Directed by Chad Wise
February 28, 2003 - April 26, 2003
Boxer Rebellion Theatre
- See pictures from the Celebrity Weekend with special guests from the original movie!
- See pictures from the Flashback Weekend celebration which featured a performance of Evil Dead! The Musical.
- Check out the article in the Daily Herald
'EVIL DEAD! THE MUSICAL' ANNOUNCES EXTENDED RUN AND SPECIAL GUEST WEEKEND!
Thanks to overwhelming fan response, EVIL DEAD! The Musical will extend its smash hit run through April 26th, Fridays & Saturdays at 10:30 PM at the Boxer Rebellion Theater, 1257 W. Loyola in Chicago.
EVIL DEAD! The Musical is the irreverent, unauthorized, musical parody of the cult classic horror film "The Evil Dead" called both "transcendent" and "delicious" by critics during its initial run. EVIL DEAD! The Musical pokes fun at all the well-loved and often scrutinized conventions and peculiarities of the film, paying homage to the original and appealing to its many fans.
As a bonus, April 11-12 will be a special "See the Show with Cheryl" Weekend. In attendance at both performances that weekend will be Ellen Sandweiss who played "Cheryl" in the original film. After each show there will be a short Q & A session with Ms. Sandweiss and the opportunity to get her autograph. All seats for all shows are still only $15. No passes or specials will be accepted on April 11 or 12.
After filming "The Evil Dead" in 1979, Ellen Sandweiss returned to the University of Michigan and earned a bachelor's degree in Theatre and Drama, followed by a master's in Theatre Management. In her early 20's, she also sang with All Directions, a jazz and blues band, starred in several Michigan Repertory productions, and did some runway modeling. These days, Ellen occasionally does theatre, nightclub shows, and radio voice-overs. She also does a one-woman musical show for Jewish organizations. She was last seen on stage in the Attic Theatre's production of Beehive. Ellen will dust off her screen-acting skills this fall to appear in Dante Tomaselli's next film, "Satan's Playground."
All performances are at the Boxer Rebellion Theater, 1257 W. Loyola, one block west of the Red Line Loyola L Stop. Tickets are $15 general admission and are available at the door or call 773-989-4515.
| CAST | |
|---|---|
| Ashley | Ehren Fournier |
| Linda | Robin Morgan |
| Scott | Jason Bone |
| Shelly | Amanda Krupman |
| Cheryl | Dorislee Jackson |
| CREW | |
| Director | Chad Wise* |
| Musical Director | Jonathan Webb* |
| Assistant Director | Megan Piccochi |
| Stage Manager | Ian McPhaden |
| Fight Director | Arik Martin |
| Lighting Designer | Allison Schaffer* |
| Make-Up Effects | Christina Carlson |
| Publicity | Lisa Alongi* |
| Choreography | Amanda Krupman & Robin Morgan |
| SONGS | |
| Within the Woods | Company |
| Let's Go Screw | Scott & Shelly |
| Oh, Linda | Ashley & Linda |
| What Happened to Cheryl? | Company |
| You’re Gonna Make It! | Ashley & Scott |
| Oh, Linda (Reprise) | Ashley |
| Through The Night | Ashley |
| Within the Woods (Reprise) | Ashley |
DIRECTOR'S NOTE: I've always been a fan of the energy and creativity of low-budget horror films. In many ways they are very similar to producing on a shoestring budget in Chicago theatre. "The Evil Dead" is THE example of "finding a way to make it work for the money" in the genre. Here was a ragtag bunch of first time filmmakers making just about every mistake you could, surviving a monstrous shoot to produce what turned out to be groundbreaking cinema, acclaimed by the likes of Stephen King. I wanted to provide an homage while poking a little fun at the conventions of the film and giving the die hard fans the "nods" they would expect. How many in-jokes can you count?
EVIL DEAD! THE MUSICAL
(review by Jason Pollock)
I can't express to you how dead-on this was, except to say that it was an amazingly reverent parody. I laughed before one word of dialogue was spoken - before one note was sung-
There was a Scary Movie poster on the cabin wall - torn in half. Nice.
The production was basically a Cliff's Notes version of the film, introducing characters in the car, getting them to the cabin, playing the Knowby tape, and unleashing Deadite evil. The first song was a jaunty little number (about how the cabin kids just want to get away from the distractions of civilization) entitled "Within the Woods". From there, a horned-out Scotty and Shelly enact the prelude to their sloppy mating ritual entitled "Let's Go Screw" - sung to the tune of "A Whole New World" from Disney's Aladdin. "Oh Linda" was a "Summer Nights" style ode to Ash and Linda's love, which featured Ehren Fournier's Ash explaining:
"And the best thing of all is that you love me the same/although I'm kind of a wimp/and I have a girl's name."
This number led us into Cheryl's exploration of the malevolent woods, and what had to be the most obvious - and yet, most hysterical - performance in the piece.
When Cheryl (Dorislee Jackson) is attacked and raped by trees, slap-bass 70's porno funk and a bit of orgasmic moaning turns a particularly sleazy and brutal scene from the film into a particularly sleazy and hilarious dance sequence.
It is exactly what any of us would have done if we were forced to turn that sequence into musical comedy, and it was perhaps the idea that they were doing the whole thing exactly as you and your friends pictured it must be - should you have been possessed of the demented spark of genius in the first place - made it that much more a triumph - it was something every goofball kid could share in.
There were references to Jesus Christ Superstar, Michael Jackson's Thriller - and so much more. The fact that Fournier spent nearly all of the Deadite attacks-as-dance choreography lying on the floor wrestling with the weakest, flimsiest bookcase you've ever seen should confirm for you the level of detail…and cheese…and reverence - director (and NMTC Artistic Head) Chad Wise and his cast were aspiring to.
The rest of the Musical was just as fab, and its finale was met with rousing applause.
The New Millennium Theater Company has mounted another musical steeped in pop-culture - and, in this case, green tea -
MIYAGI! A KARATE KID MUSICAL runs through June 28th…hell yes.