Night of the Living Dead - Smithtown Performing Arts Center | 10.11.24

Smithtown Performing Arts Center is currently producing “George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead” from October 5th to the 27th. I should say early on that this is one of my favorites. I love zombies and love stories that are about them taking over - whether it be for night or forever - it’s just the best. With that being said, this production exceeded all of my expectations. The story kicks off with Barbara (Livi Rose D’Achille) and her brother Johnny (Andrew Murano) going to a cemetery to visit their father’s grave. Soon after, a zombie attacks and Johnny is killed. Barbara runs off after the attack and finds a seemingly abandoned house where she decides to hide. Before long, Ben (Jack O’Connor) arrives at the same house looking for refuge. He finds Barbara, but she is basically non-responsive after the zombie attack and watching her brother be killed. Zombies attempt to enter the house and Ben fights them back out (with little help from Barbara) and proceeds to board up the windows and doors to the best of his ability. 

Despite the fact that D’Achille has very few actual lines to deliver as a result of her character’s almost catatonic state, her facial expressions alone work wonders to build tension. She looks absolutely terrified and is extremely effective in increasing the tension. You almost felt her fear! O’Connor plays off this energy fantastically. The physicality he brought to the role and acting choices were captivating. It was hard to keep your eyes off him!

Before long, Ben and Barbara discover that even though the zombies are gone they aren’t the only ones in the house. There’s a couple - Tom (David Reyes) and Judy (Katie Murano) - who were looking for shelter after hearing about some of the killings on the radio; and a family of three - Helen (Tammy Dorsa), Harry (Chris Dippel), and their daughter Karen (Alexis Rae Forlenza/Erin Risolo) - who were hiding after being attacked by zombies who flipped their car and subsequently bit Karen.

*The role of Karen is split between the two girls. I saw Erin Risolo during the October 11th performance.

Conflict begins when the people in the cellar make themselves known to Ben and Barbara. Ben is upset because he feels there is a moral issue at play - they must have heard the struggle they went through with the zombies and how he fought them back and secured the house, yet they didn’t come out to assist. Harry argues that he has a family to protect and without being able to see what was going on while knowing the superhuman strength of the zombies after seeing his car flipped over, didn’t think it was smart to come out. I love this entire exchange because when Ben starts to plead his case about how wrong the “cellar people” are, you want to agree with him…but when you think about Harry’s point of view, you can’t help but wonder what you might have done if in the same situation.

I think we would all want to believe we would do what Ben did, but if I have my family to protect I’m honestly not so sure. That’s a debate for another day, but I enjoy the thought this provokes.

The group begins to hear more and more about the worsening situation outside by way of radio and television broadcasts. Upon hearing of Karen’s injuries, Ben cooks up a plan to venture outside for medical supplies to help her. This event leads the group into a finale that I wouldn’t want to spoil and if you go to see this show, you’ll be glad I didn’t. This cast worked together beautifully to bring horror to the stage, which is no easy feat. The tension and emotions were high and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Director Jordan Hue must have a passion for this genre because he thought of everything - there were even zombies moving through the audience throughout the show which made you feel like you were a part of it. The set design was fantastic too! The stage was set in a way that drew you in and there were no shortage of things to look at which I loved. All in all, “Night of the Living Dead” is the perfect complement to the Halloween season!

“Night of the Living Dead” is running until October 27th and tickets can be purchased via their website at smithtownpac.org.

Cast:

Barbara - Livi Rose D’Achille

Ben - Jack O’Connor

Harry Cooper - Chris Dippel

Helen Cooper - Tammy Dorsa

Karen Cooper (10/5, 10/12, 10/18, 10/26) - Alexis Rae Forlenza

Karen Cooper (10/6, 10/11, 10/25, 10/27) - Erin Risolo

Tom - David Reyes

Judy - Katie Murano

Johnny, Fight Captain - Andrew Murano

Chief McClellan - Rich O’Sullivan

Bill Bardough - Andrew Lenahan

Deputy - Zach Rudd

Zombies - Anna Bolze, Sebastian Dos Reis, Hailey Edgar, Landon Forlenza, Michael Kollmeier, Ava Lavery, Eve Lavery, Kaylin Zeidler, Lily Zeidler, Gerald Quigley

Creative Team:

DIRECTOR - Jordan Hue

Fight Choreographer - Heather Legnosky

Production Stage Manager - Dorothy Haszinger

Stage Manager - Abigail Jackowski

Technical Director - Michael Mucciolo

Prop Master & Scenic Designer - Michael Mussiolo

Sound Designer - Jacques St. Louis

Audio Operators - Dylan Hutchins, Karolyn Umana

Lighting Designer - Daniel Caplan

Intel Lighting Designer - Joseph Castoro

Makeup Designer - Jackie St. Louis

Costume Designer - Kelly Mucciolo