Review: Zombie Prom
Published on Tuesday 27th October, 9.16am, Written by Guest Contributor
It’s pretty safe to assume that anyone who goes to a show called Zombie Prom should not, and will not, be expecting Sondheim.
Personally, I’m of the opinion that it doesn’t have to be Sondheim to be good, and that light-hearted, slightly silly comedies have just as important a place as anything else in Theatreland’s offering.
The leads in Zombie Prom
The show tells the story of Jonny, a rebellious young thing (as denoted by the lack of an ‘h’ in his name — please contain your gasps, folks) who deals with getting dumped and expulsion from school by jumping into the nearest nuclear power plant. As you do.
But it’s when the flame of love causes him to rise from his toxic grave as a teen zombie that life really gets dramatic for Jonny and his friends, not least of all as they try to prevent their prom from getting cancelled (though despite what the title suggests, Jonny is the only zombie present in the show. Does one zombie really make a prom?).
The story is told with tongues planted very firmly in cheeks, with the result being a pastiche of the naïve, Mary Sue-ish B movies of 1950’s (think Zanna, Don’t crossed with Reefer Madness with a zombie thrown in for good measure).
In general the cast were enjoyable to watch, and all had grasped the tone of the piece well, clearly throwing themselves into the spirit of the show. There were points in the show when timings were perfect and deliveries spot on, and the cast received a deservedly enthusiastic response. However, unfortunately there were also quite a few times when the delivery just wasn’t quite right and the intended comedy fell somewhat flat.
Vocally, the ensemble was strong. In fact at times they were so strong that they overpowered the leads, who were already struggling valiantly to be heard above the band at times. That’s not to say that the leads were in any way lacking; Jonathan Vickers portrayed Jonny with a subtlety that can often be forgotten when it comes to zombies (or in fact any kind of brain-eating creature) and special mention goes to Sophie Isaacs as female lead Toffee, who was the standout vocally.
While I enjoyed the production on the whole, I did feel that it was slightly unpolished and that a few minor changes would help to bring the production together. For example, the sets were very basic and a little underwhelming, especially when you’ve seen what can be done in the same limited space (as in the case of the Landor’s recent production of Into the Woods). Something a little more inspiring may have helped to bring the production to life a little more.
A fun show and an enjoyable production.
