Evil Dead the Musical review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Chapel Off Chapel

You just can't keep a good Deadite down. It's been 45 years since The Evil Dead was unleashed on cinema goers. In that time, we've had sequels, reboots and reimaginings, including a musical that was first staged in 2003. And now this cult classic has made its way to Australia, and what a ride it is. With Book and Lyrics by George Reinblatt, Evil Dead the Musical leans all the way into the madness, chainsaw in hand, splattering its way through the source material with a knowing wink, buckets of blood (literally), and enough self-awareness to make the whole thing horrifically brilliant.

Five college students: the hero, his best-friend, his girlfriend, his sister and ... Shelly, decide to spend the week in an abandoned cabin in the woods with no one knowing where they are. What could go wrong, they knowingly ask. Apart from freeing a demonic force after reciting a few ill-advised incantations, and *spoiler* watching your friends lose their souls and having to brutally kill them.

Harley Dasey is our hero Ash, serving up a performance built on smize and razor-sharp eye acting, all intense stares and wide-eyed confidence as he struts through the chaos with unshakable bravado. There’s a constant sense that he’s keeping his cool no matter how far things spiral, and even something as extreme as chopping off his own hand barely seems to dent that swagger, he simply doubles down on the attitude like it’s his destiny.

Emma Wilby is magnetic as Cheryl, especially Deadite Cheryl. Wilby is clearly loving this role and throws herself into it. The way she moves, twisting her face into sadistic smiles while maintaining that cutesy voice, alongside the shrill laughter, is a perfect blend of playful menace that makes the character unsettling and irresistibly watchable.

It's fascinating watching the characters transition from human to Deadite, and seeing the performers retain their core human traits while layering on their demonic personas. Particularly with Ed (Oliver Clisdell) and Linda (Elaina Bianchi), both of whom embrace the shift, leaning into the physicality, vocal changes, and exaggerated mannerisms without dropping the thread of who they were before possession. That sustained commitment carries through the entire cast, with the transformations feeling cohesive rather than abrupt.

The musical pulls the first two films with some creative liberties taken, which heightens the unpredictability. Grace Alston is excellent as Annie, who is on a mission to uncover what happened to her father, who lives in the same cabin that Ash and his friends have broken into. Matt Hourigan brings strong comedic instincts as Jake, a local man who gets unwillingly pulled into the carnage, reacting with a mix of confusion and survival instinct as the bloodshed escalates. Jake Ameduri finds plenty of humour as Scott, the macho, misogynistic bro-jock whose priorities skew heavily toward bedroom pleasures over basement terrors.

Director Daniel Stoddart holds the production together with control and purpose, guiding the ensemble through a piece that could easily tip into chaos. He maintains a steady grip on tone, allowing the horror, comedy, and musical elements to coexist without clashing, while keeping the pacing energetic and the staging clear and effective throughout.

Musical Director Mark Bradley presents a crisp, well-balanced backbone to the production, with arrangements that support this genre mash-up without losing clarity. Lochlan Erard’s choreography complements this with sharp movements that enhances the energy and has the ensemble working in tight unison. Musical highlights include "What the F*@K was That?" between Ash and Scott as they realise things are getting bad, Ed's sorrowful "Bit Part Demon", and Cheryls' demonic transformation in "Look Who's Evil Now".

The set design by Eric Luchen is wonderfully conceived, with a cabin that is visibly rickety and lived in, filled with rusty canisters, dusty boardgames and scattered wood logs that establish an immediate sense of isolation and decay. The cabin-possessions are well thought out, with props that reinforce the show’s roots. The lighting by Jason Bovaird strikes a balance between camp horror and the brighter, more stylised demands of the musical numbers, shifting tones smoothly to match the action on stage. Jacob Harwood’s sound design further supports the production, integrating cues and effects that heighten tension, punctuate comedic moments, and immerse the audience in the unrelenting mayhem unfolding within the cabin.

Of course, the pièce de résistance comes from those fortunate(?) few sitting in the “splatter zone,” where an generous amount of blood rains down on you during the most climactic scenes. It’s brilliantly executed and turns the audience into unwilling participants in the unfolding horror. Walking out afterwards with faces and clothes covered in blood adds to the experience, and there’s something oddly satisfying about spending the post-show minutes wiping yourself down before rejoining the real world.

Evil Dead the Musical is a wildly entertaining night that knows exactly what it is. It embraces the gore, leans into the absurdity, and commits to the chaos, delivering a production that’s slick, silly, and satisfyingly unhinged. The Deadites may refuse to rest in peace, but neither will the audience’s grin by the time the curtain falls. Groovy, through and through.

Read our interview with Harley Dasey here.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel St, Prahran
Season: until 12 April | Wed - Sat 7.30pm, Tues & Sun 6:30pm, 
Duration: 120 minutes
Tickets: $79 - $89 Full | $69 - $79 Tightarse Tuesday
Bookings: Chapel off Chapel and Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Images credit: Peter Stoop