NW staging zany, over-the-top production, Zombie Prom
by Ashley Clark, entertainment editor  

    Zombie Prom, opening tomorrow on NW Campus, promises to be as zany and over-the-top as its title.

    “B-movie-esque … campy … as cheesy as can be” is the way Elise Lavallee, who plays Toffee, describes the show.

    Among the bright blue lockers in the hallway of Enrico Fermi High School, located near the Francis Gary Powers Nuclear Plant, orphan and rebel Jonny Warner has transferred into Miss Delilah Strict’s classroom.

    Jonny begins his trouble making by taking the “h” out of his name as a symbol of rebellion.

    The final straw is drawn when he begins to date Miss Strict’s star pupil, Toffee.

    Jonny’s and Toffee’s friends are excited by the new hallway romance.

    However, Miss Strict and Toffee’s parents are livid as they bully Toffee into leaving Jonny.

    Despondent, Jonny hurls himself into the main waste treatment silo of the local nuclear plant committing suicide.

    His newly charred and radioactive body is buried at sea as Toffee mourns his death.

    With a title like Zombie Prom, the dead high-school heartthrob returning from the grave insistent on finishing his senior year and asking his living girlfriend to accompany him to the prom is a reasonable climax.

    His return starts an array of unpredictable chaos with a shocking and hilarious ending.

    Listening to the musical’s soundtrack, director J. Brent Alford was amazed to learn that NW Campus had not produced it before. He was delighted to do something no one was familiar with, and as an added benefit, the script could be conveniently cast with younger talent.

    With only a few moments of spoken dialogue, the high-energy show consists mostly of dancing and singing.

    The choreography, as directed by Jenine Galante, is impressive, and the musical solos demand a wide vocal range.

    Because of this, strong talent was needed to fill the more demanding roles, and it was no surprise that Alford scrutinized his search for these parts.

    Lee Neisler, who plays Jonny, said, “Because I was involved with the dance company here on campus, I was asked before Christmas break to be a background dancer.”

    “I wasn’t interested at the time. Later I learned that he was asking my choir director if there was a tenor to do this part,” he said.

    “My schedule allowed it at the time, so I agreed to do a quick audition,” he said.

    Neisler said he does not mind the volume of musical numbers involved.

    “I’m more of a vocalist than an actor, anyway,” he said.

    His portrayal of Jonny is reminiscent of the 1950s all-girl-slumber-party dream guy and Danny Zuko from Grease, complete with the shaking Elvis knee and elongated musical tenor vowels.

    Lavallee is Walt Disneyesque in her portrayal of the studious and pristine Toffee.

    Lavallee graduates from part of the chorus ensemble at Casa Manana to her first lead role in a musical production.

    “The biggest challenge for me is hitting some of those high notes,” she said of her solos.

    Debbie Dacus, music therapist and friend of Alford, is an hilarious blend of Mommy Dearest’s Joan Crawford and Young Frankenstein’s Madeline Stow as Miss Delilah Strict.

    Dacus delivers some of the more comedic lines in the show, and her duet with Justin McKean is predicted to be one of the more memorable moments in this campus production.

    “I enjoy these kind of roles,” she said.

    “I get to use a wide range, and the show is very over-the-top, which I think is a lot of fun,” the actress added.

    Dacus said that character parts are her preference.

    “The weirder and more bizarre, the better,” she said.

    Also gracing the halls of Enrico Fermi are Leah Carithers as Coco, Kimberley Larsen as Candy, Angela Waddill as Cinnamon and Rachel Daniel as Sugar.

    Other round out the cast: Andy Baldwin will play Josh; Matt Bowser will play Joey; Jesse Kade will play Jake; McKean will play Eddie Flagrante, and Galante will play Ginger.

    Though the plot is filled with slapstick, humor and animation, the musical score by Dana P. Rowe helps to make the characters more personable.

    The strong ballads such as The Voice in the Ocean and Jonny Don’t Go are of the same nature as those of Miss Saigon and Phantom of the Opera.

    Accompanied by a six-string-orchestra, the cast engages in 24 musical numbers.

    The cast agrees about the appeal of the show and the kind of audience Zombie Prom will attract.

    “It’s going to appeal more to college students and adults,” Neisler said.

    “There’s more humor in it that is intended for more mature audiences and that children are less likely to understand,” he said.
According to Dacus, Zombie Prom provides a good opportunity to expect the unusual and forget reality.

    Alford agrees.

    “It’s just a good time,” the director said. “There’s nothing to think about. There’s no message, no morals or ethics, just mindless entertainment. That’s what I like about it.”

    Zombie Prom opens tomorrow at the NW Campus theater and runs until Sunday, March 11.

    Show times are 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday.

    Because of advanced ticket sales, reservations are highly recommended. Call 817-515-7724 for reservations and more information.