Jobsite Theater
TBPAC Shimberg Playhouse
November 5, 2009
Jobsite Theater, the resident theatre company of the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, is producing a stage version of George Romero’s evocative and groundbreaking film, “Night of the Living Dead”. Directed by Jobsite veteran Chris Holcom, the gifted and dedicated cast of “Night of the Living Dead” will take you on a journey of the frailty of humanity, banding together against impending death and lastly the reason we keep going to the theatre, entertainment. “Night of the Living Dead” takes place on a evening in rural Pennsylvania where a myriad of zombies have risen from their graves to feed on the living any which way they can.
Our story begins with Johnny and Barbara, who travel from Pittsburgh to our remote area to place a flowery wreath at their father’s headstone. Their sibling banter is sharply interrupted by our first encounter with the undead. Barbara runs for her life as Johnny’s future is unclear. Barbara runs through the night until she comes across a seemingly abandoned house. She takes solace in her new found sanctuary until our protagonist Ben shows up. They exchange stories of what they have just encountered and confide to each other they will make it out alive, no matter the cost. Ben and Barbara come to find other survivors in the cellar. Harry and Helen Cooper do their best to keep their daughter Karen alive after she was bitten by “one of them”. Also alive in the cellar are the young couple from town, Tom and Judy. They argue the best way to combat their certain death. Whether they lock themselves in the cellar or give themselves a fighting chance on the ground floor you’ll have to get to the Shimberg Playhouse to see how it unfolds.
Whenever you come to local community theatre, your range of acting experience on stage is kind of a wildcard. Is this a room full of Julliard graduates? Far from it. But I’d be lying if I wasn’t enthralled in my seat by the power of the performances on stage. The beauty of the Shimberg Playhouse is being pleasantly seated ten feet away from the actors to really get a sense of facial expressions and small nuances. I found the zombie work as great as it could have been. It is very hard to step outside of yourself and act the way a zombie does in front of a paying crowd. Sitting in the front row and watching a zombie take a bite out of a fake leg to find fake blood on my shoes was a nice touch. Good work whichever zombie that was. That’s dedication.
Kari Goetz’s performance of Barbara was a roller coaster of emotion. I tried to put myself in the thought of losing a brother that way. How would have I acted? Probably much like Goetz’s Barbara. Staring off to space and refusing to believe the truth is about as real life as I can imagine. Great Job Kari.
Matthew Lunsford’s character Johnny was short yet endearing. Helping set up the naivety of the scene, Lunsford change from teasing sibling to protective brother was succinct and sweet.
The roles of Harry and Helen Cooper were played by Alvin Jenkins and Caroline Jett respectively. I don’t know if I was convinced with Jenkins’ Harry or maybe it wasn’t his best night. I knew I was watching an actor. Alvin, I thought you hit all your lines clearly and directly but it didn’t my knock my socks off. Jett’s role of Helen was believable at best. Karen Cooper, played by Molly Jacobson, was one of the shining moments toward the end of the show. Even though she never says a word outside of inaudible groans, Jacobson’s take on Karen Cooper could not have been any better.
The young couple from town Tom and Judy were played by Kyle Porter and Betty-Jane Parks. Porter’s Tom was both scripted and cast well as the buffer and peacekeeper of the bunch. Delivering dialogue clearly and passionately, I applaud Kyle for his portrayal of Tom. I wish I could say the same for Betty-Jane Parks. The lines were few and far between for Parks’ Judy. The last exchange between Tom and Judy felt like a drama class where a lesser student is paired with a shining star for "balance". I didn’t buy her empathy or the Hollywood kiss on the forehead. Better luck tomorrow night.
Rounding out our main cast is the extremely talented Dayton Sinkia harboring the role Ben. I sat mesmerized by Sinkia’s superb diction and incendiary performance as he embodied the de facto leader. Sinkia enters from the door and demands the respect of everyone on stage as well as everyone in the audience as he forcefully controls the situation. Next time I enter the theatre and find Sinkia’s name attached somewhere, I’m surely nudging my neighbor to take notice.
I found the production as a whole to be wildly entertaining and thought provoking at the same time. The idea of being surrounded by lifeless flesh eating zombies that keep coming will put your life into perspective. “How you would react in a similar situation?” I kept asking myself. Would I try to fight for my life like Ben? Lock myself in the cellar and pray for greener pastures like Harry Cooper? Would I sit helpless and catatonic like Barbara? Who knows until you’re in their shoes. Unfortunately, I’ve been sworn to secrecy by the director himself not to divulge the ending of the play. But I guess I can safely say you’ll walk back to your car glad you went to the theatre that night.
All in all, as director Chris Holcom put it, it’s just a fun night out at the theatre. There are moments where you’re uncontrollable laughter is quickly silenced by the severity of the scene. There are also twists, turns and of course, flesh eating zombies. I walked in thinking I was going to see a blood and guts type of low budget horror film, but I must say the overtly gruesome scenes are kept to a minimum. I think for the sake of making the necessary scenes more powerful, the choice was done wisely. Again I have been sworn to secrecy about the ending of the play. If you get a chance to see this before the show closes, I'm sure you'll be in line the next night for another performance. It’s that entertaining.
Hi Gabe, thanks for coming out and we're glad you enjoyed the show.
ReplyDeleteOne smal correction though - Jobsite is a professional theaterl, not a community theater. We pay our artists, engage in professional contracts across the board and are a member of Theater Communications Group - the league of professional American theater.
Look forward to having you back out next time!
Best,
-dj