What the fuck was that?

Last night I went into the city and, among other things, saw Evil Dead: The Musical.  It was that or The Wedding Singer.  I was tepid about The Wedding Singer since I had not actually heard anything really good about it.  Evil Dead, I was expecting something campy and goofy.  It was that, but also so much more.  It was flat out good.  Really good. The theatre itself was about 2 stories below ground.  It felt like a bunker and looked like a cross between a performance theatre and a movie theatre.  It was at the New World Stages.  Nice venue.  The bathrooms are really small but they serve you shots (for $4 a pop) from the comfort of your own seat. As for the show itself.  There is a splatter zone of the first 3 rows.  Don't worry, they give you ponchos.  And they were needed.  The show starts off funny and light and goofy.  It's self aware and cracks at Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell once or twice.  And you expect that.  You go in with your expectations high for pop culture reference and low for an actual musical.  But what is this, dear reader?  Oh, the music is good.  And the performers are so full of energy that cutting of a limb or two won't bring them down.  The songs are bouncy and actually move the story along.  When there's a song in a musical it usually takes one of two forms:

1. The song sums up the action and tells you what you already know.  But it does it in song.
2. The song starts narrating but then plot occurs in the song.  These songs happen during action.

What impressed me most about Evil Dead was that when the songs were off the wall and seemed to be only for comic value they were grounded (to an extent) by becoming type 2 songs.  For instance, there's a male/male tango called "What the fuck was that".  It is funny and silly.  But then things happen during the song and it pushes things forward.  It's not a wasted spot.  Star Wars: The Musical suffers from being completely type 1.  That's not totally fair, I know, since it's only a soundtrack and was never performed.  But it's a musical where not a single song is necessary.  Evil Dead seems crafted to avoid this.  The actual composition makes it so there's not a single song where you feel like they wasted your time.  And in a musical based on a crap movie about zombies who's star is now famous for his chin, that's not an easy task.  It is a quality show. The soundtrack comes out next month and I will be waiting on the edge of my seat to get it.  If anyone is interested in going to the city to see it with me, let me know.  Tickets are cheap, 50% off at TKTS, and the splatter zone is super cheap.  See you there. And happy gentile new year.