KDHX Theatre Review - Zombies from Beyond

Broadway Center of Arts
Reviewed by Neville Mur

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To paraphrase Forest Gump, “Community Theatre is like a box of Chocolates. You never know what you're going to get.” Such was the case, on opening night this past Friday.

You have to admire Director, Steve Schneider and his cast, for taking on this project and mounting it on a miniscule stage. Zombies from Beyond, a musical by James Valcq, certainly is not the safe old chestnut seen at most non- professional theatres. This zany show opened in 1995 Off Broadway and as the director stated in his notes, “had not to my knowledge, been presented anywhere in the St. Louis region before now.”

It takes place in the 1950's, set in Milwaukee, and deals with the Space Program, Russian Spies, and invaders from Planet X, run by Queen Zombina, whose looking for Earth men to turn into zombies to help propagate and save her planet from extinction.

If you're going to travel this Odyssey of a concept Musical such as this, written in the genre of a, “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” or “Little Shop of Horrors,” then it should be given a “High Camp” rendering, complete with stylized performances loaded with lots of energy and nuttiness, to make it work. Unfortunately this group, and their director didn't scratch the surface of the material they were given. As a result their interpretation missed the mark by a considerable distance.

Typical of amateur productions, you get an odd mixture of varying degrees of acting skills as demonstrated by this cast. There were two performances however, that did rise above the rest, and that would be Jamie Stephens, who played the ingénue, Mary Malone, with fresh faced innocent exuberance, and Jason Randall Spriggs who played the Juvenile, Billy the Sandwich Shop Boy, with a “Barefoot Boy With cheek,” delivery.

I'd like to think a lot of the missed cues in dia- logue, music and technical could be attributed to Opening Night jitters or whatever else caused the lackluster, slow- paced production that I saw.

The costumes left much to be desired, and I felt in, “The American Way” musical number, the chorus girls could have been dressed in costumes of Red, White and Blue, rather than the hodge-podge of costumes they used. The lighting was inadequate for the space that had to be lit. Certain areas of the stage could have been better illuminated, particularly the down stage right section, where singers were in shadows and would have been better served by a follow spotlight, so you could see their faces. As far the set, it was basically utilitarian for what was needed, but designed and put together without much imagination.

Hopefully with five more performances left before the show closes on October 31st, Director Steve Schneider and Musical Director, Stephen Eros will tighten up this show, so that future audiences will see a more exuberant performance, rather then the one I witnessed opening night. Brodway Center of Arts in Belleville can be reached at (618) 233-0431 For Reservations. The show runs through Sunday [October 31, 2004]

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