The time is 1968, the place is rural Pennsylvania, and the situation is that the dead are rising from their graves. This is the story of strangers coming together with one common goal: to survive in “Night of the Living Dead LIVE!”

~Review and Photos by Dana Nöllsch~

Night of the Living Dead LIVE! The Story

This is the comedic retelling of George A Romero’s iconic 1968 movie, Night of the Living Dead.

Every horror fan knows this movie well, as Night of the Living Dead is the birthplace of the zombie genre.

In this comedic retelling, we find strangers gathered at a farmhouse surrounded by the undead who are obsessed with eating their brains. The strangers must come together and fight to survive the zombie apocalypse that now surrounds them. With a few weapons and even less cooperation, these strangers do their best to live through the night.

The premise is pretty simple, but the complexity comes into how these people come together, or not, with a common goal that one would think they all share. But as with people, they don’t always think the same.

The time was 1968, and there was definite racial tension, and women had yet to overcome the challenges society put on them. These are reflected in Night of the Living Dead LIVE!

Here are some photos from GLM’s production of Night of the Living Dead LIVE!

What About the Performances

This ensemble cast is remarkable in the way that they give to each other and support each other’s performances. Even though the characters in the play may not be cooperative the cast members perform like a caring family.

As you would expect, there is a fair amount of violence, fighting, and gunshots. The actors performed this on stage brilliantly.

There are many moving parts in Night of the Living Dead Live! The complex relationship between the characters is just one of those moving parts, and the cast does not miss a beat.

What About the Set

The set is quite remarkable, and the number of set changes during the show is extraordinary.

As I said before, there are many moving parts to Night of the Living Dead LIVE!, and the set is a major moving part. They go seamlessly from a graveyard to the inside of a farmhouse and then to the farmhouse’s yard. These set changes are very efficient, and the creators should be proud of what they have created.

However, not all of the settings can be done on stage. For these, they have added a video that plays to extend the range of scenery. This is done very smoothly, and the videos that play have the feel of the original movie.

The Bottom Line

Night of the Living Dead LIVE! is one of the funniest plays I have seen in a long time. It is perfect for the horror fan looking to reminisce about the classic movie, but examining it in new ways.

The second half of the play takes us into different scenarios, the what-ifs, changing up the dynamic of the group and seeing what the outcome would be as far as their ultimate survival.

This is quite interesting and a bit of a mind-bender.

I highly recommend seeing Night of the Living Dead LIVE! it is funny and extremely well-produced.

And that’s the bottom line.

Night of the Living Dead LIVE!

By Christopher Bond, Trevor Martin, Phil Pattison, Jamie Lamb, Christopher Harrison, and Dale Boyer

Directed by Jovani Lugo, Assistant Director Lily Perez

Performance Dates

October 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 @ 7:30 PM
October 13, 20 @ 2:00 PM

For Tickets and more information, go to: goodluckmacbeth.org