Exorcistic: The Rock Musical

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The Eastside comedy destination Asylum NYC hosts the devilish return of Exorcistic: The Rock Musical, the LA Drama Critics Circle and Broadway World NYC award-winning musical, giddily inspired by the renowned classic book and record-breaking movie The Exorcist.

This self-aware parody depicts a show within a show, where the cast breaks the fourth wall, comes out and greets the audience, and tells us they’re about to put this thing on. With tongues so firmly planted in cheeks, they’d probably bite right through them, they regale us with reservations and caveats galore.

There’s a possessed young girl, Megan (Emma Hunton), her movie-star mom, Kate (Leigh Wulff), a coupla priests (Ethan Crystal and Jesse Merlin), a glittery demonic “Rowdy” (Steven Cutts), and a woeful stage manager (Jaime Lyn Beatty). Playwright/composer/lyricist Michael Shaw Fisher exercises his acting chops in a couple of roles.

You’d think enough mayhem would be in store for the cast as it embarks on this ramshackle enterprise, but all (ahem) hell breaks loose when an actor actually becomes possessed.

Fisher has been fine-tuning the laughs in this play since it was first conceived in 2012, as, he tells it, the lovechild of favorites Hedvig and the Angry Inch and Sweeney Todd. While the music is typical head banger stuff, the lyrics are well-wrought for this kind of offering, with some repetition but to good effect. This production pulls out all the stops. Directors Alli Miller and Chadd McMillan creatively use the entire space–stage, aisle, and even patron laps–moving the cast around and having the audience pivoting in its seats to take in all the action, all to maximum humorous effect. In one hysterical moment, an actor even takes a call on a long-corded phone, dragging the coils across the faces and necks of the first several rows of theatergoers. In another scene, a possessed Megan is asked “Is there someone inside of you?” and you can imagine the hilarity of the look she gives the man whose lap she’s sitting on in response. Music stands become grave-digging shovels, delightful!

Hunton lets loose as Megan, wailing delightfully through her part, abusing other cast members and crucifixes as needed. Wulff’s Kate is confident and gutsy, her engaging manner a triumph. Cutts makes for a flamingly funny demon, as does a Rocky-inspired turn by scheduled guest artist Garrett Clayton (a different one at every performance), backwards and in heels. Crystal gives a notable performance as Father Garras; he and Wulff share a chemistry which only increases the chuckles. Even Fisher himself is very comfortable on stage. Beatty and Merlin hold up fairly well against the others, although their performances in and out of the show-within-the-show are somewhat stilted and not distinctly different.

It can be asserted with confidence that a recent viewing of the classic movie will result in understanding more of the jokes presented in this chortle-fest. It can also be asserted with equal confidence that even armed with a recent viewing of the classic movie, a person still might not understand all the jokes, and if you’ve never seen the movie, you’ll miss just about everything. What can’t be missed in this production is unbridled enthusiasm and fun that the cast is having; it is infectious, and worth the price of admission. There are also some hilarious sight gags (I won’t tell you how they avoid having to clean up pea soup after every performance).

At one point the cast asks that if there are any critics out there, that they not condemn them to hell. OK, check!

Choreography by Camal Pugh is humorous and inventive. The most significant drawback to the production is sound. Music supervisor Zach Spound and sound designer Tyler Walkes can spend more time balancing the band against the voices; even on mics, the cast voices and their lyrics are often drowned out by the music.

Exorcistic is not fine art, nor does it aspire to be. What it delivers in spades is a rockin’ good time with many LOL moments, leaving the audience with wide smiles on exit.

Exorcistic: The Rock Musical (extended through October 31, 2025)

Asylum NYC, 123 East 24th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, visit http://www.asylumnyc.com/exorcistic/

Running time: two hours and 15 minutes including one intermission