Review: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD at Pima Community College

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, presented by Pima Community College and adapted/directed by Chris Will is a chilling Halloween treat. This partnership between the Pima departments of Theatre and Film was delightful and I hope to see more partnerships like this in the future. I grew up watching the film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD by George A. Romero. While there have been many iterations, the original is the best in my opinion. One of our first introductions to the world and concept of zombies, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD provided an unflinching glimpse into a decaying society.

In our world we have had similar life-altering events. Covid, for one, put the world on high alert and left mainstream in-person society desolate and eerily abandoned. We shuttered ourselves in our homes to protect ourselves from the pandemic outside. In similar fashion, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD uses a zombie outbreak as a metaphor for real-life perils in modern times and the spirit of ingenuity and resilience that human beings embody to survive the night. The sheer grit on display in this onstage version of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was thrilling to watch and brilliantly executed by Chris Will.

What I enjoyed most about Chris Will's directing style for this particular production was the effective use of the performing space and the emotions elicited from the leading players. The elevated proscenium created a three-dimensional and eye-popping playing space, with a gorgeously rendered boarded up house. On either side of the stage on the floor were projection screens which zombies could both hide behind and stick appendages through. The mix of live actors with projections of pre-recorded performances and clips from the film created a unique and consistent frame for the story. At times the actions synced up perfectly; for example, a rock was thrown in the film projection and then went through the on-set window. The film actors all did fantastic work.

I appreciated the attention to detail in the set design by Anthony Cordaro. The house felt lived-in and had an eerie ambience that recalled Romero's disturbing setting from the original film. Lighting by Todd Poelstra and sound by Vincent Serrano whisked the audience away into this post-apocalyptic world. I appreciated the shadow play created by a branch up in the catwalk during a thunderstorm. The resulting shadows on the proscenium added considerably to the escalating tension. At times actors were not in their light but this also may have been a stylistic choice. There was one jaw-dropping moment during the climax where the walls of the house literally closed in. I did notice a ladder behind the house but besides this the scene was very effective.

Technically NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is very impressive. The blend of live actors with pre-recorded film was an inspired choice and fit the genre. This production also features a talented troupe of actors. There are two casts, so this review will only highlight some of the actors. The Romero cast was very strong and full of energy. These young actors rose to the challenge of putting on such a physically demanding show. Fight choreography by Brent Gibbs took center stage here and did not disappoint.

Charlotte Raines is wonderful as Barbara. I will confess that Barbara as a character is a bit helpless and less likable than Bev (we will get to her in a moment). However, Raines injects real trauma and emotion into her portrayal and drew several gasps from the crowd for her on-point performance. She reacted just how a real person would react in a zombie apocalypse. Kia Benson steals the show as Bev. She is fearless, charismatic, and determined. Benson excellently translates all of these character traits to the stage in her bold performance.

Caden Wilfong (Harry), Holly Fanlon (Helen), Nico Alvarado (Tom), Miah Scofero (Judy), and Elijah Nixon (Johnny) round out the cast with equally strong performances. In particular, Wilfong's diction and stage presence, as well as his chemistry with the other survivors, stood out to me. It was fun to see characters disagree and bump heads, which is absolutely something that would happen in a situation like this. Scofero also added significantly to the action with her characterizations and mannerisms. Actor projection generally was very good. Of course the zombie horde, also portrayed by local actors, brought the scares as only a zombie horde can. Their movements and vocalizations were very convincing.