Evil Dead: The Musical
Book & Lyrics by George Reinblatt
Music by Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, M
elissa Morris & George Reinblatt
Directed by Hinton Battle & Christopher Bond
New World Stages
340 West 50th Street
212-239-6200

Review by Sean Michael O’Donnell

A deliriously over-the-top and bloody spectacular, Evil Dead: The Musical is a camp masterpiece. The show opens where the classic 1981 horror film "Evil Dead" began, while also incorporating elements of the equally beloved 1987 sequel, "Evil Dead II." And while this marriage of B-movie madness and Broadway musical may be made in hell, the production is pure heaven. The gloriously all-too-familiar plot follows five sexy college students as they descend upon a secluded cabin for a little spring break fun. Unbeknownst to the randy quintet, the cabin is home to a gaggle of otherworldly demons hell-bent on taking over their souls. One by one, the members of the group fall victim to the demons; which leaves the fate of the world in the "hand" of the show’s unlikely hero, Ash, played by the excellent Ryan Ward.

Writer George Reinblatt brilliantly sends up both horror films and Broadway musicals. And while he is hilarious and ruthless in his parody, Reinblatt clearly has a great fondness for both genres. The infectious music encompasses a variety of styles — from traditional Broadway fare to '80s style rock to disco-inspired wackiness — creating one of the better scores in recent memory. "Housewares Employee," a tongue-in-cheek homage to young love, may be the first love song to ever feature a bloody decapitation. With its combination of catchy lyrics and Hinton Battle’s fantastic choreography, "Do the Necronomicon" could easily takes its place along side "The Hand Jive" or "The Time Warp." And any torch song entitled "All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Canadian Demons" has to be good.

The cast is superb. One by one they flawlessly sing and dance their way to hilariously grisly deaths. Whether being disemboweled, attacked by killer trees, mutilated by a chainsaw or blown apart by a shotgun, the ensemble performs and bleeds with gleeful abandon. In the tradition of Little Shop of Horrors and The Rocky Horror Show, Evil Dead: The Musical has assumed its place in the cult pantheon of theater.