Opening Night Of The Living Dead

Joshua Dickinson’s hugely enjoyable zombie Shakespeare rom-com is a witty and parodic delight from start to finish. With a young, exuberant cast, some stylish writing and sound comedy zombie moves, the show is a constant source of laughter.

Rehearsing Romeo and Juliet with a prima donna of a Romeo and an agent-obsessed Juliet, a theatre company finds itself struck by the living dead on its last night. As characters get picked off one by one, the action becomes more frenetic and exaggerated, until zombies start pouncing on us from the curtains or even infiltrate the audience.

With lots of theatrical in-jokes, especially about techies and pompous actors, Joshua Dickinson’s script has a strong grasp of comic timing, and when playing the part of Joe, Dickinson shows he is a dab hand at deadpan. He is given excellent support by Miles Burden, Mark David Armstrong, Poppy Meadows and David Asher.

Burden’s direction keeps the action fast and furious, and although the laugh out loud funny zombie impressions may not be convincing enough to have you rolling in your grave, you certainly end up rolling in the aisles.