Nina Metz

Borrowing heavily from "Night of the Living Dead" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (minus the singing), Factory Theater's latest offering is, dare I say, a masterpiece of well-appointed gore and sick humor. As written and directed by Ryan Oliver, the somberly titled "Among the Dead" stars a group of hillbilly beer-swilling militia types holed up in a remote underground bunker. Their mission: to hunt and destroy an endless supply of zombies who roam the earth thanks to a government experiment gone awry. Of course, none of this would be any fun without a squeaky clean young couple to terrorize, nicely played here by Harry Eddleman and Lisa Rothschiller. The production needs a quicker pace (the faster, the funnier), but overall this show is the kind of low-down-and-dirty spectacle that has cult favorite written all over it. Kudos to the intricate effects and makeup work by Katy Jones and Glenese Hand; their zombies (a staggering 21 in all) look fit for a feature-film debut--particularly the one dressed in a Cubby Bear T-shirt with a baseball embedded in his forehead. Rounding out the cast are Mark Montgomery as the military ringleader (and Clint Eastwood wannabe), Nick Digilio (sporting a Fu Manchu mustache) as the second in command, and Molly Brennan (with a shockingly purple head of hair) as a kind of psycho Tank Girl gone bad. To top it off, Gregor Mortis' hard driving guitar compositions are, appropriately enough, riffs on Rob Zombie.

"Among the Dead" is playing at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 West Division, (773)278-1500, through December 21.

(2002-11-26)

Also by Nina Metz

Tip of the Week
Thanks to films like "Saving Private Ryan" and the "Band of Brothers" HBO miniseries, the experiences of men who served during World War II are back in our collective consciousness.
(2002-11-20)

Tip of the Week
We all reinvent ourselves, willingly or not, at various points in our lives. For Ted, the main character in "Vintage Red and the Dust of the Road" (which playwright Robert Koon developed through Chicago Dramatists), these transformations seem incomplete--the guy has some serious baggage.
(2002-11-13)

Tip of the Week
Having spent a good number of my formative drinking years in New Orleans, I suspect it is perhaps the only American city where it is (and I'm not exaggerating here) socially acceptable to be drunk and/or hung over at work. It's sort of a badge of pride--a big fat middle finger to anyone stodgy enough to tout the merits of a clear head and a Protestant work ethic. The same could probably be said about a staggeringly large number of famous American writers who cloaked their alcoholism within this romantic sensibility.
(2002-10-23)

Tip of the Week
In just a few short years, Timeline Theatre Company has established itself as one of the classiest and most consistently talented ensembles on the off-Loop theater scene.
(2002-10-16)

Tip of the Week
(2002-10-02)

Tip of the Week
(2002-09-26)

Tip of the Week
(2002-09-18)

Tip of the Week
(2002-08-28)

Tip of the Week
(2002-08-21)

Tip of the Week
(2002-08-14)

TIP OF THE WEEK
(2002-08-07)

TIP OF THE WEEK
(2002-08-01)

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment