TAMPA, Fla. — It’s that time of year, trick or treat, and Stageworks Theatre is offering a little bit of both. During their latest show, Evil Dead The Musical, singing, screaming, and shocking are all rolled into one.
From the trap door to the broken window to the talking moose head on the wall, there is something suspicious and fun on every corner of the stage.
“It’s really super fun, I think we are at a time where we just need to see things that bring us joy and make us laugh, that’s my goal,” said Artistic Director Karla Hartley.
This is the second time that Stageworks has resurrected Evil Dead: The Musical in Tampa.
“I thought, let’s bring it back, it’s done real well for us and maybe it’s time to do it again,” said Hartley.
Actress Marguerite Reed says the opportunity to perform a legendary horror movie on stage, during spooky season, is a dream, or should we say nightmare, come true.
“Evil Dead is so iconic, it’s so campy, I mean, they’ve been making Evil Dead movies since the 80s, and the most recent one came out in 2023,” said Reed.
Ben Sutherland is playing the leading role of Ash. Who knew all that dressing up for Halloween as a kid would lead to a career?
“There is an old picture of me as Buzz Lightyear and Woody the next year, maybe don’t look those up, but I think this will be the coolest costume I’ve rocked so far,” said Sutherland.
From a chainsaw to a shotgun to an axe, there is no shortage of scary things for these characters to run from. It’s going to get bloody, real bloody, and not just for the actors.
The first three rows of the audience are considered the “splash zone” where audience members will be sprayed with fake blood. Ponchos are available for purchase at the box office.
“It’s really so much more fun to have an audience that is sort of engaged in the story with you,” said Reed. “So I hope they have as much fun in the audience as we do on stage, and I hope the ‘splash zone’ people get really, really splashed.”
Evil Dead The Musical runs now through Nov. 16 with a special late-night 11:30 p.m. show on Halloween.
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