Night of the living, singing and dancing dead
Image: ZOMBIE! THE MUSICAL at Hayes Theatre
When you’ve written a musical based on a Shakespeare classic, then an iconic moment in Australian political history, the natural progression from there is to write about a zombie pandemic…well, it is if you’re Laura Murphy, one of this country’s most imaginative and gifted writer/composers.
Zombie! The Musical is the third offering from Murphy, whose previous two shows, The Lovers (book/music/lyrics) and The Dismissal (music/lyrics) were massive hits with audiences and critics.
This time, Murphy has joined forces with the Hayes Theatre in a collaboration made in heaven — except with zombies.
“This partnership is pretty perfect because I think everyone is so invested in this project. We all believe in it so much. And we’re all really putting our hearts and souls into it,” says Natalie Abbott, who is just one of the incredible cast of Zombie! The Musical.
Abbott starred in The Lovers and is an unabashed Murphy fan.
“I’m a lucky girl. I’m a very lucky girl. Honestly, I wanted to be a part of this project before I knew anything about it. I’d do anything to be in a Laura Murphy show, so I feel very fortunate. She’s such a fantastic writer and such an amazing person.”
As with The Lovers and even The Dismissal, Murphy tries to do more than tell an amusing narrative with punchy songs. There are easter eggs and hidden messages in Zombie! that raise it above the level of schlock horror. The plot itself is deceptively simple.
“Zombie! is about a small community theatre company who is putting on a show. It’s their opening night and there’s an outbreak of virus at the turn of the millennium, and the virus is a virus that turns people into zombies, and they have to try and save the world, either with kindness or with violence,” explains Abbott.
Abbott plays Sam, an understudy who is easy to work with, very reliable, everybody’s friend. She represents a “beautiful part of humanity”.
“It’s such a fun role to play because she’s so real and beautiful,” says Abbott, who commends Murphy on giving voice to characters who rarely get heard.
As you might have guessed, Murphy came up with the idea for Zombie! during lockdown, but unlike you might assume, it’s not merely a comical analogy with zombie virus substituting for Covid. Instead, Zombie! is a considered, nuanced examination of how people communicate in crisis, how they interact, what “survival mode” means to each individual.
“I’m conscious about not giving too much away because it definitely is much more than meets the eye,” says Abbott dutifully.
The music in Zombie! is a smoothie of genres, with the pop-style tunes mostly taking their cues from the sounds of the ‘80s, ‘90s, and ‘00s. The plot is set in Sydney, so refreshingly, the songs and dialogue are done in Aussie accents. There are also a few cheeky local references including Vanessa Amorosi, Anthony Warlow, and Richard Wilkins — but it’s not scary, Abbott is quick to assure.
On stage, Abbott will be reunited with her co-star from Muriel’s Wedding: The Musical, Stefanie Jones, as well as Monique Sallé whom she worked with in The Lovers.
The rest of the amazing cast includes: Drew Livingston, Ryan Gonzalez, Tamsin Carroll, Chelsea Dawson, Nancy Denis, and Adam Di Martino.
The show is directed by theatre doyen, Darren Yap.
“Darren is the perfect person to guide us in telling this story, and guide us in telling a Laura Murphy story. He’s so inclusive in the workroom and he’s so open to hearing ideas and letting us play and involving someone as important as Laura in those processes,” says Abbott.
The apocalypse begins this week.
