by: Sandra Sperounes for the Edmonton Journal
Rating: 4 stars
Our fascination with zombies never seems to die.
Every year, we’re treated to zombie flicks, zombie walks and in Edmonton, a Halloween festival devoted to the undead and other ghoulish creatures.
They’re also perennial fare at the Fringe. This year’s serving is a tasty (and unique) addition to the canon.
Part film, part play, For The Love Of A Zombie offers a ridiculously goofy spin on the genre — starring a vegetarian farm hand, a sweet country lass and her ornery and weed-obsessed grandfather, not to mention a few dead men.
Unlike the stereotypical Hollywood zombie, these guys have personalities and aren’t always fixated with feasting on humans. Larry is a former investment broker. Homunculus is a vulnerable horndog, played with ribald relish by Clifford Kelly. Junior is a lovable idiot.
Written by Michael Beamish and Brent Felzien and performed by Edmonton’s Accidental Humour Co., their gags hover between deliberate groaners and outright guffawers — the ideal laugh zone for zombies and successful satire.
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by: Scott Harris for Vue Weekly
Rating: 4 stars
I’m hesitant to go into too many details about what happens in this horror-comedy, because half the fun is witnessing the absurdity of it all unfold unaware. Cleverly flipping between pre-recorded video and well-acted (if over-the-top) live performances, it’s the absurd story of a zombie love ... rhombus? The laughs come easy, and while it’s certainly not high art, it’s a zombie love story, for god’s sake! How can you not like it? The sold-out audience at the performance I attended certainly did, so you may want to see about get your tickets soon.
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by: Greg Hudson for SEE Magazine
Rating: 3 stars
**Disclaimer: This is a really bizarre review. I will post it completely unaltered and let you make your own judgments wether or not everyone else in the audience is completely stupid for enjoying our show "without a shred of irony or pity". The only other thing I can find on SEE magazine's website that this Greg Hudson ever wrote was this "stunning" story of how he was a Sunsine Boy in the Edmonton Sun.***
Fringe audiences seem to have lower comedy standards; call it the magic of theatre. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for the Saturday night audience’s boisterous reaction to For the Love of a Zombie. The eager crowd roared, without a shred of irony or pity. Stunning. Which is not to say that FTLOAZ doesn’t have its moments. When a lovestruck granola farmhand brings environmentally friendly weed-killer to a barren farm, the dead come alive and comedic clichés ensue.
But get this: these aren’t your regular zombies. They’re sentient, polite, and actually pretty funny, even if they are stuck playing one note the whole time. Beating a dead … zombie? That said, the skilful incorporation of video footage to show action that in a conventional play would otherwise have to remain offstage is pretty impressive. It’s an apt callback to the B-movie source material, even if it generates more laughs than it would if it were on YouTube.
**I figured ol' Sunshine Greg wouldn't mind us using his contradictory review for promotional quotes. Thanks dude!**