EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL RETURNS TO TORONTO

'THAT SHOW' COMES HOME

EVIL DEAD:  THE MUSICAL

BOOK & LYRICS BY GEORGE REINBLATT

MUSIC BY FRANK CIPOLLA, CHRISTOPHER BOND, MELISSA MORRIS

& GEORGE REINBLATT

MUSIC SUPERVISION BY FRANK CIPOLLA

DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER BOND & Hinton Battle

FIRST PERFORMANCE: TUESDAY, MAY 1 ^st, 8 PM

OPENING NIGHT: TUESDAY, MAY 8 ^th, 8 PM

  DIESEL PLAYHOUSE

( 56 Blue Jays Way , Toronto )

 EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICALwill take over Toronto's hot cabaret mainstage at the Diesel Playhouse from Tuesday, May 1^st – Saturday, June 23^th after its triumphant Off-Broadway debut in New York City .  Reprising his critically acclaimed role as Ash, RYAN WARD will be joined onstage by a stellar Canadian cast. 

 EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL, co-directed by Canada 's Christopher Bond and Tony^® Award winner Hinton Battle, is produced by Jeffrey Latimer Entertainment and the Diesel Playhouse. While the title may convey horror - fans, critics and audiences alike are calling it an uproariously funny musical comedy. Based on Sam Raimi's 80s cult-classic horror films, EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL unearths the old familiar story: 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.   As musical mayhem descends upon this sleepover in the woods, "camp" takes on a whole new meaning with uproarious numbers like "All the Men in my Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons," "Look Who's Evil Now" and "Do the Necronomicon."                                                                                       

 EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL first glimpsed the light of day in Toronto , where early workshop engagements played to capacity and beyond.  While mainstream audiences flocked to the show, diehard Evil Dead fans made pilgrimages from across North America to witness the birth of a new cult hit.   The popular workshop production enjoyed two sold-out runs at Toronto 's Transac Club before heading off to Montreal, where EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL opened on July 2, 2004 at the Cabaret du Plateau as part of the 22^nd Just For Laughs Festival. In the fall of 2006, EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL opened in New York Off-Broadway to rave reviews from both critics and audiences.   The New York Times calls it "The Next Rocky Horror Picture Show", Variety says that it is "A ridiculous amount of fun!" and Hollywood Reporter concludes that it is "Silly, fun….and not terrifying at all."   The New York Production was produced by Just For Laughs Live, Jenkay LLC, Bill Franzblau and Jeffrey Latimer Entertainment.

 Directed by Christopher Bond and three-time Tony^® Award-winner Hinton Battle (MissSaigon, The Tap Dance Kid, Sophisticated Ladies), EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL includes book and lyrics by George Reinblatt, music by Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, Melissa Morris and George Reinblatt with music supervision by Frank Cipolla, choreography by Hinton Battle and set design by Tony^® Award winner David Gallo (Drowsy Chaperone).

 The 80s B-movies directed by the legendary Sam Raimi (Spiderman, Xena: Warrior Princess) are the inspiration for this new musical.   Over the years, the Evil Deadfilmshave garnered an enormous following and enduring cult appeal.  As viewers deemed the films wildly funny as well as scary, they became loyal fans of the original and its sequels.   "With each installment, the trilogy delves further and further into farce and camp," observes EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL co-creator and director Christopher Bond, "Turning it into a musical was the next logical step."