Written by orange• April 16, 2024• 4:07 am• fullerton, Maverick Theatre, Musical, Review, Uncategorized

Evil Dead The Musical @ Maverick Theatre – Review

(photo credit: Austin Bauman)

Written by Patrick Chavis

Evil Dead the Musical is now playing at the Maverick Theatre from April 5 – May 18, 2024.

Before the first decent live-action version of Spiderman and his exciting Drag Me the Hell, a supernatural thriller from the early 2000s. Director Sam Rami was most known for his independent film series Evil Dead, a franchise that continues to this day. The last film, Evil Dead Rise, premiered in 2023. The film’s success on a meager budget with a very inexperienced crew showed what can get done when people with a story keep going.

Story:

Evil Dead is already a horror comedy. Take the silliness and camp from the original films, double down on it, add dance tracks, and you’re almost there. The Maverick Theatre’s production of Evil Dead the Musical brings blood, goofiness, and lots of kitsch. Viewers, beware, prepare for scares and lots of laughs.

Evil Dead the Musical is set in a cabin in the woods during the 1980s. Five college students accidentally awaken the Book of the Dead, turning everyone in the cabin into evil demons. Only Ash (Steven Alcantar), a housewares employee, can save the day.

Acting:

One of the strengths and weaknesses of this cast came from the singing in this production. This group of actors has good comedic instincts, evident in the acting on stage and even in the songs. Still, it couldn’t make up for the pitchiness — not done in a funny, on-purpose way — and the lack of energy when delivering some of these tunes. The quirky nature of the tunes and the comedic approach some of the actors took paid off, but a more consistent ensemble vocally would have been more impactful.

Hailey Tweter, Jaycob Hunter, and Elana Harnack did display some nifty vocals at my performance.

When the cast was acting and dropping one-liners, this cast shined.

Acting-wise, Steven Alcantar (Ash) and Samantha Green’s (Cheryl) charisma and physical acting delivered many of the shocks and laugh-out-loud moments in the show.

It’s undoubtedly funny and feels slightly improvised, so even the cast can’t help but laugh in certain scenes.

Set Design:

The set design, combined with the effects/sound in this production from Alex Conway and Brian Newell, puts this show over the top. The effects are clever and well implemented into this comedic hell-scape — like a magic act on stage.

Costume Design:

The costumes from Heidi Newel are so 80s that it hurt me a little (hurt from laughter). The vintage tracksuit and the spandex workout pants worn by Cheryl are top of the list. Where do they find this stuff?