Pleasance Theatre, London

Barbra takes refuge after being attacked by zombies in a graveyard, but is the greater threat inside or outside?

George A. Romero’s 1968 monochrome zombie classic gets a lively stage reimagining, and manages to still be in black and white! The greatest compliment I can give this hilarious staging of the grand-daddy of all modern day zombie flicks is that you’ll never watch the original in quite the same way again. The zombie apocalypse won’t now begin in Pittsburgh but a comedy venue in the London suburb of Islington.

With tongue very much firmly in cheek, the first sign that this isn’t a regular play is the option to sit on the stage in grey overalls in the coveted ‘splatter zone’. Those brave enough to want to be in the thick of the action will by the end of the two hours be showered by any manner (or matter) of blood, goo or entrail, but don’t expect any crimson Kensington gore, as everything on stage is in black and white or the umpteen shades of grey in between. The original movie went for black and white as the cheaper option (and arguably to get away with more gore, but this time it’s a design choice by Diego Pitarch, whose simple set feels like something out of a Tim Burton nightmare.

The actors are bled of any skin tones too, their faces and hands a grey pallor, complementing the checkerboard clothes. Mari McGinlay’s Barbra is traumatised pretty much from the get-go, sitting somewhere between Little Shop of Horrors’ Audrey and Rocky Horror’s Janet, supported by Ashley Samuels’ stoic and reliable Ben. Inside the house they meet Harry (a hilarious Marc Pickering whose fat walking is a thing of beauty), Helen (Jennifer Harding), Tom (Tama Phethean) and his girlfriend Judy (Jennifer Harding once more). Harding’s rapid and often costume changes as she alternates between roles are very slick, adding to the hilarity of the near-farcical set-up.

Make no mistake, this show is played for laughs, and it can’t be ignored that the original film would be a little creaky if played straight. Instead we get a condensed version of the film in the first act, with the entire second act devoted to a series of ‘what ifs’ that try to create an outcome where people survive. It’s like Clue or Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch, where the action takes you back to a respawning point before you can try again to escape. I won’t spoil the scenarios as they are the show’s biggest joy, and it was great to see director Benji Sperring laughing along as heartily as the audience members when the daft got even dafter.

Verdict: Part Peter Jackson’s Braindead, part Rocky Horror and part Scooby-Doo, this glorious and affectionate love letter to Romero’s classic zombie flick is one of the funniest and most creative experiences you’ll find in the capital. 10/10

Nick Joy

Click here for our interview with the producer Katy Lipson

and here for our interview with director Benji Sperring