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I've long been a fan of the classic musicals, such as "The Music Man," "Fiddler on the Roof," "My Fair Lady," etc. I love a good story, and great music just adds to it. Imagine my surprise, then, when my birthday present from my kids this year was two tickets to see "Evil Dead the Musical in 4D" during our Thanksgiving trip to Las Vegas. I didn't even know they had made a musical out of Evil Dead.
For those unaware, "Evil Dead" refers to the series of three movies made by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell. The first Evil Dead movie was supposed to be a serious horror flick. Evil Dead 2 was given a bit more of a campy, humorous spin, and by the third movie, Army of Darkness, they had decided to just have a lot of fun with it. These movies are firmly entrenched in 'B' Movie Cult Classic status, with legions of devoted fans.
Evil Dead the Musical draws from all three movies, to an extent. The plot draws primarily from the first two movies, with some lines and gags from the third, and a final scene that in essence fast forwards to the end of Army of Darkness.
Let me clarify something here before going any further. This ain't Fiddler on the Roof. If you come to Evil Dead the Musical expecting a Rogers and Hammerstein type musical, you are going to be severely disappointed, and probably more than a little disgusted. This is not serious drama theater like Les Miserables, so leave the high-falutin' expectations at home, if you attend.
Your first clue this is going to be a crazy experience is the warning sign at the entrance to the theater. The 4D in the title refers to the "Splatter Zone" in the front rows of the audience. Sitting in the Splatter Zone involves buying a ticket specifically for this area, and recognizing that you ARE going to get stuff on you. Ponchos are allowed in General Admission seating, but not in the Splatter Zone. Yes, they enforce it. We saw a couple show up with tickets for the Splatter Zone. He was wearing a nice three-piece suit, and she a semi-formal dress. He came back to the ticket table a couple of minutes later, asking for a poncho, and was told a firm "no." He was not happy. I don't know if they bowed out of the show, or sat elsewhere. I don't recall seeing them down front.
Your next clue to the kind of experience you're going to have is the cast members wandering about while you're waiting to be let in to the theater. A couple of actors dressed as the "Deadites" from the play mingle and interact with the audience, including one guy dressed as a female Deadite. Imagine a saggy-breasted zombie with a deep voice, and you'll have an idea.
Things only get stranger once you get into the theater. The pre-show introduction is an irreverent, profanity-laden spiel by one of the Deadites, during which we are reminded that the only one allowed to take photos in the theater, is the show's official photographer, Don. We were then instructed to turn around, flip off Don, and yell an expletive at him. This was a repeated gag through different parts of the show, and you can buy buttons afterwards that say this.
At this point, you may be wondering what the heck we were even doing there. I'm not a big fan of the F-bomb, and we got nearly carpet-bombed with it during the pre-show introduction. If you can push through this (if you're one of us that dislikes that word), the play is worth it. Again, don't go in expecting Gilbert and Sullivan. The production is purposely low-budget. The songs are campy and hokey, and the performers take it over the top. There are scenes where the audience is involved, and gags that plow right through the Fourth Wall without even slowing down.
Through it all, however, you get the best thing about this play - the performers are just plain old having a blast, and the audience can't help but get carried right along. My wife went along as part of the birthday gift, but really did not expect to enjoy the play. She laughed and had a great time, as much or maybe even more than I did.
There are adult themes and language in the play, and stage violence. The Splatter Zone gets liberally sprayed with fake blood (which may be little more than just colored water), and while the profanity isn't quite as prevalent during the play as it was during the pre-show introduction, there is still enough that, if you fail to notice it, you were unconscious through the whole show. There is also an avalanche of pure, unadulterated fun. Don't fight it. Just go with it, and get carried away.
Or, as the Deadites in the play say, "JOIN US!"
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