The Elvis Dead Musical: Comedian performs Evil Dead 2 with songs by Elvis
Yes, you read the headline correctly. What if someone decided to retell the story of Evil Dead 2 set to the music of the King, Elvis Presley? The result would be Rob Kemp’s wacky musical that is getting rave reviews in the UK. Once again, Bruce Campbell does Elvis!
“A little less conversation, a little more action, please.” – Elvis Presley
Hail to the King, Baby
The last time I was watching Evil Dead 2, the thought never occurred to me to mash it up with songs by Elvis Presley. I guess that is because my mind isn’t that beautifully warped. However, British comedian Rob Kemp did think along those lines!
At the back of his mind, he was toying with the idea of retelling the story of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 set to a backdrop of Elvis tunes for quite some time. According to his interview in the British Comedy Guide, the idea of the show came about while watching Bubba Ho-Tep.
“I was talking about it to a couple of other comics, and they said ‘you look a bit like Bruce Campbell‘ and we laughed a lot at the idea. They were joking, but I thought ‘I’ll do something with this.’ That was four years ago. The kernel of the idea was percolating.”
The show by all accounts is glorious fun. Brian Logan of the Guardian says that Kemp “throws himself into the enterprise like a Kandarian demon with murder on its mind.” On an upstage screen, scenes from Evil Dead 2 play as Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams counterpart simultaneously reenacts the moments on stage.
Some of the lyrics of Presley’s songs have been altered to fit the show. Are You Lonesome Tonight? becomes Are You Losing Your Mind? as the mounted deer head laughs maniacally at Ash. My personal favorite, Viva Las Vegas turns into Read from the Pages!
via TheElvisDead.com
Hey, Groovy Bruce or Sam Raimi…
His Latest Flame gets a makeover with this priceless change, “Now the woodshed is bathed in red.” Much like the original Evil Dead movie, this stage adaptation has spunk and moxie. The set isn’t tricked out and it is obvious that there is a budget to this production but who cares when it’s heart is in the right place?
When asked by Si Hawkins of the British Comedy Guide if anyone from the Evil Dead or Elvis camps have responded to the show, Kemp replied, “I know that a few people have tweeted Bruce Campbell, I’m fairly confident he knows about it – or his people do.”
With the Evil Dead musical being a cult hit over here in the states, I think it is only a matter of time before The Elvis Dead makes it to our shores. The legions of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell fans would be more than happy to purchase tickets!
Find out more at the official website.
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What do you think of the Evil Dead 2 Elvis song mashup musical? Is this something that you would go see? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below. We want to hear from you!