Zombie lovers, rejoice! There’s a cleverly written production in Milwaukee that will more than meet your expectations for encountering the living dead. This world premiere musical, titled Zombies on Broadway, says it all. It’s a laughter-filled romp through the graveyard (er, Broadway) that will tickle anyone’s funny bone. Writer/director Dale Gutzman has wisely launched this show in the fun-filled summer season, and it more than holds its own with the rest of the city’s annual summertime treats such as Summerfest, Bastille Days and so forth.
The story opens in 1939. Broadway director Haskell Brown (Carole Herbstreit-Kalinyen) is perplexed when her elderly leading lady, Dottie Lotrine (the amazingly gifted Michelle Waide) falls dead during rehearsal. Never fear; leaping to the rescue is Carl Denham (Dale Gutzman), the man who once brought King Kong to New York (with disastrous consequences, as one will recall). He knows a secret learned at Skull Island, home to the late King Kong, that he claims will transform Dottie into a walking, talking zombie, so that she can still be a part of the show. This is a great relief to Haskell, who must placate the production’s largest producer, Mr. Butterworth (Lawrence J. Lukasavage). Butterworth is a lifelong fan of Dottie’s, and refuses to cough up more money for the production until he sees his idol sing and dance onstage.
Butterworth gets his wish. The uproarious second-act number in which Dottie “stars” also includes leading man Gilbert Goddard (winningly played by Mark Neufang) and flying ace Dick, who is also the show’s dance captain (Teddi Gardener). Although the show doesn’t require much of a stretch for most of the roles, Gardener may be the exception: as dance captain, he earlier agrees to dance with Neufang in the “Taboo Tango.” At the same time, he secretly holds a soft spot for one of his dancers, the Wisconsin-born ingenue Suzie Walker (Jenny Kosek). Although the young couple never get to express their feelings for one another until almost the final act, their dialogue constitutes some of the most “normal” moments in this over-the-top tribute to zombie lore. Furthermore, Kosek (as Suzie) does a nice job of singing, “Cardboard Countess,” a song originally written for Dottie. Butterworth becomes smitten with sweet Suzie and wants to see more of her (undressed, naturally). Jumping back to the “tea song,” Dottie manages to get through most of it without incident, although her singing voice and jarring gestures remind one of Herman Munster (Fred Gwynne) of the old “The Munsters” TV show. Of course, she eventually gets off-key and off-character, pouring hot tea into Neufang’s lap and onto Gardener’s head. This type of slapstick comedy is deliciously layered throughout. The show’s 19 songs are probably a few too many, given the fact that the production stretches to two hours, 30 minutes. Still, Carl Denham (Dale Gutzman) delivers a couple of memorable tunes, especially “When Is It My Turn?” (Oddly enough, his “turn” is coming in a few minutes, as he tries to administer an antidote to all the zombies who aren’t officially dead.)
In addition to Gutzman, credit for the musical numbers also goes to composer Chris Holoyda. During the performance, he does a nice job of accompanying the singers on an unseen piano. The cast of 15 is too large to individually mention each player, although all of them “rise to the challenge,” as it were. David Roper has created a versatile set that uses a curtain to mask certain set pieces during scenes, and he is also responsible for the lighting design as well as the sound engineering. Costumes, which are divided between pre-blood-stained and blood-spattered ones, come courtesy of Joanne Cunningham, Waukesha Civic Theater, and Kate Dombrowski.
In the program notes, creator Dale Gutzman dismisses Zombies on Broadway as a “silly bit of nonsense.” Still, five years in the making, it is a perfectly cooked souffle for a summer evening.
