Bootless Splatters You with Fun in Its Zombie Apocalypse Musical

By Mike Logothetis
Theater reviewer Mike Logothetis grew up in North Wilmington, performing in school and local theater productions. He lives in Newark, but you can find him wherever the arts are good.

Bootless Stageworks' Night of the Living Dead! The Musical! takes audiences on a rip-roaring journey beyond the grave. The show is an exuberant, campy rock musical version of George Romero’s iconic 1968 horror film. Seven hopeful survivors of a recent zombie apocalypse are trapped in a farmhouse trying desperately to escape with their lives. The ever-growing horde of zombies outside forces our protagonists to act quickly and decisively, even if those choices aren’t the wisest.

Show creator Jordan Wolfe delivers with crisp, clever dialogue and some jaunty tunes. Director Rosanne DellAversano keeps things tight through the almost 2-hour run time. The songs range from rock to jazzy-pop to more traditional musical theater fare. Night of the Living Dead! The Musical! is a hysterical, hummable doomsday adventure, complete with Bootless’ infamous “Pit Splatter Zone.”

Full disclosure for those in the “Pit Splatter Zone:" This is a messy show with fake blood splattering all around.

Bootless is not responsible for damage to clothing or any other personal items. It is strongly recommended that you don’t bring purses, bags, or anything else that can’t get wet, dirty, or needs to be left on the floor. Ziplock bags are suggested for cell phones. Bring your own poncho or other covering as Bootless does not offer or sell such items. If you're sitting in the new comfortable tiered seats, there’s no need to worry about protecting yourself or your personal items.

The story begins when Barbara (Mariza Eperanza) and her brother Johnny (John Jerbasi) are attacked by a zombie while visiting a graveyard with only “Babs” escaping to a nearby farmhouse. There she finds six other living humans hiding from roaming gangs of the undead. She falls for the de facto leader Ben (Antoine Martinez-Jones), who has plenty of swagger. Dippy couple Tom (Jose Bernard) and Judy (Lauren Knecht) plus a three-person family believe taking refuge in the basement is the best way to ride things out while Ben thinks escaping to the nearby town is optimal. Harry (Dale Martin) and his alcoholic wife Helen (Adrienne Baranowski) only want what’s best for their young daughter Betty-Lou (Meg Arters). Between the infighting and the waves of attacking zombies, tension and angst run rampant.

Having said that, the show is a musical comedy, so these tough times are sprinkled with lots of songs and jokes. Standout numbers include “What Could Go Wrong Today” (ensemble), “The Juice” (Helen), and “Doctor’s Orders” (Dr. Greishen and Dr. Gretchen). Meg Arters delivers in a big way from her knees in the reprise of “Night of the Living Dead!” before the company joins in. Arters acting from her knees (playing a little girl) is one of the great sight gags in the show. From Ben’s poor job boarding up the windows to Helen juggling liquor bottles to blood splattering all over those in the front rows, the show commands your attention. Perhaps the best “special effect” comes early when Babs is running away from an attacking zombie through the woods.

There are plenty of funny one-liners and song lyrics peppered throughout the show. Some get lost in the theater space, but most come through. Sage words from Harry like “Never inconvenience yourself” or Judy’s battle cry “Namaste, bitches!” are just a couple of examples. The lyric that evoked the most laughs came via radio news announcer Robin Graves (Abbey Ketterling) who sings to her audience, “You’re [expletive]!” The closing stanza of “The Love Song” has the lines “I hope my love won’t trigger your gag reflex” and “Swallow my love.” Yeah, it’s an adult show.

Bootless Stageworks sells alcohol (beer, wine, and liquor) from a fully stocked bar. In fact, there is a proposed drinking game for the show which has patrons drink every time the actors say “Babs” or “basement.” The atmosphere is a mature one, so you might want to leave younger children at home with a sitter. 

Act II introduces characters outside of the farmhouse like Dan the Science Man (Jerbasi), Holden D’Séance (Henry Stenta), doctors Greishen and Gretchen (Baranowski and Knecht), and Sheriff Tractor (Benji Deivert).

Jerbasi shines in his delivery of “Radiation” while Stenta is cool in his TV hosting duties. Sheriff Tractor is a flawed but funny man who even leads the ensemble in a County Western line dance during “This Ain’t My First Rodeo.”

Live musical accompaniment is provided by The Zombie Loving Band – Joe Eigenbrot, Jim Fazzino, John Hutchinson, and Deb Bialecki – under the direction of James W. Fuerst. 

Do our heroes escape with their lives and sanity? Will you leave the show covered in fake blood? Come to Bootless Stageworks and find out!

The remaining performance schedule of Night of the Living Dead! The Musical! is Friday, October 6, and Saturday, October 7, at 8:00pm. Tickets start at $28 and patrons can opt (or not) to sit in the “Pit Splatter Zone." Tickets can be purchased via Bootless' website or by calling 302.887.9300. There is one 15-minute intermission. The theater space is in the basement of St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church at 1301 N. Broom Street in Wilmington.

“They’re coming to get you, Barbara!”

Oskar Stenmark Jazz Trio Opens The Arts at Trinity Series

The Arts at Trinity (TAAT) opens its 23-24 season on Friday, September 29, at 7:30 pm with a free performance by the Oskar Stenmark Jazz Trio, which comes to Wilmington from Sweden via New York City!

The overarching lyrical feel of Oskar’s music has a distinctive Nordic flavor, but the rhythms and harmonies come straight out of the NYC music scene. Jazz greats Art Farmer, Bill Evans and Stan Getz took interest in mixing Swedish folk music with jazz. Oskar’s trumpet playing takes this concept to a new level with his innovative mix of folk, jazz and improvisation.

Trumpeter Oskar Stenmark and his trio perform at Trinity tonight.
Photo courtesy of the artist.

Born and raised in Sweden, Oskar spent his early years in jazz clubs and the Gothenburg Symphony Hall before moving to NYC to obtain his master’s in jazz performance from the Manhattan School of Music. Oskar, tenth generation musician in his family, is joined by pianist Alex Pryrodny and bass player Evan Gregor as they open The arts at Trinity's 2023-2024 Concert Season.

This free performance will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, 1108 North Adams Street in downtown Wilmington. Light refreshments will be served on the outside patio before and after the concert.

Celebrating "Noises" Produced by Delaware Theatre Company

By Mike Logothetis

Theater reviewer Mike Logothetis grew up in North Wilmington, performing in school and local theater productions. He lives in Newark, but you can find him wherever the arts are good.

Noises Off at Delaware Theatre Company.
Photo by Matt Urban.

Delaware Theatre Company (DTC) opens its 2023-2024 season with the zany British comedy Noises Off. Nominated for multiple Tony and Drama Desk Awards including Best Play, the show lampoons the life behind the scenes of a theater production during its 10-week run. 

Creator Michael Frayn wrote his “farce from behind” as a one-act play before it was commissioned as a full-length version. Obviously, the laughs were extended across the current three-act production.

Each of the three acts of Noises Off contains a performance of the first act of a fictional sex farce (Nothing On), which is ridiculous in its premise. The audience experiences insider viewings of this “play within a play” at three distinct times: Act I is a technical rehearsal; Act II is during a matinée one month into the run; and Act III happens near the end of the production tour. 

But the twist in this tale is that the viewpoint changes from the front of the house to the back (Act I to Act II) before reverting to the front again (Act III). If that sounds confusing, it makes more sense to the audience than to the characters on stage. Those poor souls have no clue what is happening — except spinning comedic gold!

The ability to experience the front and the back of things is due to the brilliant work of Colin McIlvaine. His wonderful set demonstrates why he is a Barrymore-nominated scenic designer. The bilevel, multi-door set works (and “doesn’t work”) in clever ways, including rotating 180 degrees so the audience catches the action behind the (stage) action.

In Act I, Nothing On actors Belinda (Karen Peakes), Brooke (Elise Hudson), Dotty (Grace Gonglewski), Freddie (Ian Merrill Peakes), Garry (Justin Jain), and Selsdon (Anthony Lawton) cannot seem to follow cues, remember lines, or hit their marks during a tech rehearsal from Hell which makes director Lloyd (David Bardeen) more fraught by the moment. Bardeen is wonderful in slowly swallowing his building rage and providing notes to his troupe as they flub scene after scene. Assistant Stage Manager Poppy (Bi Jean Ngo) must obediently clean up the messes and do Lloyd’s bidding to keep things rolling. The overworked Stage Manager Tim (Brenson Thomas) does everything from fixing sets to running surreptitious errands to making PA announcements to performing understudy duties.

All the characters have their personality flaws up front for all to see — on stage and backstage. Garry can’t state anything definitively; Freddie falls to pieces when things get hairy; Brooke sticks to the script too closely; and Selsdon is a hard-of-hearing alcoholic with a penchant for forgetting his closing line. Speaking of mangling dialog, Dotty’s character changes a somewhat standard line so badly over the course of the show, it ends up as: “It’s good I can’t see far with this leg.”

Most theater productions have their share of infighting and clandestine romances. Acts II and III reveal souring relationships between the Nothing On cast plus the set and props failing. In Act II, the audience sees how the fallout of numerous romances and off-stage problems affect the action on both sides of the stage. 

While the actors remain determined to cover up the mounting chaos during Act III, it’s not long before the players must invent some hysterical ad-libs to reach a new ending. Let’s hope Noises Off director Jennifer Childs didn’t have to deal with Lloyd’s problems while wrangling her actors.

The show is somewhat dated, but still timeless in its cleverness and originality. The dialog is tight and the physical comedy will draw plenty of chuckles. Who knew that looking for a lost contact lens could bring down the house? Sometimes things get a little confusing, but stick with it and it’ll start to clear up. Come to DTC for a hearty laugh at the theater and maybe score a plate of sardines!

The performance schedule of Noises Off is Wednesdays (2:00pm), Thursdays (7:00pm), Fridays (8:00pm), Saturdays (2:00 & 8:00PM except September 23 for Opening Night – 8:00pm only), and Sundays (2:00pm) through October 8. 

Tickets start at $32, and discounts are available for students, groups, and military members/veterans. The show is roughly 2.5 hours long with one 15-minute intermission plus an entertaining pause between Acts II and III. 

There will be pre-show Viewpoints on Wednesdays at 1:15pm during the run plus talkbacks after Thursday performances. Call 302.594.1100 or visit DelawareTheatre.org to purchase tickets or for performance information. Delaware Theatre Company is located at 200 Water Street in Wilmington.