Leeds Playhouse – until 15 February 2020
Reviewed by Sally Richmond
5*****
Night of the Living Dead (a remix of George Romero’s 1968 cinematic classic film) was a truly mind-bending and mind-blowing experience; due to its innovative and dynamic use of film and live stage action.
This production, brought to us by Imitating the Dog and Leeds Playhouse, took on the challenge of recreating Romero’s controversial horror picture – shot by shot (making no changes, with only seven actors and few props) and they definitely succeeded in it, with outstanding results!
What should have been pure chaos, turned out to be a master class in how to deliver a show that had perfect timing, with the most clever camera work and ‘set’ projection I’ve ever seen! Each frame that we saw on stage was mirroring a screen playing the original movie but also running along side that, was a screen rolling the film of live action we had right before us! How it was done so smoothly is still a puzzle but obviously down to such a multi- talented team.
The extremely gifted actors (Morgan Bailey, Laura Atherton, Luke Bigg, Will Holstead, Morven Macbeth, Matt Prendergast and Adela Rajnovic) filled the stage with energetic and vigorous performances but also then took on the role of camera crew. That in itself was mesmerising to watch, as was Matthew Tully who was the chief operator on stage.
This is so much more than just a crazy horror play / film but delves into race politics through poignant vintage film and radio footage of the Vietnam war and Martin Luther King’s iconic ‘I have a dream’ speech. The fragmentation of the American dream is explored and as all great plays do, Night of the Living Dead raises questions for the audience – one being that has much changed in Trump’s new America fifty years on?
Co-directors Andrew Quick and Pete Brooks along with projection and video designer Simon Wainwright, lighting designer Andrew Crofts and set / costumer designer Laura Hopkins have created a spectacular production that provokes your brain and takes it on an exciting adventure – you won’t be scared – you’ll be stunned and left wanting to see it all over again!