Evil Dead: The Musical

Ryan Ward and Laura Tremblay in Evil Dead—The Musical. Photo by David Hou.

What would you do if all of your friends turned into demented zombies from beyond the grave? Would you join them on the dark side? Hell no! Not if you’re anything like Ash from Evil Dead: The Musical.

This Halloween, the show that first took Toronto by storm in 2010 returns to the city in an updated production staged by co-creator and original director Christopher Bond, now playing at the newly renovated Randolph Theatre. With Ryan Ward reprising the lead role of Ash, the musical tells the oh-so-scary story of a group of college friends who spend a night in an abandoned cabin in the woods after accidentally unleashing an evil force that turns them all into demons.

First to fall victim, singing the hilarious “Look Who’s Evil Now” is Ash’s outspoken sister Cheryl (Alison Smyth), who taunts the group while locked up in the cellar; next, Ash’s raunchy best friend Scott (Rodrigo Fernandez) and his trashy date Shelly (Laura Tremblay) go bad, followed by his sweetheart Linda (Margaret Thompson)—even his own hand turns against him. And just when the situation looks like it can’t get worse, the cabin owner’s bossy daughter (Tremblay) and her passive-aggressive partner Ed (Kenton Blythe) show up with a strange local man named Jake (Daniel Williston), catching Ash red-handed (no pun intended) after chopping off Linda’s head. Together Ash and Annie attempt to banish the evil spirits using lost pages from the ancient Necronomicon. All in a day's work for this brave S-mart employee.

Featuring a brilliant “possessed” set by Lindsay Anne Black, creepy costumes by Claudia Kada and high-energy choreography by Stacey Renee Maroske, Evil Dead: The Musical is a fun-filled comedic carnage-fest that will have you tapping your toes and screaming with laughter as blood and guts fly across the stage. Ward channels Bruce Campbell from the Evil Dead films with uncanny accuracy, and the supporting cast are entirely convincing as wicked demons from hell. Musical highlights include Williston's "Good Old Reliable Jake," Blythe's "Bit Part Demon," Tremblay's "All The Men In My Life Keep Getting Killed By Candarian Demons" and the ensemble's killer performance of "Do The Necronomicon."

Be warned: if you choose to sit in the first three rows, otherwise known as the "Splatter Zone," you will be bathed in blood. Book your tickets fast!

Evil Dead: The Musical runs until January 5, 2014 at Randolph Theatre (736 Bathurst). Visit evildeadthemusical.com for more information and to buy tickets.

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