Zombies are all the rage, and this October the infection spreads to Gaslight Theatre with the stage adaptation of the classic Night of The Living Dead. A small group takes shelter in a farm house as a story of survival against the undead unfolds. This production was co-directed by first-time directors, Khiem Nguyen (stage) and Andy Swanner (video). As before, I attended the final dress rehearsal performance and prepared myself for the zombie invasion.
The production begins with a clever enough idea. A few survivors enter the “basement” and turn on a single hanging light. They are quiet and seem to settle into what will be a long night. Suddenly, a video begins to play on the screen hanging to the side of the stage. In “movie”fashion, it’s credits and titles over a black and white scene of a modern vehicle driving down a country road. Cool. So this is an updated version. I can dig it.
We are introduced to Johnny (Daniel Johnson) and Barbara (Sarah Swanner), brother and sister, who are on their way to the cemetery to honor the memory of a deceased loved one. Both actors are very experienced and talented (and under the age of 18). I have given them some of the highest praise for performances in the past, and they did a fine job in the video. However, the usual shine and polish of these actors did not seem present. Perhaps the lack of experience in front of the camera or not enough rehearsal was the culprit. Still, it is a minorcriticism.
Anyway, we spot the first zombie (who doesn’t don any makeup), lose Johnny (who inexplicably dies from…the zombie slowly pushing his head down to the ground?), and follow Barbara as she runs off the screen and into the theatre. I love that concept as it pulls the audience deeper into the story, I think. The video was longer than it needed to be. Perhaps introducing the actors in the basement during the video would have been a better use of the video’s slow pace. There was a moment when I was ready to be “in the theatre”and the editing could have been cleaner, but otherwise it was effective cinematography.
My opinion of the stage is a bit jaded, as I got to see the set design and hear about the concept from the designers themselves. What ended up on stage was not quite how it was imagined and left me confused. Ben (played wonderfully by Venson Fields) makes his way onstage and struggled with a zombie through an exit center stage. However, there was a window in the wall that he disappeared behind. Did he go into another part of the house or outside? It wasn’t until I saw a zombie in the window and Ben board it up, that I realized the awkward placement of the window and exit. I really liked the use of the apron stairs that lead into the “basement” and the angle of the set, allowing this negative space around the front door where zombies eerily lurked about.
The pacing issues continued on through Ben’s monologue as well as Barbara’s. Then, they turned on the radio. Ryan Morton was the voice on the radio and did a wonderful job (no surprise). However, there was static introduced that was so evenly spaced out that it seemed like he was talking with the assistance of a breathing machine. He also only spoke when there was no static, which only added to the forced feeling of it all. Again, the radio was great, but it also went on while nothing was happening onstage. It may have all been written this way, but I felt that scene dragged on and on in the movie as well. It’s a pretty simple script and several things could have been cut or introduced in a more creative way.
Things finally jump back to life for a bit when the basement dwellers start to emerge. Jeff Day was a refreshing, energetic addition (as Tom) and Monte Hunter (as Harry Cooper) brought a great balance to Venson’s work. Both were strong in their characters and interesting to watch. Catina Sundvall was totally convincing in her role as Helen Cooper and Stephanie Ezzell was suitable as Tom’s girlfriend, Judy. These two female roles were brief, but both actors managed to evoke a bit of sympathy.
Hunter and Fields exchanged dialogue several times in what may have been the strongest scenes, with Day providing some relief from the angst with his youthful and well-meaning character.
Blocking was a bit hit and miss for my taste. Barbara became part of the furniture, which one of the directors informed me was intentional. He wanted the audience to forget about her until she finally popped out of her trauma-induced vegetative state. I learned during my own directing experience, that if you have to explain it to people then you have more work to do. She was constantly upstaged in the blocking. I feel the idea was sensible but it would have worked better if people hadn’t constantly been placed in front of her. It just doesn’t create a good picture. Plus Barbara is sort of the audience anchor (we meet her first and identify with her). So why would we ever cover her up? I was also reminded by an audience member who attended opening night, that the basement deaths were near impossible to see due to lighting, blocking, and position of the basement. Poor Emily Cinnamon portrayed the Cooper’s infected daughter either covered by a sheet or with her back completely to the audience. A platform or moving the action to the stage would have helped.
Sarah Swanner, as I said before, is one of Gaslight’s strongest young actors. However, the part of Barbara is much more difficult than one would think. Barbara must be able to be vulnerable and often emotionally vacant, without being boring or insincere. There are a number of traits that have to be juggled in such a way that you feel sorry for her and perhaps a bit creeped out by her when you realize she is mentally damaged by the events that have taken place. “Crazy” is one of the most difficult roles to play believably. I give her kudos for taking on the challenge. It may have been to her interest, if the directors had her “become one of the zombies”…not literally, but figuratively - shuffling around, speaking in a lower tone with no emotion, stiff and lifeless. This may have signified that she had already been lost to the zombie plague mentally even though she was still very much alive physically. It would have also given her a better level to reach for in her portrayal. Swanner is capable of greatness on stage when given the right tools.
There were two additional videos. Both represented what the survivors were watching on the old fashioned television set; the first news report with Amy Swanner (as the reporter) and Peter Roller (as the scientist). Both of them gave believable performances. No criticisms there. Swanner looked the part of a 60’s female reporter…Wait…there was a modern vehicle in the opening and now we’re back in the 60’s? And is that a laptop behind the reporter? Okay, these were small items that could have easily been omitted or fixed to keep the continuity. People noticed and those kinds of oversights can be distracting and reduce the overall quality of a production. By the time the third video of the reporter interviewing the Sheriff came on, I had lost the special feeling that the first video gave. Again, Evan Chermack (another talented Gaslight Teen) had a perfectly smooth voice and film-friendly face for the reporter, though he could have used some pointers in using a microphone. He held it at a level as if he were interviewing the Sheriff’s nipple. Jeremy Tipton was totally committed to the part of the small town southern Sheriff. It was a great break from the serious tone of the show.
Two final notes. The spotlight on the Sheriff and his deputy (Wyatt Olson) as they popped up from the front row was strange and misplaced. Why did they not just deliver their lines as they walked down the aisle toward the “farmhouse” instead of the random appearance of a spot? Finally, I loved the zombies. They were also very committed and unbelievably lost in their characters. I looked for signs of breaking character and saw absolutely zero. It was menacing, gloomy, and perfect.
Overall, NOTLD was riddled with sluggish moments that did not generate any tension. I think too much effort was placed in trying to mimic the original movie (which you simply cannot do onstage). Videos could have been shortened and cleaned up a bit, while blocking could have created better visuals onstage. More chances could have been taken with lighting and blocking, but the potential was there. Actors (from lead to extras) held the show together at the seams even when other things may not have been working. I recommend it for horror fans and fans of the classic film. It is perfect for Halloween, and the small audience at the final dress ate it up.
Happy Halloween
