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We are pleased to announce . . . CHECK BACK FOR 2008/09 SEASON
Chesapeake Arts Center, Studio Theatre
READ OUR GREAT REVIEWS!!!!!
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April 4 - 20, 2008 Zombie Prom Reviewed April 5 by Brad Hathaway |
Running time 1:40 - one
intermission |
Click here to buy the CD |
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Lots of people have a good time during this up-tempo spoof of teenage horror movies that were the rage during the drive-in movie era. The people in the audience have a great time, in part because it is clear that the people on stage are having a ball. The cast of ten delivers this confection as if they really love the material and want the audience to fall under its spell as well. With a simple (but effective) set, efficient lighting and a costume design that is as witty and clever as the script, the entire package delivers a short, highly charged evening. The leads are Kelly Garland, making her theater debut, and Kyle VanZandt who doesn't seem to have a bashful bone in his body. So often in community theater there is a certain reticence, a reluctance to really let go. Not so with VanZandt. He throws himself into the role. He has a good, but not well trained voice, and belts out his big notes. Some of the time, however, it is the energy and sincerity of the delivery that makes them so much fun, not any strict conformance with the key structure. Garland holds the stage comfortably and delivers her songs with style. Together, they make an appealing couple, and it is refreshing to see a musical about teenagers in love played by people who look like teenagers rather than twenty-somethings trying to pass as youngsters. |
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Storyline: In the age of black leather jackets and poodle skirts, the students at Enrico Fermi High are excited about the upcoming prom ("an evening of miracles and molecules") when pretty Toffee and handsome Jonny (who spells his name without the traditional "h") fall in love. Her parents and the school principal insist they break up and Jonny kills himself by throwing himself into the main waste treatment silo of the Francis Gary Powers Nuclear Plant. He comes back to life, however, as a teenage nuclear zombie and wants to take up with Toffee again and pursue his diploma. When the school principal bans him from the prom, the rights of the undead become a hot political issue. Before Dana P. Rowe and John Dempsey wrote the musicals The Fix and The Witches of Eastwick, they collaborated on this musical spoof. The score isn't "sung through" in the manner of the Les Misérables / The Phantom of the Opera mega-musicals that often trudge through minimally melodic recitative. It is, however, almost all singing. What is more, almost all of the story and most of the character development is delivered in song. The key here may be the fact that both book and lyrics are by the same man, John Dempsey, and he clearly is comfortable telling his story in the kind of rhymed couplets that Dana Rowe can set to infectious tunes. He certainly isn't afraid to reach for a wild pun or stretch to set up a great sight gag with a descriptive lyric. Both collaborators have turned out material that is a great deal of fun. Because so much of the story is told through the score, the rhythm and pace of the entire production is dictated by what Dempsey and Rowe wrote, leaving the director little choice but to have his cast go with their flow. First, however, the director needs to attract a talented cast and then he has to get them to trust their material and feel comfortable giving it a full-out delivery. Director Jason Wilson has done just that, and with the help of inventive work by choreographer Elizabeth Fette, who gives the cast moves that use their skills without exceeding their abilities, the troupe performs with pizzazz. Rick Robertson throws himself into the role of a gossip reporter with so much conviction that he seems like a role model for the younger cast members. Of course, with the raspberry shirt and orange tie under a silver suit that Margo Harvey provided, anyone would stand out. Kristen Zwobot doesn't quite get all the mileage out of the role of the dictatorial school principal, but she carries her part of the plot along without a dip in the energy of the production. All six of the supporting ensemble are good as well. Music director Michael Tan gets everyone to concentrate on their enunciation so all the material Dempsey implants in his lyrics can be understood and appreciated. Music by Dana P. Rowe. Book and Lyrics by John Dempsey. Directed by Jason Wilson. Choreography by Elizabeth Feete. Musical direction by Michael Tan. Design: Jared Davis (set) Margo Harvey (costumes) Alex Zavistovich (makeup) Michelle Harmon (properties) Lauren Kolstad (lights) Denise Bailey (photography). Cast: Sara Collison, Kelly Garland, Andrew Lamb, Chris Marino, Dan McQuay, Erica Reinsch, Rick Robertson, Robin Samek, Kyle VanZandt, Kristen Zwobot. |
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We provide our audiences with several discount options. All options not offered for every show.
* MORNING DISCOUNT SHOWS, Not available for Zombie Prom. Morning Discount Shows are offered to SCHOOLS - public, private, or home school Groups, Senior's Groups, or any Public Service Group i.e. firemen & staff, police officers & staff, military, hospital nursing & paramedic staff. A limited number of Chaperones are admitted free for school or special needs groups (1 per 10 students). All others pay just $5.
Tickets must be purchased in advanced and a 15% non-refundable deposit must be received no later than 2 weeks prior to the show. Full payment must be recent no later than arrival at the theatre. For info contact Beverly at: MORNING SHOW INFO
Educational Packets are provided to each School Group after deposit is received. Packet includes information on the show, playwright 's biography, Shakespeare and the Old Globe, theatre history, word search and other word puzzles, a sample script, instructions on theatre critique and playwriting, plus much more!
* School Promotion Child's Tickets: Complimentary Tickets will be distributed to a chosen age group of AACPS school children via their teachers. Each show a different age group is chosen. Check back to see which grade will receive free tickets for the Fall 2006 show!
* Return Tickets: Students attending either School Show Performance will be provided a complimentary return child's ticket.
* We Promote Literacy Night: Donate a new children's or adult book and receive a 2 for 1 ticket coupon for NEXT Merely Players' next show. All books will be donated to local hospitals, shelters, juvenile centers, etc.
* $12 Group Discount Rate: Purchase advance tickets in groups of 20 or more and you pay only $12 per ticket. Refunds cannot be provided, but exchanges to any available (same) show date can be made.
* Outlet Discount Ticket Sales: Please check back for MP Web or local vendors selling discount tickets. (Not available for every production)
* MP Sponsor Group - : Merely Players is pleased to sponsor a special needs group for each production and provide complimentary tickets for the group and their chaperones. These groups might be an underprivileged school class, a scout troop who is working hard on a community service project, foster children, a school class who has undertaken a special project related to the show, a book club working on the book, etc.
To have your special needs group considered for sponsorship, please e-mail a one page information brief on your group. Tell us why you feel your group should be our 2006 Production Honorary Troupe Members. Send to: MP Sponsor Group Application. Deadline: March 1, 2007.
Purchase Tickets through Chesapeake Arts Center
Box Office at (410) 636-6597
| $15 | General Admission |
| $1 Concession Voucher | Children 12 and Under, Seniors, CAC/MP Members, Military, & Groups of 20 or more - Paid in advance. |
For information on our $5 Morning Shows,
click here
rights pending
Sound of Music - Fall 2008
Cinderella - Spring 2009, Rights Pending
To join our Play Selection Committee, go to Volunteer.
