Evil - The Musical details the lives of seven evil villains as they battle Guy Super and endeavor to become the most evil of all. To aid them in their plans, each possesses a magic ball of power that allows them to control those around them. With a bizarre focus on locations off the M62, the show follows these villains as they clash, collide and falter at world domination.The show opens with a fantastic ensemble number filled with vivacity. The singing is superb and the performers are clearly talented musicians, however the rest of the songs do not hold up to the opening number. Though there’s nothing wrong with the performances, the lyrics fail to elicit the desired laughs and lack any sort of emotional conviction. Evil’s script fails to utilize the potential of its genre. The cast may be talented actors but they are given very little chance to develop. The material is bland; the characters are driven by nothing more than the desire to be evil. Within a superhero spoof show there is abundant comedic material. Some of this is well used, for example the musical pokes fun at the ridiculous nature of secret identities possessed by superheroes. However, the main problem with this production is it fails to understand that in order for a parody of the classic genre to be entertaining, there has to be some genuine depth to the performance. With Evil the audience never builds any connection with the characters, the dialogue falls flat because the audience simply does not care what happens. The only notable exception is Sidekick. As an oppressed and forgotten extra character he embodies what could be truly hilarious in this concept.Those who are sick to death of superhero mania may find something to enjoy here. For true fans hoping for clever genre play you will be sorely disappointed. The most talented actors could not have saved this script, but the first song really is very good.
