Next time you’re in Toronto, Canada one thing you’ve got to do while you’re there is:
Go see Evil Dead The Musical at the Diesel Playhouse downtown!
GOOD NEWS: Evil Dead The Musical can be seen all across the U.S. and Canada.
It’s one heck of a bloody, gory, splattering mess of a musical. It is a trip!
Oh, and it’s funny, too.
It’s not cheap… $50 a ticket! But it’s worth every penny. Trust me.
How We Heard About It
Jim and I went to Toronto for a business conference last week. We only had one free night to do what we wanted, so we thought we’d look for a comedy club… or a play of some sort. (Toronto is supposed to have good theater, right?)
Well, the night we were in town, there was hardly anything going on. It was a weekday (Wednesday). Fortunately the last brochure we spotted in the tourist display of ‘fun things to do’ at our hotel was for Evil Dead: The Musical. It’s a combination comedy routine and a play, so we had all our bases covered!
Evil Dead The Musical is a Canadian off-Broadway show based on the cult classic film series. Source
Jim and I had never heard of Evil Dead before, but this musical rendition of Sam Raimi‘s hit series of movies has been getting rave reviews for quite awhile now. And supposedly, if you’ve seen the movies (Evil Dead, 1983; Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn, 1987; among others), they say you’ll enjoy it even more.
What It’s Like
Evil Dead: The Musical definitely has a cult following inToronto locals …and beyond!
As I alluded to in the intro, there is blood, guts, and gore from start to finish (and a million laughs to boot!). For many, the biggest “draw” to see this play is the fact that you’re likely to get splashed (or dumped on) with the bloody mess. They try to confine it to “the splash zone” up front nearest the stage. But red gunk has a tendancy to fly in other directions sometimes… so what are ya gonna do? Laugh and enjoy it like the rest of ’em!
Some take this experience so seriously that they show up wearing rain coats and hats to the show. Still, the staff hands out ponchos after the first intermission for those who came unprotected. In reality, it doesn’t matter… the act of being one of the lucky ones who got splashed is largely what brings people to this show in the first place.
And we learned that many (I mean many) of the locals actually make it a ritual and attend the show quite frequently. Hey, if I lived in Toronto, I’d probably go a couple times each year, too. And it would definitely be tops on my list of places to take friends and relatives who came to town for a visit.
And just to clarify… you can get tickets for the “splash zone” for around 20 bucks, I believe — much less than the price those of us who want to remain dry must pay. But it’s still worth it. And, while we sat front & center (just past the splash zone) there’s really not a bad seat in the house. It’s a relatively small theater, so you always get a good show.
Richard Ouzounian, theater critic for The Toronto Star, summarizes the experience quite nicely:
It’s time to kick some demon ass,” he [Ash] sings and the audience whoop with near-orgasmic glee, because they know the blood is about to start flowing. Let’s make no mistake, this is ultimately why people are going to come to see Evil Dead: The Musical, and have a great time doing so: they want a generous dose of comedy carnage and boy, do they get it. Gore spurts from the walls, from the ceiling, from every chopped-up demon and it sprays with mad abandon into the audience. If you’re not in the designated “Splatter Zone”, you’re supposedly safe, but hey, what’s the point of safety at a show like this? Source
Much to my surprise, there was also a New York Broadway series for Evil Dead: The Musical, but it closed on February 17, 2007. It used to be at New World Stages.
So, if you’re going to be near downtown Toronto, and you’re looking for something completely unique and fun to do… be sure to get your tickets to see “Evil Dead: The Musical” at Diesel Playhouse.
More About Evil Dead
- Evil Dead Movies, Collectibles & Memorabilia
- About The Evil Dead Actors
- Evil Dead The Musical: Fan Videos
- Popular Scenes & Funny Videos Featuring Evil Dead
- Evil Dead 1983 vs Evil Dead 2013
As a lifelong traveler, I like to help people find unique ways to do things that will save time & money — so I write about “outside the box” Travel Hacks that most wouldn’t think of.
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