“Cat dead. Details later.” –Dr. Herbert West

I love this show. Love. This. Show. Let’s get that out of the way right up front. I’ve seen it seven times, and I would see it seventy more if I could.

When I first saw Stuart Gordon’s 1985 classic horror film Re-Animator, I was an immediate fan, and it quickly jumped onto my list of favorite flicks. The gore, the humor, the shocks, the perversity–they all work together seamlessly to make an over-the-top shocker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCGGG_NvE4g

Flash-forward about 25 years and I am at a local horror convention. As I’m going through the daily schedule, I see there’s a presentation coming up about a new show being workshopped in LA: Re-Animator The Musical.

Wha…!?

I’m initially skeptical, but I’m also wildly curious about the very idea of turning such a crazy movie into a stage musical, so I take my seat in the hall. The first thing that makes me smile is Stuart Gordon himself comes out and talks about the show, how they’re trying very hard to keep what the movie’s famous for (blood, re-animated corpses) while playing up the humor.  The second thing that makes me smile is George Wendt, of Cheers, coming out to sing the part of Dean Halsey.

They premiere a song wherein Dan Cain tries to convince Dean Halsey that Herbert West brought a cat back to life, and I am immediately, totally on board. The song is catchy and goofy, the wordplay precise.  This seems like a great idea.

But months go by, a year (maybe two?), and I forget about this show.  I assume funding never came through or something like that, and I let it go. Life goes on.

And then…and then… I can’t remember where, or exactly when, but I see an ad for Re-Animator The Musical and I am immediately giddy with anticipation.  Tickets must be bought.  This musical will not be denied.

And, like I said, I’ve now seen it seven times.

The play follows the movie very closely: young Dr. Herbert West comes to Miskatonic University to continue his medical studies, spends his off-hours re-animating dead people (and a cat), and hijinks ensue.

They really did get everything right: the music and lyrics by Mark Nutter are not just funny, but clever and unique, each one moving the story along without a moment’s hesitation.  Every member of the cast has a strong and clear singing voice, and they all do a terrific job with the score.

It wouldn’t be Re-Animator without the maximum allowable daily requirement of blood and gore, and this show is drenched in it, wallows in it, and, literally, showers in it.  The first few rows of the audience are a designated “splash zone,” where audience members are guaranteed to be covered in the red stuff.

We got bloody.

Plastic ponchos are provided at the beginning of the show, but the brave among the audience always opt to get splattered full force (it washes out).  And the cast seem to take particular glee in making sure the first few rows get their fair share.

All your favorite scenes from the movie are here, ultra-campy, in-your-face, and pushed way beyond the envelope of any run-of-the-mill show about the non-dead. Re-animated corpses singing and dancing, brains passed around the audience, decapitation, disemboweling, and a cat that just won’t stay dead are just a few of the highlights. Good times.

I must give a kajillion kudos to Graham Skipper as West, and Jesse Merlin as Dr. Hill.  Skipper captures West’s manic drive perfectly, forging a righteously demented path full steam ahead, leaving a trail of dead and not-so-dead-anymore bodies in his wake. He doesn’t just play Herbert West, he embodies him, with every gesture and look. I couldn’t have imagined anyone but Jeffrey Combs in that role, and now I can’t imagine anyone but Graham Skipper.

Jesse Merlin is equally up to the task of filling the giant shoes David Gale left behind in the role of Dr. Hill. Alternately haughty and stuck-up, and then menacing and verrrry creepy, his performance is a delight. His strong basso profundo just drips with equal parts condescension and duplicity.

Both of these actors have done a tremendous job with very iconic characters, and I hope to see them on the stage again soon.

This show played in Los Angeles for a long time, then went to New York, Edinburgh Scotland, and Las Vegas. If it ever comes within splattering distance of where you are, go see it as soon as you can. And sit up close.

But don’t say I didn’t warn you about the ponchos.

Uncle Mike sez: check it out, but don’t lose your head over it.