Male U/S Goes On for Female Role at Evil Dead

Just got back from Evil Dead and wanted to give praise to Ryan Williams, the male understudy of the show. About 25 minutes into the first act, immediately following the Cheryl tree scene, the show was stopped and the stage manager announced a technical difficulty.

It turned out that Cheryl, being played by female understudy Amy Shute, had twisted her ankle and could not continue. The show only has one female understudy, so there was no one to replace her.

At a loss for what to do, male understudy Ryan Williams agreed to dress in drag and do the part with about 10 minutes to prepare. Cheryl is the biggest female role in the show, and he tackled it head on as the production started up again.

Ryan did an incredible job, and made the show even campier. He even sang most of his songs in their original keys. Bravo.

It could only happen in the theatre.

Updated On: 2/4/07 at 02:21 AM

Oh wow! That would have been something to see!

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He memorized the whole thing in ten minutes?

Ryan Williams is awesome and I'm so sad I missed this!

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It was truly an amazing performance and fantastic homage to "Evil Dead"'s campy predecessor "The Rocky Horror Show", and the audience ate the whole thing up with a spoon. After a debilitating fall in the infamous "tree rape" scene that occurs early in the first act, understudy for Jenna Coker (Cheryl), Amy Shute, could not continue the performance. The show was stopped temporarily. Then, lead actor Ryan Ward (Ash) emerged onstage and asked for a vote by audience applause to decide whether the show should go on with male understudy Ryan Williams (Fake Shemp) taking over for Shute. Obviously, the audience went wild, and "Evil Dead" resumed right where it had left off.

Ryan Williams used the ten-minute "technical difficulty" stall to clad himself from head to toe in the original Cheryl costume (which fit him like multicolored shrinkwrap) and a wig that leaned precariously to one side and fell off several times throughout the night's performance. He emerged onstage to thunderous applause, did several scenes off-book (and one of the most difficult numbers in the show, "Look Who's Evil Now", complete with choreography). He continued the rest of the show like a trooper, alternating between on- and off-book depending on the demands of the scene. He sang the songs not only in their original keys but in their original OCTAVES (think Marty Thomas). The few mishaps that occured (line flubs, the wig falling off) were not only understandable but also added to the charm of the situation. The audience loved it.

But kudos go not only to the phenomenal Ryan Ward. They also are extended to the cast and crew that banded together to pull off such a crazy performance. Bits of the show had to be changed in order to accomodate the new actor, and this group pulled it off pretty much seamlessly. Lots of jokes were thrown in as well; in the song "What the...", Brandon Wardell changed the line "Your sister has turned into a zombie" into "Your sister has turned into a shemale", etc.

This performance was unlike anything that I've ever seen in a theatre, and it was perfect for a show like "Evil Dead". The throwback to its cult genre could not have been more appropriate, and the theatre community should be proud that this phenomenal group of technicians and performers upheld the age-old saying, "The show must go on." Luckily, the audience was pretty large, so a good number of people got to witness the event.

It is such a shame that the show is closing because, as evidenced by what went on tonight, the creative team still has so much vivacity and (pardon the pun) life... And the audience absolutely LOVES it.

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Updated On: 2/4/07 at 02:42 AM

I love Brandon Wardell. I love this whole cast! And I am going to miss this show so much.

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outstanding - i'd love to be at the theatre when something like that happens.
for someone living in the UK, and with vvv little chance it'll make the transition - what's this show like? any cast recording?

cool!

Why is it closing? I am suprised it's not doing well. Bravo to him for being so professional!

Amazing!

at first, when reading this, all i kept thinking was "omg you missed Jenna Coker?!" cause she was my favorite thing about that show. but now that i'm reading your story, i'm more like "omg i missed Ryan Williams in drag?!"

i loved this show and the cast recording cannot come soon enough!

Wow... Congrats to him!

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"at first, when reading this, all i kept thinking was "omg you missed Jenna Coker?!" cause she was my favorite thing about that show"

Yeah, Jenna and Ryan Ward are really strong leads and are standouts for me, although the entire cast is great.

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