Whether you have seen Romero’s original film or not, Night of the Living Dead Live! is more than just an experience. With twenty seats on stage and many more in the ‘safer’ zones, it’s your choice how close to the action you want to be. Though, be warned, the ‘splatter’ zones come with a rather fetching boiler suit and shower cap combination that you’ll be jealous you didn’t think of before, and the chance of being covered head to toe in black gunk. If you’re more inclined to keep your shoes safe, then you’ll be in the traditional audience with the view of the stunning set. An old farmhouse abandoned and falling apart. Though the view of the set remains the same, the use of levels and lighting allows our few lucky survivors to navigate the house into different areas.
As a homage to the old classic, the whole play is set in greyscale. Each of the actors are right out of a Hitchcock film and the monochromatic feel is just brilliant. The Pleasance Theatre using their small space to immerse you fully, and every jump and laugh is something you experience together. There are no set seats, and you are truly alone with the action.
The performance starts with Barbara and her brother Johnny, laying a wreath at their father’s grave. Soon enough Johnny is eaten alive and Barbara is running for her life. Suddenly she runs in through the double doors on stage and hides herself in the farmhouse, even though the moment the babbling girl gets inside it’s clear it’s going to be no help whatsoever. So, the poor thing becomes a silent centrepiece on the floor. Already the play has brought in comedy, with McGinlay’s over the top characterisation of a typical horror movie damsel. She’s apparently useless, needs help from the men, and not altogether there in the head. But do not worry because right after her entrance comes Ben. As the play unfolds it turns out that Ben might be just as useless. However, when they discover a group of people in the cellar, things will get better, right? Wrong. Soon enough we have our group of plucky survivors and with each turn of events their chance of living this thing out is becoming thinner. First there’s Harry Cooper, a man with a family and very few morals towards anyone else. His wife Helen appears to be the brains of the family, spending a lot of her time looking after their daughter Karen in the cellar. Then there’s the archetypal young couple. Tom and Judy. He tries hard and it’s safe to say Judy is a little more than a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Finally, Ben and Barbara, two strangers thrown into the farmhouse just looking for a way to make it through the night.
Surely, you would think, if they all just sat in the house and worked together, they might make it through the night. Maybe you think they should have let the women take charge, or that they could have walked out of there just by assimilating with the ghouls. Well, that’s where Night Of The Living Dead Live! takes a turn. This is not a retelling of the classic that gave zombies their standing in horror films, Night Of The Living Dead Live! is self-aware in ways no-one could expect. Each time our group fail and end up on the fire with the other zombies, we see Vince and the Chief debating a new idea that could surely work. The clocks turn back, and we’re immediately thrown into a new situation to see a whole new turn of events.
Its wacky, it’s hilarious, and after bursting into song at the end, the cast found a well-deserved standing ovation. George Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead Live! is only running until May 19th, it’s a horror-comedy with far more emphasis on the comedy but for fans of movies like Shaun Of The Dead and Zombieland, it’s something not to miss!
Reviewer - Aidan Bungey
on - 16/4/19
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