Bootless' "Evil Dead" Rises for the Final Time

By Mike Logothhetis
Theater reviewer Mike Logothetis grew up in North Wilmington, performing in school and local theater productions. He lives in Newark, but you can find him wherever the arts are good.

Evil Dead, The Musical is a fun, raunchy production that delivers a final “Ash-kicking” to those audiences (and Kandarian Demons) who dare venture into the Bootless Stageworks chambers for the last time. Sadly, the (literally) underground theater in Trolley Square will be closing its doors after the final curtain of this campy musical based on the 1980s “Evil Dead” film franchise. 

The cast of Evil Dead, The Musical, killing it one last time.
Photo courtesy BootlessStageworks.

Theater director Rosanne DellAversano’s heartfelt pre-curtain talk to the audience thanked those who have supported Bootless through the years – explaining that she needs a rest and hinted that one-off productions may happen in the future. (Fingers crossed!)

The show provides plenty of laughs plus gallons of fake blood. The plot involves five college students spending a rustic weekend in the woods and accidentally unleashing an ancient terror. While trapped in a cabin fighting for their lives, the kids bicker amongst themselves and
try to defeat the evil that lurks around them. The musical takes creative liberty with the arching plot line of the original movies – the first act being an adaptation of The Evil Dead while the second act is a riff on Evil Dead II. The finale even has a nod to the third film in the canon: Army of Darkness.

Snarky hero Ash (John Jerbasi) leads the charge with his vicious one-liners and no tolerance for the demonic attackers. His human posse consists of his girlfriend Linda (Mariza Esparanza), his best friend Scott (Aaron Wachs), Scott’s new bimbo girlfriend Shelly (Jen Rotsch), and Ash’s sister Cheryl (Lauren Knecht). You sense the excitement of the group during their road trip to the “Cabin the Woods” for a long week of partying.

The problem is that the cabin is possessed. A missing professor has left mysterious recordings documenting his research of the Necronomicon Ex Mortis – literally “Book of the Dead.” This was his cabin and when the kids recite from the found book, they release an evil that absorbs items all around them like trees and even the stuffed moose head (Will Rotsch) hanging on the wall. Cheryl is the first to be terrorized and infected by the evil. She is thrown into the basement where she continuously hurls wisecracks from a heating vent. Cheryl and Shelly’s post-transformation duet “Look Who’s Evil Now” was a show highlight.

Director DellAversano is also the choreographer and does a masterful job with the dance numbers and critical movements. The hysterical figure skating lifts during “Housewares Employees” plus the tango-esque Ash and Scott dance for “What the Fuck Was That?” had the audience howling. The big demonic ensemble number “Do the Necronomicon” was also innovative and energetic.

The story adds more characters as the professor’s daughter Annie (Samantha McNerney) and her stifle manservant Ed (Antoine Deivert) arrive on the scene with more pages from the Necronomicon. But realizing the bridge to the cabin is out, they request the help of local hick Jake (Jose Bernard) to guide them. Bernard steals every scene he’s in and nails his song “Good Old Reliable Jake.” Deivert’s physicality during and after his solo “Bit Part Demon” was an extended joke that delivered each time.

The cast is rounded out by Wes Belli, Shawn D. Kline, Meg Hazzard, Andrew Dean Laino, Tara Herwig, Shamma Casson, Aubrey Murphy, and Benji Deivert. Note: They are not all “bit part demons.”

As more and more people morph into evil beings after contact, Ash must push forward and kill all who threaten him. He even severs his own infected hand…which doesn’t quite die. When he decapitates his girlfriend Linda, her talking head remains and delivers some classic jokes. Sure, there is plenty of gore, but there’s nothing to truly be squeamish about. It’s all in good fun.

Full disclosure for those in the “Splatter Zone”: This is a messy show with fake blood splattering all around. Bootless Stageworks is not responsible for damage to clothing or any other personal items. It is strongly recommended that you don’t bring purses, bags, or anything else that can’t get wet, dirty, or needs to be left on the floor. Ziplock bags are suggested for cell phones. Bring your own poncho or other covering as Bootless does not offer or sell such items. If you are sitting in the comfortable tiered seats, there’s no need to worry about protecting yourself or your personal items.

My lone knock on the show is the low audio level for some of the dialog. The theater space ate up several of the asides and subversive quips that make the script so endearing.

Live musical accompaniment is provided by The Zombie Lovin’ Band – Joe Eigenbrot, Jim Fazzino, Zack Geffre, and Deb Bialecki – under the direction of James W. Fuerst. The remaining performance schedule of Evil Dead, The Musical is Friday June 27 and Saturday June 28 at 8:00pm. Online tickets start at $25 and patrons can opt to sit in the “Splatter Zone” ($30) or not. Note, the theater boasts its “BEST EVER!!!” blood delivery system to guarantee “the MOST SPLATTER” for those opting to sit up front. Tickets can be purchased via website (www.bootless.org) or by calling Bootless Stageworks at (302)887-9300. Tickets are also available at the door, subject to availability, at a lightly higher price. The running time is roughly 2 hours including one 15-minute intermission. Bootless Stageworks offers a full selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks plus some snacks at its concessions stand. The theater space is in the basement of St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church at 1301 N. Broom Street in Wilmington.

Fare thee well, Bootless family. You provided a wonderful arts service for the region. We will miss your stimulating productions and friendly faces!

You Can't Stop the Beat at WDL's Hairspray

By Jeff Gudzune
Jeff writes book reviews for a variety of publishers and is active in community theater. Since 2013, Jeff has owned and operated Matrix Notary Service.

A hallmark of good theater is the ability to entertain and inform. This is certainly the case with Hairspray, which opened to a sold-out audience at Wilmington Drama League (WDL) on Friday, May 30. This upbeat, toe-tapping explosion of hair gel and taffeta is the perfect cap for a wonderful season. Hairspray was an informed choice, as its themes parallel the world today.

The social issues confronted by the ensemble are the very same social issues facing young people today. Race relations, generational divides, body image, and socio-economic disparities are ever-present reminders of harsh reality. It is altogether fitting that WDL elected to cap its season with a show that encapsulates these concerns.

Hairspray at Wilmington Drama League. Photo by KRL Photography/Rich Lee.

Before the first note of the Introit, the audience is treated with a set that manages to be busy but in no way obnoxious. Grainy black and white monitors take us to a time when local television programs knitted the community together. In an opening number that stuns in its execution, the ensemble sets the scene. It is 1962. JFK is President. Rock and Roll is the zeitgeist of America’s youth. Hair is teased up and held together with aerosol spray and God’s work. Tracy Turnblad, rotund but stunning, wakes to another beautiful day in Baltimore. As she goes through her morning routine, the pressing social specters of communism and racial injustice are unimportant. She is America’s innocence personified.

With joy in her heart, Tracy sees the world as it should be. Jane Haracz shines as Tracy, bringing an energy to the role that had me entranced from the first scene. Tracy manages to captivate the heart of local all-American boy Link Larkin, who is first seen as self-absorbed but later revealed to be a young man at war with himself. Cole Miller’s vocal acuity is amazing and his visible transition from the veneer of stereotypical self-obsessed youth to a real kid with his own personal struggles provides wonderful context. Ashley Grantham is amazing as Edna Turnblad.

Supporting Tracy in her journey to stardom is Penny Lou Pingleton, played with such zest by Haley Hughes that it was difficult to hear her lines due to the audience laughing so vigorously. Shana Roberts performance as “Motormouth” Mabel ran through such a range of emotions that there was an audible pause after her rendition of “Big, Blonde and Beautiful” immediately followed by a standing ovation from the audience.

Hairspray is a timeless classic, wildly entertaining and spiritually uplifting. It makes a social commentary that is needed in the world of today. Through acrobatic choreography and musical performances that resonated so profoundly that the house itself vibrated, the show strikes all the right emotional chords. This performance is not to be missed.

Hairspray runs at Wilmington Drama League May 31 (SOLD OUT) and June 1 (2:00pm); June 6 & 7 (8:00pm) and June 8 (2:00pm); June 13 & 14 (8:00pm) and June 15 (2:00pm). Tickets are available at wilmingtondramaleague.org. 

Reedy Point Players Bring "Angels" to Delaware

By guest blogger, R. Scott Frelick
R. Scott Frelick is Designer/ Artist who is a major supporter of our local arts community and a Board member of City Theater Company. 

In Reedy Point Players' World Premiere of Angels in Gangland: A Supernatural Tale, the audience is first introduced to Lou Tasca, the recently “whacked" protagonist. Lou (Craig Stump) explains that he can’t get into Heaven until he convinces the man who murdered him to leave the mob and join the Witness Protection Program. Assisting Lou is the ghost of Rabbi Solomon Levitsky, whose own son Sam is an “associate” of the Giordano crime family.  

A screenshot of Angels in Gangland performance. 
Courtesy of Jeff Gudzune.

Rabbi Sol (Hank Conklin) explains that Carlo Parisi (Jeff Gudzune) was ordered to kill Lou based on false information from Boss Tony Rizzo (Michael Brook).  At Carlo’s 30th birthday party, Lou’s ghost reveals Tony’s deception to a visibly shaken Carlo. Convinced that Carlo is on the edge of a nervous breakdown, Tony orders Sam (Fran Lazartic) to watch him. With an equal mix of dark comedy and supernatural intrigue,
Angels in Gangland proves to be a unique experience.   

Written by Robert Russel Smith, Angels in Gangland is an original work directed by Rachel Diane Barton and brought to life by a talented group of performers who stand out in their roles.  

While the action centers around Lou, everyone has a moment to stretch their creative muscles. Tya Pope is Carlo’s concerned and strong-willed fiancé, Sherri Falco. Corinth Ford is a riot as Cocktail Waitress and part-time Psychic Medium, Zoe Plato. Jeff Gudzune runs through a range of emotions as he brings Carlo’s conflict to life, providing emotional resonance in what must have been a thrilling and exhausting creative experience.  Fran Lazartic brings depth to the character of Sam as he confronts his own struggle with the supernatural.  Tina Walls stands out as the strong-willed wife of Boss Tony Rizzo, and Craig Stump plays Lou so well it’s like he was born for the part. 

A special treat was the Playwright himself, shining as Oleg Oransky. Even with what is going on in the world, it was great to see people from differing religious backgrounds working to bring peace to others souls. Angels in Gangland was performed May 16, 17, and 18 at Reedy Point Players space in Delaware City.  

This show may have closed, but Reedy Point is already working on ways to expand its audience and perhaps find a new venue for this amazing production. Reedy Point Players is a non-profit theater group founded in 2001 and located at 250 5th Street in Delaware City. 

Learn more at https://reedypoint.org/.