Anyone who’s seen the “Evil Dead” movies probably knows that the films practically make fun of themselves. Tired horror movie tropes, borderline offensive female characters and H.P. Lovecraft’s “Necronomicon” make for a combination so bad it’s good. “Evil Dead: The Musical” finally delivers the meta, parody-esque rendition we never knew we needed.
The production was put on by Mercer Theatre at the Tattnall Square Center for the Arts. It ran from Oct. 24-Nov. 3.
The music, with lyrics by George Reinblatt, is catchy yet ironic enough for the most pretentious of hipsters. “Housewares Employee” mocks the epic love ballad trope, and J.T. Bloodworth’s performance of the meant-for-greatness white male lead, Ash, was clever without being over the top.
Tripp Kennon and Bloodworth’s homoerotic performance of “What the F*** Was That” got more laughs with every F-bomb. Kennon’s character, Scott, was a perfect curse word-happy comic relief, albeit decidedly misogynistic.
The use of props in this show was near-genius. Talking, possessed moose heads made it impossible to keep a straight face, and the stage blood “splash zone” in the first two aisles kept the audience anticipating every gory injury.
Elizabeth Tammi and Laura Ashlyn Pridgen stole the spotlight in the second act with their performances of Annie and Jake. Pridgen’s solo “Good Ol’ Reliable Jake” garnered big laughs while mocking Jake’s desperation to prove himself.
The penultimate musical number, “Do the Necronomicon,” was a creepy, cute and incredibly funny demon send-off followed by a final demon death in Ash’s beloved S-Mart to close out this absurd, unbelievably enjoyable production.
Review: “Evil Dead: The Musical” could be the next cult favorite
