Evil Dead: The Musical

7.5/10

Coming on the heels of On Clover Road, the Accrosstown Repertory Theatre presents Evil Dead: The Musical, injecting some much needed levity and camp into the small black box. Based on the 1980s horror franchise of the same name, Evil Dead retreads the tried and true formula of following college students as they make questionable life choices in an abandoned cabin in the woods. A few short songs later and the show is thrown into chaos as demons, blood, and puns fill the stage.

For a show that rejects subtlety at every turn, the stage is simple, consisting of monochromatic wood paneling, wooden chairs, a wooden bar, and wooden trim. A few pieces stand out amongst the sea of wood grain, but there is initially little to capture the audience's attention on set. That all changes when the cabin chic brown is used as more of a backdrop for projections that create a creepy forest aesthetic and really kick off the action of the story.

Once the demons begin to target the characters of Evil Dead, the show finds its footing and the audience is hooked. This is particularly true with the hero's sister, Cheryl, being perfectly captured by the performance of Mikayla Uman. This role requires Ms. Uman to transform both emotionally and physically from an uptight, scared add-on to her brother's weekend into a punny, frightening demon at the center of the paranormal hijinks. Ms. Uman's physicality in the role is impressive as she maintains high energy throughout. Her crazed eyes, highlighted by over-the-top makeup, stare out into the audience as she taunts her would-be victims with her spectacular singing and cheesy jokes.

Ellie Woloszyn delights as Linda, the sweet S-Mart employee who captures the hero's heart. Ms. Woloszyn provides the emotional anchor to the story, humanizing the hero and bringing him back from the brink of death, while also portraying the most frightening demon of the bunch as the story progresses. Linda's transformation from sweet and wholesome to demonic and murderous is expertly done, with Ms. Woloszyn conveying every ounce of otherworldly malevolence through her eyes and frenetic movements.

No one does more with less than Zaid Evensen, playing dual roles. The spot-on cartoonish antics of one role in particular bring everything to life and steal the scene. Though brief, this moment is seamless, effective, and takes the absurdity of Evil Dead to an entirely new level. Even the anticipation of this scene, for those familiar with the show, is not enough to dull the hilarity when it finally happens.

The choreography throughout the show is also deserving of praise, capturing the chaos and violence one might expect when dealing with Kandarian demons. The dance numbers are complicated, but largely well-executed, while the fights feel authentic and suitably dangerous. The only limiting factor for some of the dances seems to be the smaller space of the ART, with the occasional movement feeling scaled back to accommodate.

Though not without slips here and there, Evil Dead: The Musical is every bit as fun and silly as it deserves. You certainly have to hand it to everyone involved with this show, they killed it. Join them at the Acrosstown Repertory Theatre through November 9th. The show is sold out, but you can join the waitlist at acrosstown.org.