It's truly exhilarating to witness the live rendition of Evil Dead The Musical, and the fact that its premiere is happening right here in Perth, Western Australia, adds an extra layer of excitement to the experience. As you step into the venue, you're immediately immersed in the atmosphere, surrounded by a chilling array of horror movie posters adorning the bar. Among them, some boast their own musical adaptations, while posters of the Evil Dead films loom nearby. As you proceed into the auditorium, a board proudly showcases the members of the cast and crew, setting the stage for an unforgettable journey brimming with thrills, chills, spills, and a hearty dose of laughter along the way. This show is a must-see, even if you're not a horror fan. I had a chat with director Kieran Ridgway, and here's the scoop straight from the source!
As someone who began their theatrical career as a musician & musical director, how
has your background in music influenced your approach to directing a horror musical,
and what unique insights do you feel it has afforded you in shaping both the musical,
dramatic & comical elements of the production? "I wanted to choose a show that is fun on-stage and musically. Something that
catches audiences whilst being less musical-songs and more song-based.
Something contemporary that can convince even the people that don’t like musicals
to enjoy it. Being a Music Director definitely was the reason I realised I wanted to
direct as I seek to do more, inspire more." What initially inspired you to pursue a career in theatre, and how has that inspiration
evolved over time? "The initial inspiration was evolving my skills as a musician and playing with my friend
in the pit of a musical as a musician. After doing that, I realised I really enjoyed it
and wanted to do more, so I did. Later on, I realised I wanted to go further which is
where I eventually Music Directed a couple of productions. I knew I wanted to
eventually direct a production either play or musical and as soon as I found out about
Evil Dead the musical, I began contacting about the rights." Can you discuss any specific mentors or influences who have played a significant
role in shaping your development as a director? "For me, most of my influences or role models are of film. John Carpenter and
obviously Sam Raimi to name a few. Other than that, a ideal that I wanted to keep
and go in as a Director is to be collaborative and allow people to chip in their ideas
whilst me making the final decision. I also wanted to ensure I was inclusive,
supportive and provided a positive environment to be around."
I understand that you were introduced to the Evil Dead franchise from a young age,
what captivated you most about it? "I remember sitting down when I was around 8-10 and seeing what my brother was
watching... low and behold it was Evil Dead 2! I was drawn to Bruce Campbell’s high
energetic acting and the zaniness of the production. The wild practical effects as well
as the general chaos of the movie. After that day, I remember getting the films all in a
box set and watching them in order."
It was great to hear the voice of Betsy Baker aka Linda from the original 1981 film
introduce the production, how did that come about? "This is definitely something I’m extremely proud of! It began as an idea... a hope. I
wanted to spoil my cast & crew by surprising them which is when I started to look up
the cast of the show. After some deep searching, I eventually found the manager of
Betsy Baker and asked if she would be interested in doing the voiceover for
Australia’s premiere production. She was extremely keen and even offered to do a
video for the cast saying ‘Chookas’ (‘Good luck’ for the non-theatre people) which I
obviously wouldn’t have said no to. Over the course of organising this, I even
managed to get in touch with Theresa Till (Shelly from the evil dead), she also was
very keen however fell sick before they filmed it."
Have there been any particular scenes or musical numbers that have been especially
challenging to stage, and how have you approached overcoming those challenges? "The fight scenes and anything coming after those, as we had to strategically place
blood in ways that won’t get on the floor as much as possible, as they have to do
chorey and having blood on the floor is definitely a bit slippery." Your production incorporates both puppetry & special effects alongside live actors,
can you discuss the challenges and rewards of coordinating these elements to create
a seamless and immersive theatrical experience? "For these, the biggest challenge was having these elements on stage without
audiences initially knowing so that when they happen it catches the audience off
guard. So for those that don’t know the story, some had no idea the Moose was a
puppet, so having that in a way to seem like it ‘isn’t a puppet’ so when it
does start to move it tricks them and catches them off guard. The fight scene was
tough, having blood squibs on stage to seamlessly burst whilst using all these extra props
like the chainsaw, gun, axe, balls etc."
For a show known for having blood splashing members of the audience, how much
blood have you used so far? "We have used sooo much! I think we have caused the great glucose shortage of
Perth!" Have there been any audience reactions that surprised you? "Most definitely! There was an 80-90 year old couple where the wife was in tears of
laughter and the husband said “I haven’t laughed like this in years!” so to have this
kind of laughter with all the ranges of age really warms my heart and definitely
surprised me!"
What do you hope audiences will remember most about your production after they
leave the theatre? "This absolute fun of a show! I hope audiences remember our top-quality cast, the immersive
environment and the fact that they saw Australia’s first!" What are you working on next & do you aspire to work on a horror themed show
again soon? "During this run I’ve already started to look into more horror themed shows! I’ve got a
couple in mind but need to do some more research first. Evil Dead was my absolute
pride and joy so it’s going to be impossible to match this so instead, I wanna get
something I just really wanna do! I’d absolutely love to do a horror production for Film
whether it be directing or composition"
Finally, what are your top picks for must see horror musicals? "Ooooh good question! One must-see recommendation is ‘Anna and the Apocalypse’.
It’s a filmed musical! Imagine Shaun of the Dead meets High School Musical.
Some staged productions of musicals would be American Psycho and Carrie." Evil Dead: The Musical is open until Sat, May 11 2024 at Limelight Theatre, Civic Dr, Wanneroo WA 6065 - Tickets on sale now.
Soxie The Salacious Spectre is Perth's own horror host, presenting films each month during Dreadful Frights at The Backlot Perth & the annual Perth Horror Film Festival.
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