Evil Dead: The Musical is creeping into the Broadway Playhouse this fall and only running for three weeks. This horror show based on the classic movie broke records in Canada during its run before hitting the Windy City.
The full cast of Chicagoans tells the campy story of five college friends staying in a cabin in the woods. Everything is roses and sunshine until a demon visits and mixes things up. Feel free to sing along to the catchy tune "All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons" as things begin to unravel.
Performer Ryan Czerwonko is now based in Chicago and brings a variety of roles to the production, among them playing a Fake Shemp. He's paid his dues with Dozens of Cousins at the Trap Door Theatre and Broken Fences at the 16th Street Theater. Independent films he's worked on include The Glass House, and Wiggah.
Windy City Times rang him up to find out who's hiding behind the mask.
Windy City Times: Hi, Ryan. Let's start off with where you are from.
Ryan Czerwonko: I am from Ashtabula, Ohio, which is near Cleveland.
WCT: Did you study theater there?
Ryan Czerwonko: I have a BFA in theater performance from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. After school I did a year long internship at Orlando Shakespeare Theater then I made the decision to move to Chicago. I just had my two year anniversary with living here.
WCT: How did you get involved with Evil Dead The Musical?
Ryan Czerwonko: My agent submitted me for it. I went in for the initial audition. I thought it was the three best or three worst auditions of my life. I surprisingly got a call back and it was a really intense seven hour day of dancing and reading for different roles. I got an email when they offered me a part.
WCT: What is your role in the show?
Ryan Czerwonko: I play Fake Shemp, which is all of the pop-up characters in the show. I play the ghost of the professor who unleashes the demons, an evil tree, a severed hand and a headless body. I am also the male swing so I am covering three other actors.
WCT: Is the musical very similar to the movie?
Ryan Czerwonko: It is a loving homage. It blends plot elements from all three of the movies in the series, specifically Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 then it takes it to another level where it satirizes not only the horror genre but musicals in general. It has a really great rock score.
WCT: How long has Evil Dead: The Musical been performed?
Ryan Czerwonko: It has been around for a decade. It is a Canadian show and a big hit there and off-Broadway but I believed this is the first North American tour.
WCT: Zombies are very hip right now. Do you watch The Walking Dead?
Ryan Czerwonko: I do. I'm a big fan of AMC and today's serial television. I like series like that and True Blood that take potentially goofy elements like zombies or vampires to reflect the bigger problems in the world.
WCT: What is your favorite part of the musical?
Ryan Czerwonko: I find the music and dance numbers very exhilarating. We had the first preview the other night and it felt like a rock concert. It doesn't have a polarizing effect that are in many musicals. It makes you forget it's a musical.
It is American Pie style so raunchy humor and very funny.
WCT: What is the Splatter Zone?
Ryan Czerwonko: It is the first four rows in the theater. There's a lot of murder and mayhem in the show. Several characters spray blood into the audience. People should be prepared to have their outfits ruined or wear a poncho.
WCT: I will never forget the stabbing of a pencil into someone in the movie.
Ryan Czerwonko: There is a song that features that pencil stabbing moment.
WCT: I will cover my eyes. Tell me about these independent movies you have done.
Ryan Czerwonko: I did a movie called Wiggah. It is along the lines of Evil Dead in the way that it's a 25-minute rap musical. It is a cross between Rocky Horror and Pulp Fiction. It is a heavy stylized and went to a couple of film festivals abroad. It is available on Vimeo.
I filmed a movie last year called The Glass House. You see three different stories unfolding over different periods of time. They take place in one house examining human fragility. The trailer is out but should be out fully later this year.
I also have a short film coming out called Violets. It is a Bergman-esque mystery.
WCT: You are a bisexual member of The Evil Dead. We need more openly bisexual people around and in the media.
Ryan Czerwonko: Tell me about it. I have a small role in the show. When they contacted me about Windy City Times interviewing me, I was so happy to hear that!
I've been out of the closet for a really long time but there is still a stigma around it. Only since moving to a bigger city with Chicago I've noticed that it is an every fluid changing thing. It is really hard to define and can't be defined.
Bisexual is the term I feel closest to but you are right there is not much representation.
WCT: Evil Dead is in Chicago for three weeks. What happens after that?
Ryan Czerwonko: We then spend a few weeks in Toronto. Some highlights of the tour for me are Austin, Nashville, and some cities in Florida. I get to go back to Orlando and see friends that I worked with. I'm really excited to travel. The tour picks up again in March and April so we have a little break.
I'm auditioning for stuff right now and going on call backs to fill that slot with something. If that doesn't work out I will just do some more film work or maybe take some classes.
WCT: Where will the show be for Halloween?
Ryan Czerwonko: Toronto. This is the longest running show in Canadian history, I think. It is really popular. We will be on home turf for that, which is a little nerve-wracking. With it being Halloween there will be a high expectation for excellence!
Evil Dead: The Musical splatters into town Sept. 23-Oct. 12 at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St. Visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com or call 800-775-2000 for tickets and details.