The play opens with a fight in progress between a couple, Steph (Chelsea Witgen) and Greg (J.C. Kibbey). The more aggressive of the two, Steph unleashes an obscenity-laden tirade, a verbal assault that culminates in a physical one.

It’s campier than “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” with a higher body count than “Little Shop of Horrors.” “Evil Dead: The Musical” is based on the trilogy of cult films ("Evil Dead," "Evil Dead 2" and "Army of Darkness"), which were directed by Michigan State University alum Sam Raimi.

Dan (John Lepard), an award-winning humanitarian of the year, is caught cheating at a poker game by his brother-in-law, Will (Bill Bannon). Soon Will is seeing vice in everything Dan does, and he tries to poison affable buddy Matt (Aral Gribble) against Dan.

Lansing Community College’s production of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)” is nothing if not a crowd-pleaser. The play breaks the fourth wall and actively involves the audience; the audience at Saturday evening’s performance didn’t take long to warm up to the format.

The grand prize is greater than Bravo’s “Top Chef," but less than “Survivor” or “Big Brother.” It’s a competition for world’s largest prize awarded for the creation of art, but it’s not on television, and it doesn’t take place in New York, London or Los Angeles.

“Dying City” is the story of three deeply damaged people and the wounds they inflict upon each other. Kelly, played with guarded brittleness by Kayla DeWitt, is a widowed therapist who wiles her evenings away watching “Law and Order.

Basement 414 is perhaps Lansing’s least-known but most characteristic art space. The entrance is tricky to find, accessible only from the alley behind the Nuthouse Bar.This repurposed warehouse, home to artists, bicycle enthusiasts and the occasional group of counter-culturists, now houses a menagerie. Literally figuratively — or figuratively literally. Or both.

One of the greatest strengths of Capital TheaterWorks is that its summer season is housed in the Ledges Playhouse. Those who know its history of ghosts and raccoons may disagree, but the fantastically creaky venue is perfect for some of TheaterWorks’ recent shows, including its current “1940’s Radio Variety Show.

This is the perfect weekend for Lansing Community College’s latest “Summer Stage Under the Stars” offering. Warm and muggy well into the evenings, the weather literally helps set the atmosphere for the smokin’ "Smoke on the Mountain." The setting is a North Carolina Baptist church in June, 1938. The outdoor set is a big, realistically-rendered, slightly rustic church interior. Between that and a naturally hot and humid night, it is easy to feel like a part of the congregation, which is the intention. There is no fourth wall, as the cast present a musical church service in real time.

Some random bit of wisdom says to “do something every day that scares you.” For two weeks, I did that consistently as a member of a team competing in Old Town Scrapfest 2010. The event, a fund-raiser for the Old Town Commercial Association, is in its second year.