You (OK, I) should be forgiven for confusing Evil Dead: The Musical with Night of the Living Dead Live. Both are based on cult classic horror films. Both have been directed by Christopher Bond. Both have the word “dead” in their titles. And both are returning to a Toronto stage just in time for Halloween. But one is rife with killer zombies, the other with demons, and just as those supernatural nut jobs are distinct from each other, so are these two menacing musicals.
Evil Dead: The Musical
The story: Five college students go to an abandoned cabin in the woods and somehow manage to get turned into demons. Ash (played by Ryan Ward) is our hero, and it’s his job, along with his chainsaw, to help save the day. Along with splattering blood (more about that later) and dismembered limbs, there’s also music and demons.
Background: The hit musical, spawned from the 1980s film series from director Sam Raimi, is homegrown. With book and lyrics by George Reinblatt and music by Christopher Bond, Frank Cipolla, Melissa Morris and Reinblatt, the show’s first-ever performance was during the great blackout of 2003 at the Tranzac Club on Brunswick Avenue. Within days, the musical became a smash success (there were lineups around the block to see it), and in 2004, the show opened in Montreal as part of the Just For Laughs Festival. In 2006, the musical made its off-Broadway debut in New York before returning to Toronto in 2007, where it racked up a couple of cool honours: the Dora Audience Choice Award, as Toronto’s favourite show, as well as becoming the longest-running Canadian show in Toronto in over two decades.
The “ghoulish” factor: If you’re going to sit in the first three rows, come prepared. Known as the show with the only “splatter zone,” it’s here where audience members get drenched in blood. Diehard fans of the show are known to “kill” for these seats, so if you’re one of the lucky ones to land one of these spots, do ’em proud and wear white to show off your bloody new wardrobe. Ponchos are for wimps.
Evil Dead: The Musical, Randolph Theatre, 736 Bathurst St. Starts Oct. 24. Limited engagement.
Night of the Living Dead Live
The story: Six strangers — with very distinct (a.k.a. quirky) personalities — are trapped in a rural farmhouse that is being attacked by unnamed “living dead” monsters (a.k.a. zombies). Our hero is Ben (Darryl Hinds), the cool and calm one of the group. Like the movie, the play is also done in black and white. Unlike the movie, there are wacky alternative endings and a couple of weirdly funny song-and-dance numbers.
Background: The campy romp is based on the 1968 flick of the same name, which got the proverbial “head rolling” for making zombies the “it” weirdo of the moment (World War Z, The Walking Dead, etc.). The play was co-created by filmmakers Christopher Harrison and Phil Pattison, a pair of huge horror fans who wanted to branch out from their conventional storytelling. George A. Romero, the acclaimed creator of the original film, not only gave them his personal blessing for their project, but also acted as one of the play’s executive producers. Also on board: Evil Dead: The Musical’s original director, Christopher Bond, who recruited his writing partner, Trevor Martin, and Martin’s wife, Second City alum Dale Boyer, to punch up the script. The play debuted at Toronto’s own Theatre Passe Muraille in April 2013.
The “ghoulish” factor: Watch out for a pile of burning bodies alongside the front of the stage. Also, beware of a few wandering zombies in the crowd and the vocal Zombie Chorus.
Night of the Living Dead Live, Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave., Oct. 5 to 27.
Bloody good numbers
Number of cast members:
Evil Dead: 9
Living Dead: 6
Number of people who die:
Evil Dead: 7, but they all come back … because they are undead!
Living Dead: 6, over and over!
Means of death:
Evil Dead: With chainsaws, axes, shotguns and more chainsaws!
Living Dead: Lots of zombies ripping people up with their bare hands … but in a funny way!
Amount of (fake) blood used per show:
Evil Dead: Many, many, many gallons of blood.
Living Dead: None. The show is in grey scale. We’re fancy like that!
Consensus
With Evil Dead opening after Night of the Living Dead, it’s entirely possible to watch both plays without having to choose zombies over demons, which is comparable to Sophie’s Choice in the supernatural world. If you’re looking for music and bloody mayhem, head for Evil Dead. But if you’re after some scary sketch comedy, then I’d roll over to Night of the Living Dead. However, I’d recommend going for the guts and glory and seeing both shows. Happy Halloween.