Reviews

Shaun of the Dead at The Redgrave Theatre in Bristol

Posted on: 2015-07-10

An entertaining evening made up of silly jokes, colourful language, fancy dress, blood, guts and ghoulish make up. Worth taking a look if you are after something a little bit different and are willing to embrace the spirit of the occasion.

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Shaun of the Dead hit cinema screens in 2004 and since then has established itself as one of the funniest British films of all time. Proving a huge hit at the box office the film was quickly absorbed into modern culture.

Shaun of the Dead at The Redgrave Theatre until 11 July 2015 - click here for more info.

Paying homage to the horror classics of yesteryear this cult horror-comedy tells the story of Shaun; a man whose life is going nowhere. He spends much of his time in the local pub with his lifelong friend Ed, has a troubled relationship with his family and is devastated having just been dumped by his girlfriend Liz. Having something of an epiphany Shaun vows to win his girlfriend back, mend his relationship with his mother and to all intents and purposes finally grow up. The only flaw in his plan comes in the form of the flesh-eating zombies who are taking over the world.

This oft-quoted classic has recently been adapted for the stage by Almost Legal Productions (ALP), a local Gloucestershire-Based theatre company who utilise songs, dance and vast amounts of audience participation (goody bag with all appropriate props provided) to tell the tale. As a fan of the movie I was looking forward to going along to Bristol’s Redgrave Theatre where the show is running until 11th July, and seeing just how the story would fare in this new format. ALP promises that Shaun of the Dead- Live is an adaptation which is fresh and new while holding on to the spirit and underlying charisma shown in the original.

Sadly this was neither an innovative or particularly charismatic performance. The stage show appears to be a scene by scene copy of the film; but with wonky sets, decidedly uneasy acting, some really not very good musical numbers and the feeling of an amateur production. Bizarrely though this all adds to the show’s charm and keeps the audience watching. The warm glow produced in those familiar with the story makes the fact that this clearly fan-boy style homage to the original something to be celebrated. Chas Burns’ performance as Shaun and Ross Millward playing Ed bear a passing resemblance to the characters brought to life in the film, and do a good job trying to instill some kind of dynamism and heroic essence into two downtrodden, ordinary blokes facing a zombie invasion armed with just a cricket bat and a spade.

For many in the crowd the real highlight was the chance for the audience to be a part of things. In a similar vein to The Rocky Horror Show a series of prompts flash up on the stage eliciting responses from those watching and inciting them to, amongst other things, throw records at the hulking zombie extras crowding into the auditorium and to attack them with inflatable cricket bats in a final battle of epic proportions, as good eventually triumphs over evil and the boy gets the girl.

All in all this was an entertaining evening made up of silly jokes, colourful language, fancy dress, blood, guts and ghoulish make up. Worth taking a look if you are after something a little bit different and are willing to embrace the spirit of the occasion.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Sarah-Jane Howard for 365 Bristol - the leading events and entertainment website for Bristol

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