The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

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October 29, 2009

Benji Tunnell: 'Evil Dead' musical splatters on the fun

A few weeks back I discussed how I wasn’t much of a fan of musicals. I’ve just never really seen the appeal of them.

Perhaps it is the lack of grounding in reality. One doesn’t, after all, routinely break out in song, sometimes accompanied by choreography, in day-to-day life. Never have I been in the grocery checkout, for instance, and busted out a nice ditty about double coupons. Nor have I grabbed random strangers and twirled them around on the street while sharing in song the results of my colonoscopy (at least not since that last restraining order). But after last Friday, I realized that there is one thing that can make me love a musical: a splatter section.

The Springfield Contemporary Theatre began showing “Evil Dead: The Musical” at the beginning of October, running through Halloween. Based on the cult movie series starring Bruce Campbell, the play originated in Montreal in 2004 before moving Off Broadway two years later. That it made its way to Springfield is pretty remarkable; that it was pulled off so well makes it something well worth the drive.

Cobbled together from pieces of the films, it tells of Ash (Mitch Bonkoski), his girlfriend Linda (Jennifer Eiffert) and friends Scott (Ryan Thomas King) and Shelly (Lindsy Greig) venturing into the woods to an empty cabin for a weekend retreat, where they stumble upon a tape recording reciting passages from the Book of the Dead. Evil forces are unleashed and Broadway-style pandemonium ensues.

For a local production, the show is very professionally done. Audience participation is encouraged (including, at my showing, an extremely misguided member who opted to bring her crying baby to a show called “Evil Dead”), and those with enough foresight to order early are able to sit in the front two rows, or splatter section, where they are given commemorative shirts that change from white to red as the show progresses.

The actors embrace their roles with zeal, as Bonkoksi captures the Bruce Campbell vibe with his over-the-top performance, and King scored some of the funniest lines of the show with ad libs directed toward the aforementioned baby bringer. To single out just the two is probably a little unfair, given that the whole cast does admirable work, but space constraints limit me from delving fully into all of the performances.

The live band is a nice addition, and the music and choreography is reflective of the original insanity of the films without being insulting or contrived. Given that the play is put on by local actors, they do a surprisingly professional job. The budget may not be the biggest for a show of this scale, but they do so much with what they are given that I can’t imagine the original production being much of an improvement.

This is a musical that is vulgar yet funny. It makes nods to its origin and to those who built the movie franchise, slightly inside jokes that the devotees will love, yet those who didn’t know the films will still find a lot of enjoyment.

With songs like “Look Who’s Evil Now” and “All the Men in my Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons,” the show certainly isn’t for everyone’s taste. However, if you’re a fan of the series or enjoy comedic musicals, you’ll want to plan your trip to Springfield. Call ahead for tickets at 417-831-8001 or 888-452-0930. Oh, and please leave the baby at home.

Address correspondence to Benji Tunnell, c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802 or benjitunnell@gmail.com.

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