Chainsaws (and horror fans) will be buzzing as a new musical comedy, based on the Sam Raimi cult film classics, hits New York for an unlimited Off-Broadway run this fall.
Jenkay LLC, Jeffrey Latimer Entertainment and Just For Laughs Live present the "killer musical" which begins Oct. 2 at the New World Stages and opens Nov. 1.
"Evil Dead: The Musical unearths the old familiar story," reveals a press release, "boy and friends take a weekend getaway at abandoned cabin, boy expects to get lucky, boy unleashes ancient evil spirit, friends turn into Candarian Demons, boy fights until dawn to survive."
Christopher Bond and Tony Award winner Hinton Battle ("Dreamgirls," "Idlewild") direct the work which features a book and lyrics by George Reinblatt, music by Frank Cipolla, Bond, Melissa Morris and Reinblatt with music supervision by Cipolla.
The cast — charged with songs like "All the Men in my Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons," "Look Who’s Evil Now" and "Do the Necronomicon" — includes Jennifer Byrne, Jenna Coker, Renee Klapmeyer, Amy Shute, Tom Walker, Brandon Wardell, Ryan Williams and Darryl Winslow.
The "tale of lust, love and dismemberment" began its life in workshop engagements, which "played to capacity and beyond" at Toronto’s Transac Club before the work moved to Montreal’s Cabaret du Plateau to play as part of the 2004 Just For Laughs Festival.
"Turning it into a musical was the next logical step," explains co-creator and director Bond about the Raimi-made story (which includes 1981’s "Evil Dead," 1987’s "Evil Dead II" and 1992’s "Army of Darkness"). "With each installment, the trilogy delves further and further into farce and camp."
Playbill
