Storyteller Theater debuts this weekend. The new theater outfit conceived by musical talent Matt Zembrowski makes it's big debut with the latest Zombie Jamboree show. Originally devised as a fundraiser several years ago, the horror comedy variety show has been on the hiatus the past few years. It returns this year for one weekend only. And that weekend is this weekend.
As created by Matt and Zach Zembrowski, the overall premise for the show was that a mad scientist (who bears an accent that sounds a bit like a cross between Peter Lorre and Cookie Monster) has decided to reanimate a group of traveling performers. The surprisingly animate zombies then perform sketches and skits and various other thing in a pleasantly breezy Halloween motif.
If it sounds silly, that's because it is. If it sounds goofy, that's because it is. But there's a little more going on here. A consummate variety show, the Zombie Jamboree as moments of heartfelt drama. It has moments of serious performance. But it's all mixed up and decidedly strange package. The ensemble includes seasoned young talents like Matt Zembrowski, Marcy Doherty-Elst and Jason Waszak, talented community theatre veterans and some very young talent.
Highlights from the show include an old lighthouse ghost story from Door County, some goofy little childlike or stories written in the spirit of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. (The Viper, anyone?) The stories are given full cast performances. A tale of revenge becomes a haunting musical theater piece. There's an original composition not violin performed by girl in zombie makeup. Things do get a little weird at times. But the zombie motif is played as background material, so any potential humor or horror inherent in actually having a she played by zombies is downplayed considerably.
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The zombie make-up is light and casual, only providing the hint. It'd be fun to see zombies dragging around onstage, suddenly standing in perfect poise in character for the purpose of the skit or dramatic short only to slouch and cough, wheeze and moan right away after the bit is finished. The full potential in the background premise is never realized, but that's okay as the show is fun on the whole in any case.
Like any good variety show there're some really really nice and entertaining bits that are surrounded by less than satisfying bits of entertainment. The show has to be just enough to make those little elements that seem truly inspired pop.
One of my favorite throwaway gags has a girl reading a bedtime story to her stuffed bear. She refers to the plush toy as Satan Bear. It's a large teddy bear with demonic red eyes and scars all over its face. It's eyes glint demonically in the stage lights. Both the bear and at the act of reading the story to the bear managed to be simultaneously adorably cute and utterly disturbing.
Zombie Jamboree is novel enough to be strange and strange enough to be memorable. It's safe to say that if you miss a show like this you're probably not going to see anything quite like it anywhere else unless they do this again next year. If you're not interested in seeing the show for yourself see it because it's the first show when a new theater outfit. Or maybe you just want to see it to keep Satan Bear happy. In any case it's nice to see things opening up for local theater in a strangely commercial fringy environment like the one found in the show. I'm looking forward to more from storyteller Theatre.
Story Teller Theater's production of Zombie Jamboree: Night of the Singing Dead runs through October 14 at St. Thomas More High School Auditorium on 2601 East Morgan Avenue. There is a 7 PM show tonight and a 2 PM matinee on Sunday. Tickets are available at the door.