Brittany Levrea and Zac Ramsey. Photo by Daylon Walton/Random Photography.

Zac Ramsey. Photo by Daylon Walton.

Zac Ramsey and some Deadites. Photo by Daylon Walton.

"Evil Dead: The Musical" cast. Photo by Daylon Walton.

  

Evil Dead: The Musical

by George Reinblatt (book and lyrics)
Frank Cipolla; Christopher Bond; Melissa Morris and George Reinblatt (music)

Presented by Level Ground Arts

October 2 - 31

at Dallas Hub Theater
2809 Canton St.
Dallas, TX 75226
214-749-7010

$20

8pm Fridays-Saturdays

It's easy to fall for a show that has a tech credit for "demonic moose facilitator," and in which the facilitation of said malevolent elk is nicely done. But even without that, there is much to love in Evil Dead: The Musical—and in Level Ground Arts' production of it at the Dallas Hub Theater.

Directed by Bill Fountain, who obviously has a eye for this kind of in-jokey material, Evil Dead is sure to be a hit. And not just because of the show's built-in audience base of the devotees to the bloody, graphic horror flick on which it is based.

Sam Raimi's 1981 The Evil Dead, starring B-movie god Bruce Campbell as one of five horny college kids who unleash an evil force in an uninhabited cabin, has a major cult following. The original Halloween and Friday the 13th films a few years earlier may have introduced a new era of horror flick as box office gold, but The Evil Dead set a new bar for violence and gore. And, like the other horror franchises, sequels abound.

The musical was first presented at a comedy festival in 2004 and opened off-Broadway in 2006, a product of a huge artistic collaboration, with book and lyrics by George Reinblatt and Christopher Bond; and music by Frank Cipolia, Melissa Morris, Rob Daleman, Bond and Reinblatt. The fact that it has the thumbs-up from Raimi and Campbell has lead to a cult following at every North American production of the musical so far, with in-the-know theatergoers wearing white T-shirts and sitting in the front row, also known as the "splatter zone."

The musical follows the film's basic storyline, but along the way it also serves as a clever riff on the horror movie genre (hormones gone wild, rampant misogyny, demons who pun badly) as well as a send-up of musical comedy.

By day, Ash (Zac Ramsey) is an S-Mart (get it?) automaton, but he has more exciting plans for a woodsy weekend getaway with his girlfriend Linda (Liz Woodcock), pal Scotty (Tyler Wilson) and his bubble-headed date Shelley (Brooke Riley). Ash's little sis Cheryl (Stephanie Felton) is also along for the ride, because what's a horror story without an easy first victim?

The beboppy opening song, "Cabin in the Woods" humorously sets up the sitch (kudos to propmaster Ande Bewley for her throwaway car and many other items throughout the show). Standout line in that song: "This'll be just like camp, but with a slutty tramp." C'mon, what else would college kids do at camp?

Of course, the house they break into has a cellar in which they find a tape recorder with some odd chanting. They push play and it releases a demon who kills humans and uses their bodies as hosts for an undead army.

The first of the fivesome to be gruesomely slayed gets into trouble by winkingly stating "Mother always said that whenever you hear a strange, frightening and potentially life-threatening ghostly chant coming from the dark woods, then there's only one thing that you should do: Not wake the others and go and investigate it alone." Instantly, the viewer has images of all those horror film clichés, of hands and keys fumbling to open the car door or the girl running through the woods and tripping on a root.

And the entire show is like that. Mixed in with all the beheading and gore—which is done well here, the type that earns simultaneous gasps and guffaws—and loads of filth (don't bring the kids) are hummable songs like "Housewares Employee," "Look Who's Evil Now" and "Bit Part Demon," all accompanied by a killer rock ensemble on the side of the stage. There's even a group dance, "The Necromicon," that strives for "Time Warp"-esque recognition in the camp/cult musical Hall of Fame.

The dancing from the cast of "Deadites" is impressive. Even more so are earlier segments with tap-dancing zombies during "Bit Part Demon" and a shotgun tango between Ash and a dead dude. The choreography is by Brittany Levraea, who also plays the hot girl who could conceivably end up with the hero, kissing him as blood and guts drip down their bodies.

Vocally, the show could be stronger, with only Felton and Shane Strawbridge (as the backwoods yokel Jake) emerging as accomplished singers. But for the most part, the rest of it is easily serviceable. Ramsey, who has much of those duties, puts forth a valiant effort. (Music direction is by M. Shane Hurst.)

But that really takes a backseat to the show itself, which is filled with wiseacre jokes on frat boys ("she just ripped my pre-ripped Abercrombie!") and references for the Raimi cultists (yes, "Spider-Man" is mentioned). And where spooky-spoofy acting is required, the cast delivers in a big way, as do makeup designer Melody Jones and fight choreographer Mark Dalton. The set, a group effort, could be more detailed, but the Hub doesn't have much to work with.

As for that moose, which is designed by Lisa Fountain and manipulated by Jordan Tomenga with a voice that mimics Bullwinkle, there's no question that all will be taken care of by the day's savior. No, not moose-slayer Sarah Palin. It's Ash, the smiling Campbell-esque hero who's played to perfection by Ramsey as anything but bloodless. If he doesn't win you over with vocal prowess, then charm, charisma and a fist-bump understanding with the material more than make up for that.

This Evil Dead may be brimming with chainsaws, knives and all kinds of slicing and dicing, but it's no hack job.

You can also hear an audio version of this review, by Mark Lowry, in the Oct. 7 episode of This Week in the Arts.