The list of zombie movies made throughout history is longer than my arm, but the real, OG zombie flick is George Romero’s 1968 black-and-white independent film, Night of the Living Dead. Our modern notion of the undead—those agonizingly slow, groaning figures that are now ubiquitous in film—owes its popularity to Romero’s film. This month, Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Co. pays tribute to the groundbreaking film, while also having a little fun at its expense, with Night of the Living Dead Live.
This modern retelling maintains the plot of the film but also exploits all its foibles, presenting the story in a campy, frequently hilarious way that turns Romero’s troubling ending on its head. (Spoiler alert: Those of you who haven’t seen the 56-year-old film may want to avert your eyes.)
The play begins where the film ends: The lead character, Ben (Hilal Adem), crawls out of the trap door in the floor of a farmhouse and stands before a window, where he is promptly shot dead. The sheriff, Chief McClelland (Tariq Malik), and his deputy, Vince (Muhammad Shamim), are tasked with the clean-up of the corpses found at this farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania, and they begin theorizing about what might have happened.
Cut to Barbra (Sydney Banks) and her brother, Johnny (EJ Papa), who, like the film, arrive at a nearby cemetery for their annual visit to place a wreath at their father’s grave. Soon, a lurching, groaning ghoul moseys toward the siblings, ultimately killing Johnny (who becomes one of them) and chasing Barbra, who stumbles upon a nearby farmhouse and barricades herself inside.
Here, she encounters a group of living humans who have been holed up there, hiding from the monsters outside. As Barbra collapses, catatonic, on the sofa, Ben busies himself boarding up windows and mounting their defenses. The others, drawn by the noise, come up from the cellar. There’s Harry (Michael Davanzo) and his wife, Helen (Kim Wallenius), who found this place after their daughter, Karen, was attacked by the creatures, as well as young couple Tom (Dwight George) and Judy (Wendy Claine).
Like in the film, the group begins to split into factions, with some eager to hide out in the cellar while others feel it’s too dangerous to climb down where there’s only one way in and out. Still others think it’s safer to try to make a getaway, which ends disastrously. But unlike the film, it’s all extremely silly, with Barbra possessing the wherewithal of a toddler, Harry really fine-tuning his Jimmy Stewart impression and everyone constantly forgetting to keep Judy up to date.
Long story short, everyone dies in very bloody fashion (Look, I warned you.) and the first act is over. And for those of you who have been saying to yourselves for years, “I totally could have survived that zombie apocalypse,” this is the moment you’ve been waiting for. Because the entire second half explores every possible ending, each one bloodier and more ridiculous than the last. And that’s all I’ll say on the matter.
Romero’s film is not only groundbreaking for its portrayal of zombies, but also for its casting. Specifically, it was one of the first films to cast a Black actor, Duane Jones, as a lead protagonist. A year ago, when NOTLDL’s director, Jovani Lugo, began thinking about how they would approach this production at GLM, their instinct was to explore ways in which they could incorporate diversity into every facet of the production. Romero’s film and this live take on it seemed like a perfect opportunity.
“I’ve had to enter spaces where there weren’t people like me—there weren’t queer, trans people like me, there weren’t Latina people like me,” they said. “So, for me as an artist, it’s always important to cultivate a space where those folks who have been excluded before feel like they can come and be a part of the art and do art that maybe they didn’t feel emboldened to do before because of those limitations in those spaces.”
Paired with the show is an exhibition of visual art titled Almas Eternas, curated by Ruby Barrientos and Cesar Piedra and presented in the theater’s lobby, which plays on both the idea of zombies and the traditions of Day of the Dead.
Lugo set out to cast community members of all genders, who represent BIPOC communities—including casting Adem, a Black man, as Ben—and whose acting experience ranges from amateur to seasoned. In fact, Lugo encouraged the cast members who had never appeared onstage before to learn from the more experienced actors.
“We cast it intentionally in such a way that these mentorships would be created,” Lugo said, emphasizing that the mentorships weren’t official but formed naturally. “You can kind of see it in the pairings onstage. … We were just creating those relationships so that we could embolden those newer actors to really step into their own in this craft and feel like they could do it.”
Indeed, the year’s worth of work they all put in together clearly made a difference, as the actors not only display easy camaraderie on stage, but their performances feel evenly matched. Despite the intentionally silly vibe and unrealistic plot, each actor has an opportunity to shine.
I would be remiss if I didn’t call out the remarkably eerie original score composed by George Lam, the key hair and makeup work (particularly on the zombies) by Kiana Pickett, or the impressive filmmaking talent of Cody Hamilton. The script, Lugo explained, calls for clips from the Romero film to be used within the play. Hamilton has created an extraordinary, locally made version, featuring local actors and a recognizable location, with the same gritty, black-and-white style of Romero’s original.
Though the work and intentional ways in which Lugo cast and presents the show are serious and worthy of notice, be assured: The show is also just plain fun and perfect for the spooky season.
Night of the Living Dead Live is onstage at Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Co., 124 Taylor St., in Reno, through Oct. 26. Tickets are $28 with discount for seniors and students, and $38 for VIP champagne seating. For tickets and information, visit goodluckmacbeth.org.