Musical Theatre's 'Zombie Prom'

Izzy Cutts reviews Musical Theatre’s Halloween spectacular

★★★1/2 ☆

UCLU Musical Theatre’s production of Zombie Prom was filled with everything you’d expect of the classic, American, high school rom-com: teen romance, last minute prom stresses and lots of cheesy singing and dancing. However, when the male protagonist was dead in the first ten minutes, I should have guessed this wasn’t your average story of puppy love.

Set in a high school obsessed with the nuclear and, of course, prom, it should not have been surprising that the lovers’ eyes met amid the chaos of a nuclear drill. What are you to do when your zombie boyfriend threatens the safety of your senior prom? This level of drama and insanity was maintained throughout the whole evening, in one of the most fast-paced and surreal productions Musical Theatre has ever done.

The cast displayed very strong vocals (in a show that was entirely sung), and kept up well with the masses of choreography, although arguably not to the normal, slick standard. The two leads (Suriyah Rashid and Matt Milner) gave very consistent performances and suited their roles well.

However, it was the girls chorus (Julia Ravey, Fi Evans and Clare Palmer) who stole the show, with their high energy and hilarious performances. Aside from kick-ass eye rolls and facial expressions, they were also note and step perfect. Matt Wedlich’s interpretation of a sleazeball journalist (who was as desperate for juicy campus gossip as Pi are), in combination with Emma Groome’s sadistic head teacher, added a touch of the dynamicity and darker edge I expected from a Halloween musical and made for a wacky twist.

The cast coped well with the logistical difficulties of performing in the roaming garage, but they were quite clearly lacking the space and facilities they needed; there was a pretty limited view for the audience. I also felt that at times nerves and lack of confidence got the better of some people, and people’s lack of eye contact and facial reactions became very obvious in comparison to the very astute girls. The show was very fast moving so there were points where it felt slightly baffling and messy.

Nevertheless, I think the absurdity and farce were central to why it worked. It was completely insane but it also very stylised and refreshing. This undeniably cheesy show will give you all the feel-good feeling you need for this Halloween.

Image credits: Danté Kim