Thursday, June 12, 2014

Fringe Review: ZOMBIES FROM THE BEYOND Gets a Big Thumbs Up

Alison England (top center) as evil alien aviatrix Zombina menaces (L-R) Alex Taber,
Lara Fisher, Amelia Gotham, Daniel Jimenez, Frank Blocker and Eric Sand.
Photo credit: John Santo

The Visceral Company takes on musical theatre and rides it all the way to success in a chipper interplanetary musical even non-musical theatre folks will love!  Forget any idea of skipping it because it is a hilariously fun send-up of the 1950s and sci-fi B-movies directed by Dan Spurgeon and choreographed by Anna Safar with spot-on cheeseball precision, featuring a cast that knows how to play the comedy without ruining it.

Plus, it’s the only place you’ll find Zombina, an “intergalactic strumpet on the prowl” and her chorus of dancing Zombettes, searching for earth men to repopulate their planet. Picture a shapely Wagnerian operatic powerhouse who looks like a cross between the 1940s glam version of Eve Arden (she could use that wig as a weapon), and a drag queen sporting hot pink eye shadow who knows how to work the stage, and you’ve got Alison England in a dynamic role that will surely be a fringe-favorite contender. At the very least, it will serve to get this show extended. 

What else will you find? A Russian spy (Eric Sand) in disguise who packs a wallop of a baritone voice; a wise-cracking secretary (Lara Fisher) and a Clark Kent-ish leading man (Daniel Jimenez); a squeaky-clean delivery boy (Alex Taber) who just happens to have his jingle taps in his pocket at the most opportune times; and a comically stiff Major (Frank Blocker) and his fresh-faced daughter (Amelia Gotham) hiding more smarts than the rest of them combined.

They’re a singing, dancing, talented bunch. Even a few rough edges in the vocals don’t detract from the big impact this cast makes, so go! This upbeat musical will have you laughing from beginning to end.

ZOMBIES FROM THE BEYOND
May 30 – July 20, 2014
The Lex Theatre (mainstage)
6760 Lexington Ave in Hollywood
Tickets: $32
Use code BEERTOWN and save $7 when purchasing tickets in advance via Brown Paper Tickets. Good for advance online purchases only. The producers reserve the right to withdraw or amend this offer at any time.
http://hff14.org/1512 
www.thevisceralcompany.com

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