found that the musical had changed them quite a bit.

"The character of Shelly in the movie is really different from the character I play in the show. They've expanded it," Klapmeyer. "The role of Annie is different as well. So, I definitely watched the movies and studied the movies a lot, but I also tried to bring my own creativity to the role."

Nonetheless, Klapmeyer has developed a real appreciation for the movies and their fans. "It's just been so amazing. I've never done a show like this before where the audience is so involved," she said. "Everyone seems to enjoy it so much. They love what we are doing up there, which makes it that much more exciting."

Musical Numbers Act One "Cabin in the Woods" "Housewares Employee" "It Won't Let Us Leave" "Look Who's Evil Now" "What the ... ?" "Join Us" "Good Old Reliable Jake" "Housewares Employee" (reprise) "I'm Not a Killer" Act Two "I'm Not a Killer" (reprise) "Bit-Part Demon" "All the Men in My Life" "Ode to an Accidental Stabbing" "Do the Necronomicon" "It's Time" "We Will Never Die" "You Blew That Bitch Away"

Of course, one of the things the fans really love is Shelly's breakaway costume. Throughout the show, pieces of her outfit are ripped off, leaving her scantily clad by the final curtain. "I've actually never played a part before where I'm ripping off articles of clothing. It's fun," Klapmeyer said. "It's more fun when the audience is in to it and they're screaming and yelling as I'm taking off the articles of clothing."

One aspect Ward and Klapmeyer might not enjoy is the copious amounts of blood that end up filling the stage by the end of the night. Much like a Gallagher show, "Evil Dead: the Musical" actually has a "Splatter Zone" in the front rows, where some audience members try to hide behind plastic ponchos to stay clean while others wear white t-shirts that they keep as blood-soaked souvenirs.

Starting out, the blood was a bit of a challenge for Ward and the creative team from Toronto. "It was a pretty steep learning curve when we first did it. We didn't really know what to expect," Ward said. "They used Super Soakers. I was soaked in blood and we didn't have any wash basins or anything like that or any real clue how we were going to get it off in time for me to get back on."

Over time, they were able to develop a better "blood-delivery system" and Ward was able to adjust to the splatter. "I've learned how to dodge the blood so it doesn't hit my mic," Ward said. And the blood really doesn't bother him anymore. "I'm kind of used to it," he said.

Sometime though, the blood can actually be dangerous for the performers. "We have the huge blood fight, then we still have one more number," said Klapmeyer. "That's very challenging for all of us because there is blood all over the stage. A couple of cast members have actually slipped on the blood and fallen."

Still, the blood, the rabid fans and the cheesy musical numbers help to make "Evil Dead: The Musical" a unique experience.

"It's unlike any theater show you've ever been to," Ward said. "One word I would describe it as is 'raucous.' It's like a rock concert."

"From the minute I did it, I knew it was something special," he added. "I challenge you not to have a good time at this show."

Klapmeyer agreed, "It's the kind of show that you leave all of your inhibitions at the door and walk in and just say, 'I'm going to have a really good time' and just go with it because the ride that we take the audience on is a crazy ride, but it's a lot of fun."

It's certainly a show that is unlikely to be replicated. Unless, of course, they ever make a musical version of Army of Darkness. Ward said he believes the studio is keeping that option open. The original ending of the play featured a musical version of "Hail to the King," but the studio made them drop the number.

Written by Joel Murphy, November 2006. Photos by Carol Rosegg. For more information on "Evil Dead: The Musical" or to purchase tickets, visit the official website.

Ok... so I have some short teasers that you can listen to and I'm working on getting more for you from the production.  But... we now have a myspace BAND PAGE here at www.myspace.com/evildeadthemusicalsoundtrack

Cheers,
Evil Matt.

Just like those pesky Deadites, the Myspace ticket deal is BACK!

Click Here to go to the Offer at Broadwayoffers.com

Splatterzone for weekdays is $29 and $36 for Fridays and Saturdays
Always cheap!

Monday through Thursday normally priced seats of $66.00
JUST $33.50

Friday and Saturday 11PM shows normally priced $71
JUST $38.50

All prices includes the $1 venue fee

Click Here to go to the Offer at Broadwayoffers.com

 

All this and more at www.myspace.com/evildeadthemusical the fan's source for Singing and Dancing Deadites.

 

Groovy,
Evil Matt

Your Loyal Servant of Evil and Webmaster

www.evildeadthemusical.com

Drop-dead funny Die laughing with Evil Dead: The Musical! DEAD SINGERS The cast of Evil Dead is hell-bent on entertaining its audience. Photograph: Carol Rosegg Experience Evil Dead: The Musical, now playing at New World Stages (340 W 50th St between Eighth and Ninth Aves). Based on the cult-classic film, this comedy follows five college students who accidentally unleash an evil force that turns them into singing and dancing demons. One lucky grand-prize winner will receive: two tickets to Evil Dead: The Musical, two T-shirts and two foam chain saws. To enter, correctly answer the following question:

Q: Evil Dead cast member Ryan Ward appeared opposite Daniel Baldwin in what film?(Hint: Check out evildeadthemusical.net for more than just the answer.)

To enter go to: http://www.timeout.com/newyork/static_content/getthis/index.php

NOTE: That same film about a Superhero being trained by his Sidekick is coming out on DVD on November 14th.

Note 2: Your's truly Evil Matt is even in that film getting his ass kicked by a superhero in an alley.

This one is from: DrSteggy

Cheers,
Evil Matt.

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I would like to refer my readers to the "Director's Cut" version of this weekend's review. You can find it here.

Thursday I buzzed around until it was time to snag Heather at Newark Liberty. We got back here and changed into our Horror Geek uniforms, and then went to catch a bus into the city. Traffic completely blew chunks, but we hit Times Square with plenty of time to get to our restaurant. The Hourglass Tavern is a teeny tiny place, but they have great food (Elsa and I ate there before going to see Rent in September of 2001) and they also have a pre-theater menu, which means you get to pick from a couple choices, and you get salad, dinner, dessert and coffee for one price and they get you out in a hurry. So we had a leisurely and great meal (salmon, yum) and a good chianti, and got out in time to go the four blocks to the New World Stages for an 8 pm curtain time.

Inside the theater is all concrete and super cool looking. We passed the merch stand (Evil Dead logoed shirts, posters, coffee mugs and other stuff!) and entered the small theater. They were playing 80's hair band music, which is the ultimate accompanyment for horror movies. Heather did some head banging with a guy selling shots as we got to our plastic covered seats. We were in the back of the Splatter Zone, and off to the right hand (the Steve and Ruben side, for my Al freak friends) of the stage. A security person told us we'd get ponchos before the second act and asked that we not remove the plastic from the seats.

The vibe in the theater was wnderful...everyone was very excited and spazzing out. Strangers turned to each other and shared random Bruce Campbell memories. It was much like hitting an Al show for the first time and meeting Your People. I've never run with the horror geeks before, but it was fun to be immersed in them.

I really enjoyed the show--it starts out very campy and fun and then they get to the cabin, which was an amazing set. There was a talking moose head, and the various things on the wall spun and freaked out as the demons took over. The cabin set on stage actually looked a lot better than the one in the movies dose, although the movie cabin also appears to have tardis like qualities in that is seems to be about 3 times the size inside than it looks outside.

The play (a musical, naturally) is sort of an amalgaram of all three of the Evil Dead movies--they did hit most of the great lines from Army of Darkness (except "Its a trick. Get an axe.") and all the plot points and details. Obviously, this was lovingly created by fans of the film, and really, there is no other way to have done it right.

The only thing lacking? A soundtrack. Please. An album. I need this like oxygen.

The cast was great (Cheryl was hilarious, and Ash spot on) the choreography excellent, and the songs perfect. My favorite song was "What the..." and there was this whole over the top song and dance thing the demons did toward the end. Hilarious. We were screaming and laughing the entire time.

We bought our ED crap at intermission. I have a button that is going to go live at work, where I can possibly gross out a co-worker even more violently than I already do with the Weird Al calender I have.

Act two was as bloody as promised. As the demons were being vanquished they made sure to take aim at the audience with all the stage blood. Heather and I were a little disappointed to not have gotten hit, but we were off to the side. Next time, I am sitting in the middle of the Splatter Zone.

After the show, there was about 10 minutes while they mopped down the stage and we waited eagerly for Bruce to come out. The stage hands placed a chair in the middle of the stage, and three cups of what looked like stage blood down.

I turn to Heather "Why does Bruce Campbell need stage blood?"

"Is he going to drink it?"

No, as it turned out, he came on stage, people stood to welcome him, and he responded by throwing blood on us. So, now I have a pair of jeans that I am debating about ever washing again.

Bruce was great. He answered a bunch of audience questions, made fun of the fanboyz and was just snarky enough. I don't know that a whole lot of new/secret info came out on future projects (hi, the interviewers were a bunch of spazzed out fans) but he did point out that he played the only character to ever defeat Spiderman...as the usher in Spiderman 2.

Bruce spoke for about an hour or so, and then bid us farewell. We stopped off to wash fake blood off our hands at least and take some nerd girl photos, and then proceeded to get lost trying to get out. We end up going out the main entrance where NO ONE was, and as we approach the door, I see a couple other people coming out. I scan them, hoping they might be cast members, but NO...its Bruce Freaking Campbell. I feel the stupid grin on my face as I turn to alert Heather. She sees him too and we squeal about how much fun we just had, and ask for a photo. He said OK, and the woman with him offered to take it. We said thanks and bolted out the door to bask in the afterglow and make sure That Really Happened. HMB called John, and I called Dave. Dave was pretty much "Bruce who??" but also seemed amused and shared in my "OMG this is cool" freaking out.

We then got on the slightly wrong bus to get home, but we did get home, and then stayed up until 3 am geeking.

A great blog from our Fan: Charmuse
(check out her myspace for the full details... I've cut a bit of the preamble for our readers)

Evil Matt.

_________________________

I flew out of Asheville with only a slight flight delay Thursday, around noon, and 2 hours later I was on the ground in Newark with my bags waiting for Jackie! Direct flights rule!

We mosied over to Jackie's apartment and we changed for the show. I felt like I was in high school again getting ready for a metal concert, LOL. Soooo much hairspray! I donned my Dethklok shirt that I just got and my favorite jeans and my red maryjanes and off we went to the city. We caught the bus because driving in NYC as a civilian is bullshit. Traffic going into the Lincoln Tunnel was insane! I kept thinking of the The Stand. LOL!

We arrived at the venue, which was way cool inside...NYC is so funny. Things look totally different on the outside from the inside a lot of the time. The inside was very industrial modern with lots of metal, concrete and sharp angles, while the outside looked like a brick public library. Our theater was two levels down and it was Geekfest 2006. OUR PEOPLE! It was awesome. We decided to wait on getting merchandise until intermission, and went to get our seats. We walked in to the theater, which was a bit bigger then I expected, and Quiet Riot was blaring "Cum on Feel the Noise" Now I had no use for QR when the were popular when I was in high school but since it already felt like I was back that era, I banged my head a bit. There was a GEORGEOUS blond guy peddling shots like a cigarette girl, who saw me banging my head and joined in with me and we started singing the song to each other has we passed each other. I gave him the obligatory metal hands and I knew it was going to be a good night.

Our seats were third row and in the "Splatterzone" of the theater. We were told not remove the plastic from the chairs, LOL! Everyone around us was talking excitedly to us and each other and the whole area was in danger of having a mass spazz out. When the lights finally went down, the place went insane with cheers.

When the show started the curtain was down and the initial cast came out singing "Cabin in the Woods" in a little cardboard prop car colored in with crayon and I thought .."Ok, I see how they are going to do it" very over the top cartoon camp with minimal set design... The actors were so close we could see their nose hair! The humor was very clever and when "Ash" pointed out that the cabin was across the bridge, a baby bridge came flying out of stage right and cast all danced off stage across the prop. I knew the comedy was going to be GREAT. The curtains drew open to reveal the actual set of the cabin, which was better then the movie set. It was awesome! Even the wall hangings and animals on the wall spun around and talked! The musical numbers and dancing were fantastic. They hit all the major plot points and catch phrases that made the crowd go bananas. The biggest roars came from "boomstick" and "sugar" of course. The actors playing Sheryl and Jake were real standouts. I had a little crush on Jake. He could MOVE for a tubby guy and man could he sing. The actor playing Ash was fantastic and got a deserved standing ovation. The first act was funny and high energy and the second half was really BLOODY (and high energy and funny). At intermission we bought some stuff from the show. I got a T-shirt and a coffee cup for my hubby (he collects them) and Jackie got a T-shirt and button. Before the 2nd act they handed out parkas. The cast threw cups of blood on the audience. They also spit blood, had exploding blood packs in their chests and necks, and at the end they turned on honest to god BLOOD CANNONS and sprayed us down. It was awesome! My favorite musical number was "What the fuck was that?!" and "Do the Necronomicon" which was a thriller spoof with a disco ball. The whole show was like an amalgamation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Monty Python and a blood drive gone horribly wrong. It was really smart and fun. We had a totally blast. We did not stop laughing, unless we were screaming, for two hours. When I looked around at the audience, it was the same story. Everyone had shit-eating grins on their faces. When the show was over the producer came out and announced Bruce would be out in 15 minutes and to go buy stuff and support the show. The crowd went WILD.

Bruce came on out finally and the joint erupted. He had to yell at everyone to sit down and "shut the fuck up". He talked a lot about making the movies and working with Sam Raimi and was VERY funny and self-deprecating. He had a good time picking on his geeky fans and threw blood on the audience for dumb questions. At one point when some one asked what his worst role and best role were, he turned told the audience to let him turn his back and then the group could yell out what the thought his worst role was. Inevitably, he noted "Fans would get too geeked out and eager and would yell before he could turn around". And he was right. He tried 3 times and some idiot always yelled something. So he called us a bunch of dumbshits and threw blood right at my section. I got blood all over me. At this point I was laughing so hard I was about to hyperventilate. I was literally CRYING he was so fucking funny. He did talk vaguely about his role in Spidey Three and said "he would be the man who made Spiderman, so think about that". He also said there would be a sequel to Bubba Hotep but not an Evil Dead 4 as Raimi was "too busy making wheelbarrows of cash". He did about 45 minutes and graciously left. He was a total RIOT.

After the show I went to wash my hands to get the blood off and we took pictures with the Evil Dead sign...and we got lost trying to get out of the building. It was like a MAZE. Finally, we found our way back to the surface and the exit and standing alone (well with his chick or handler or somebody) in the lobby of another area of the theater was Bruce Fucking Campbell waiting for his ride. We both almost SHIT. We giggled all the way over to them and asked for a picture and he said yes (tho he said to make it quick comically..I am sure he was afraid of getting waylaid by the geek squad), and his chick was super nice and took the photo of us with him. He asked if we liked the show and we said we had a blast. They laughed at our bloody clothes and said we must be hardcore Splatterzone fans. He was very kind and funny. I was just in a daze I was in so much awe. I don't remember half of what I said so I hope I wasn't too astoundingly stupid. I did remember to say thank you. It was the coolest thing ever.

We got outside and squealed like idiots and did a bouncy dance of joy. I called my husband to freak out. A week ago he did not even know who Bruce Campbell was (though he has seen the movies and liked them). He was half asleep and said "well that's nice". I was not getting the adulation I needed. Jackie called her SO, Dave, and while he is not an ED/Campbell fan, understands the prestige of "bagging a cult celebrity star" and I think gave her enough *lurve*. I called Josh to spaz out because I knew he would get it and he graciously put up with me whilst I jabbered in his ear like a 13 year old N-Sync fan who just met Justin Timberlake.

Best line from Bruce "There is no such thing as a good PG-13 horror movie". Amen brother!

We then walked all the way back to Port Authority (8 blocks!) and hopped the bus back to town. As is our MO, we couldn't find the right Subway station and then tried to get off on the wrong stop on the bus when we thought we had causght the wrong bus. When we finally got back to Jackie's we spazzed out all over our collective internet lists, drank two bottles of wine and fell asleep watching Logan's Run.

And it was good. DAMN Good.

This came in as a myspace message to us, and after getting the author's permission, I just had to post it for everyone.   I love that our show can have an impact on people!

Cheer,
Evil Matt

____________________________

I wanted to take the time to express my gratitude to the Cast and Crew of Evil Dead: The Musical. I had wanted to come see the show as soon as I heard about it, however I had no idea how I might be able to get there. As I live in Appleton, Wisconsin, and work as a retail manager in the local mall, I'm sure you can all understand how disappointed I was that I wouldn't be able to attend the show until the spring. Especially with the onset of the holiday season, the busiest time of the year. However, when I heard that the King of B would be doing a talk back Q & A, I went into work half an hour early to see if I could rearrange my schedule enough to make it to the show. I was able to convince the storeowner to allow me the two days needed to attend. With that, I promptly sped home to purchase my ticket. I didn't have a flight or hotel until two days later. As I watched the show, several amazing things occurred. Aside from the outstanding performances given by the actors, the amazing adaptation of the trilogy by the writer, and the phenomenal ambiance created by the crew, I quickly realized that this wasn't a typical theater audience. The production had drawn people out that I overheard exclaiming how well worth the show was, as none of them had ever thought they would ever find themselves watching a musical. I also slowly began to remember what it was like to be a part of the theater world again. In high school, I was in all the school plays, received superior ratings at state competition, and was even elected an officer of my troupe. Having graduated in 2002, I, regrettably, haven't been involved in a single production since. The people involved in this show reminded me that all I ever wanted was to be a part of the theater. To make brighter a world that seems to have forgotten what it was like to walk in the sun. You reminded me of who I am and where I should be. Something that had been lost to me for years. So once again, Thank You, from the bottom of my heart. The excitement that the Cast, Crew, and Audience have for their show gave me life again.

Very Sincerely & Respectfully,
Joey