Getting ready to die

 

 

 

Unless you’ve been trapped in a cellar for the past few weeks, its hard to miss the "Missing, Severed Hand" teasers up around campus. The posters, however, aren’t advertising a missing limb, but Sock ‘n Buskin’s spring production.

 

Evil Dead: The Musical will soon be making its Ottawa debut with Sock ‘n Buskin. The horror-spoof musical directed by Lisa Bishop-Spencer and Matt Minter will be at Kailash Mital theatre from March 12-14 and March 19-21.

 

Based on director Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead film trilogy of the 1970s and 80s, the musical version has been entertaining and terrifying audiences since 2003.

 

In the show, a group of college students’ trip to a secluded country cottage goes awry with the discovery of the Necronomicon (Book of the Dead). Reading the book disturbs a mysterious evil spirit, hell-bent on possessing and destroying the once carefree teenagers.

 

Hilarity ensues when it is all up to the heroic Ash to save the day and destroy evil. The result is a horrifying comedy involving grotesque zombies, serious carnage and musical numbers.

 

This type of show is "perfect for Sock ‘n Buskin, as it is exactly what they do," according to co-director Lisa Bishop-Spencer. The company has been known in the past for taking on these sort of projects, which are "off the beaten path".

 

Even so, a production of the magnitude of this one is unusual for the company. Few past directors have had to worry about the logistics of such things as demon trees, chainsaw arms and, of course, the copious amounts of human and zombie bloodshed.

 

Bishop-Spencer admits that at times "the set is almost like a character in itself," which adds a whole new level to the show, bringing out the true essence of the low-budget films.

 

"It’s a messy show,” said cast member Andrew Gallagher, who plays Scotty. There’s "lots of blood, lots of guts, lots of nasty." Gallagher said this is one of the reasons this show has been so much fun to work on — along with an excellent cast and crew.

 

"What’s really great about this show is that the musical is really written much more as an ensemble piece and the rest of the cast are all turning in brilliantly funny performances,” said Tim Oberholzer, who is playing the lead role of Ash. "So I think fans of the movies will really be surprised by and enjoy how much the rest of the cast of characters bring to the show.”

 

Oberholzer has a lot to live up to, as this character has become such an iconic hero to the fans of Evil Dead. However, there are also great advantages to such a role.

 

"Getting to sink your teeth into a character as wicked cool and larger than life as Ash is a dream come true for any actor . . . deliver[ing] those classic one-liners and swinging that chainsaw around is definitely a highlight for me of all the work I’ve done," Oberholzer said.

 

Because of the ‘cult-film’ origins of this show, many members of the production are expecting a distinct addition to the usual theatre-going audience. According to Gallagher, there are some people who would never think of being seen at a musical, but "as soon as you mention Evil Dead, they’re there."

With only two weeks to go, seats are filling up fast.

 

"I mean, shotguns, chainsaws, zombies? What more do you want?" Gallagher said.