A Play by Qui Nguyen
The Play
Zombies, Shakespeare and martial arts collide in Living Dead in Denmark, the new show from the Pork Filled Players, playing May 1 to 24, at the Theatre Off Jackson (409 7th Ave. S. in Seattle’s International District).
A post-apocalyptic Denmark faces an invasion of the living dead and only Lady Macbeth, Juliet and a really pissed off Ophelia can save it. Will they do or will they die (and maybe die again for good measure)? Catch the West Coast premiere of the long running New York hit play by Qui Nguyen, with original music by Dan Deming, and directed by Lisa Anne Glomb, with arrangements and orchestration by Brad Nelson.
A critical rave at the 2007 National Asian American Theatre Festival, Living Dead is the unauthorized action adventure sequel to Hamlet, fusing the immortal Bard with B-movie sensibility in a perfect kickoff for Asian Pacific Heritage Month.
The Cast
Ophelia — May Nguyen
Puck, Witch, Laertes — Jose Abaoag
Guildenstern, Witch — Marvin Newton
Rosencrantz, Witch, Oberon, Caliban — Tadd Alexander
Fortinbras — Philip Clarke
Juliet — Miko Premo
Lady Macbeth — Deniece Bleha
Horatio, Laertes 2 — Benjamin Elterman
Ghost, Hamlet — Bryan Bender
Titiania — Andrea Nelson
The Crew
Written by: Qui Nguyen
Original music by: Dan Deming
Directed by: Lisa Anne Glomb
Stage manager: Jennifer O’Brien
Fight choreographer: Lisa Marie Nakamura
Arrangements & orchestratons: Brad Nelson
Lighting design: Maggie Lee
Sound designer: Roger Tang
Set/prop designer: David Baldwin
Costume designer: Clare Hungate-Hawk
Set & prop construction by: Chuck Richardson
Costume construction by: Bryan Cooper
Fight captain/dance choreographer: Jose Abaoag
Mask designer and Laertes puppet designer: Maggie Lee
Fortinbras costume designer: Bryan Kent Cooper
Vocal coach: Eloisa Cardona
Production asst./graphic design/photos: Amy Lu
Producer: Roger Tang
Executive producers: Joey & Vera Ing
Originally produced by Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company in May 2006, NYC
The Press
“The show, a Pork Filled Players production at Theatre Off Jackson, does, however, boast some strong acting, a bit of interesting singing and loads and loads of martial arts, gymnastics and just plain meaningless violence—all of it pleasantly ludicrous—Living Dead is a professional triumph for fight choreographer Lisa Marie Nakamura. She has the performers battling with daggers, swords, a garbage can lid, hands, feet and, best of all, lengthy sections of intestine. Those zombies! They stop at nothing.
“Pork Filled Players director Lisa Anne Glomb keeps the action racing, sometimes with the help of heavy-metal underscoring. Her show may be nonsense, but it is clever and entertaining nonsense.”
— Seattle PI
“Strongly resembling a stage version of South Park meets Saturday Night Live or Mad TV, Living is at once a comedy and an action play. The last because there are lots of fight scenes and mock stabbings, as well as some really campy humorous scenes where zombies appear and the three heroines of the play (Miko Premo, Deniece Bleha and May Nguyen) get beaten up a lot…
“Go see the show, and take a sense of wonder with you, and know this is like no Shakespeare you’ve ever seen, unless the Bard wrote something while under the influence that I’ve never heard of.”
— Seattle Gay News