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f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  General Discussion  |  Serious Business  |  Topic: Evil Dead: Live 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
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Shockeye
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Skinny-dippin' in a sea of Lee, I'd propose on bended knee...


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on: February 24, 2005, 04:18:17 PM

Quote from: San Francisco Chronicle
'Evil Dead' comes alive onstage -- raspberry Kool-Aid included

Jane Ganahl

Thursday, February 24, 2005
 
Ash, the cult hero who is mankind's best hope against the dark forces of the Necronomicon, squares off with a zombie and fires up the chainsaw. The audience knows what's coming.

The hapless folks in the first three rows of the Off-Market Studio theater quickly pull a clear plastic tarp up over their faces and heads and the blood starts to spurt. First in little squirts, then in a water cannon- like spray. They scream in unison, less in fear at the ghoulish events unfolding before them than in delighted revulsion at being splattered with red liquid. The zombie is dispatched -- limbs flying and blood soaking Robert Selander, the actor playing Ash. He pauses when finished and lets out a blood- curdling howl -- one of about 250 howls, screams and shrieks that will ensue during the course of the two-hour blood-fest known as "Evil Dead: Live."

My 15-year-old nephew Skyler turns to his friend and offers the ultimate teenage approval: "Awesome."

It's because of him and his 17-year-old brother Rob that I am here. When I told them that someone had made a stage play of their favorite trio of horror flicks -- "Evil Dead," "Evil Dead II" and "Army of Darkness" -- their reaction was immediate. "Are you kidding? Dude!" (They call everyone dude.) "We have to go!"

For the unfamiliar, "Evil Dead" was unleashed on the world in 1981 by first-time director Sam Raimi (most recently of "Spiderman 2" fame) when he was barely in his 20s. It was hilariously poorly acted by young neophytes whose main qualification was to scream on cue. (Bruce Campbell, however, went on to glory as Ash.) But it had a certain ... something -- the same quality of the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Night of the Living Dead" -- a refreshing, low-budget rawness, smart camera work, lots of blood. It's that certain je ne sais quoi that makes teenage boys watch a horror film hundreds of times before turning their attention to more relevant things, such as girls.

"Evil Dead: Live," which is produced by C.A.F.E. (Combined Art Form Entertainment) and the Primitive Screwheads, seeks to capture that magic and put it onstage. To pay homage to Raimi's vision. And oh yeah, don't wear anything that you can't throw in the washing machine.

OK, I told my nephews, I'll take you. But I had not seen the film, so off to the video store I went. I hastily told the young man behind the counter that it was "research." He didn't look up. "Because I'm going to see the live version onstage Friday night." Suddenly he perked up.

"Live onstage? Where?"

I told him the Web site name where he could find out more information (www.evildeadlive.com) and he could barely contain himself. "Dude!" he shouted to his co-worker, shelving videos. "They've made a live version of E.D.! Sweet! "

"Sweet" is not quite what I would call the show-in-progress. Funny and over-the-top, yes. The two acts of the play attempt to present a Readers Digest version of all three films, which means a lot of mayhem packed into two hours. The bulk of the action takes place in a remote cabin, where the accidental discovery of an ancient book of the dead -- the likes of which are found at remote cabins everywhere -- causes the deceased to return to life, none too happy at being disturbed. Like the films, the acting is of the hysterical variety. But no one in the audience of the tiny Mission Street theater space was expecting Tony-nominated performances.

No, this audience is here for the thrill of sitting under plastic, waiting to get sprayed with raspberry Kool-Aid -- the first few rows filled up first -- and of course, for the dark humor.

Because of the low-budget nature of the production, things do go wrong: the head of the ax that is so liberally used to dispatch ghouls continues to fall off -- something exploited for comedy by Selander, who holds up the headless ax handle: "And what am I supposed to do with this?"

By the time the play is over, all 12 actors are soaked in red stain and some of the audience is, too. The applause is rapturous. Later, my nephews critiqued the play like pros.

"I was stoked that the play was so much like the films," said Rob. "It was low-budget and over-the-top."

"I think the guy who played Ash saved it," added Skyler. "And that they used their limited budget the same way Sam Raimi would have -- on gallons of blood."

And for teenage boys, there ain't nothing better. Dude.
Samwise
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Reply #1 on: February 24, 2005, 07:25:07 PM

It's showing in a couple of weeks just across the bridge from me.  Verrrry tempting...

"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
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