On-Stage Zombies Walk Among You in Night of The Living Dead

"Don't you know what's goin' on out there?  This is no Sunday School picnic!"

"We may not enjoy living together, but dying together isn't going to solve anything."

"I ought to drag you out there and feed you to those things!"

No, this is not a screening of George Romero's cult horror film Night of the Living Dead.  It's something even better:  an adaptation of the film for live theater that is onstage now as part of Dallas Children's Theater Young Adult Series.

The film, with direction by Romero and a script co-written by him and John Russo, was initially released in 1986 and became an immediate horror classic.  Made on a budget of $140,000, the film has grossed $30 million worldwide.  It tells the story of several people trapped inside an abandoned farmhouse while flesh-eating zombies terrorize the countryside and soon come for them.  The film was adapted for the stage by Lori Allen Ohm. The stage version premiered at The Roadhouse Theatre for Contemporary Art in Erie, Pennsylvania in 2000.

From the moody beginning in a cemetery to the truly bloody conclusion, Artie Olaisen has directed Night of the Living Dead for maximum horrific effect.  Mr. Olaisen understands that terror is best achieved with equal doses of tension, nervous laughter, and suspense.  The roles are stock characters, but Mr. Olaisen directs them as if they were genuine people that we care about.  His use of film and other special effects was most impressive.

Meredith Morton was a joy to watch in her role as the unbalanced Barbara.  Miss Morton doesn't have just one blank stare—she has about seven or eight in her repertoire!  All she had do was tenderly touch a music box with an empty expression or murmur softly "Johnny Has The Keys…" and we were a part of her world.  Also, nobody can scream like Miss Morton!   She is truly synonymous with vocal terror.

As Ben, the self-appointed leader of the group, Darius Warren has the proper stage presence and delivers his lines just like many a stalwart leading man in a Grade B movie has done before him.  Joseph Nobles displayed forceful rage as his nemesis, Harry.  Trisha Miller Smith played Helen, Harry's wife, with quiet determination.

Of course, the most horrific part of Night of the Living Dead has to be the Zombies.  And boy, do the Zombies in this production deliver!  They all had a perfect menacing walk with utterly gruesome expressions on their faces.  The satisfaction they displayed whenever they chomped on some human flesh was a definite bloodcurdling event.

Karl Schaeffer and Ken Tuetsch created some dead-on Video Broadcasts and Marcos Salinas did a wonderful job with creepy sound effects.  Taylor Dunn made a notable debut with her set for the production.

Should you see Night of the Living Dead?  Absolutely.  It's a excellent mounting of a horror classic where you can savor every terrifying delight from a live performance.  But please remember—"They're coming to get you, Barbara, there's one of them now!"

Night of the Living Dead will continue at the Dallas Children's Theater through November 4.  For more information, please visit their website.

Please Note:  Night of the Living Dead is not intended for children under thirteen.

Photo Credit:  Mark Oristano

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