Beginning Wednesday, March 12, the Archie Williams theater program, known as the Peregrine Players, began their series of performances of Living Dead in Denmark, a slapstick comedy play written by Qui Nguyen. Performances took place from March 12 to 15 at the Archie Williams Little Theater, with weekday performances beginning at seven p.m., and the Saturday performance beginning at two p.m. The show blended familiar Shakespearean characters with a zombie apocalypse, creating a production full of laughs and action.
The show’s running time was approximately one hour and featured characters from some of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays, including Ophelia from Hamlet, Lady Macbeth from Macbeth, and Juliet from Romeo and Juliet. These characters took center stage as they became a trio in their crossover world set in Denmark. Other familiar Shakespearean figures from Hamlet such as Horatio, Hamlet, and Fortinbras are also woven into the play.
Senior student director Roy Quaas, who also played a zombie in the production, emphasizes the energy and excitement the show brings to the stage.
“Living Dead in Denmark is an action-packed, fun-filled comedy/pseudo-horror short play…It follows the story of Ophelia and her battle gals, Lady Macbeth and Juliet, as they brave their way through the zombie-filled lands of Denmark in hopes of finding out the cause of the zombie apocalypse,” Roy said.
The play begins with Hamlet, a tormented undead figure consumed with guilt and regret, rising from the dead hoping to reunite with Ophelia, his girlfriend before he died. He plans to make up for his past mistakes and appears as a ghost called the ‘Zombie Lord,’ his true identity and past a mystery.
Horatio, another key character, is Hamlet’s best friend but doesn’t know Hamlet is the Zombie Lord. Hamlet raises a zombie army, bringing Lady Macbeth and Juliet from the dead to stand with him in battle against Fortinbras, the crown prince of Denmark. While Hamlet and Fortinbras go head to head, Horatio is trying to protect Denmark from both the undead and Fortinbras’ authoritarian rule.
The cast had great chemistry, especially three of the main characters played by the same three freshmen for both casts. Ophelia, played by Poppy Henderson, Lady Macbeth, played by Maia Nerelli, and Juliet, played by Azalia McLachlan, fight together against Fortinbras. Poppy touches on the time and thought put into these performances.
“We have been working on writing this play since November. There is a lot of interesting relationship drama and plot twists written in [the play],” Poppy said.
The show’s costumes and makeup, designed by the Peregrine Players, help bring the unique characters and creatures in the play to life. The zombies have expressive makeup and attention-grabbing Shakespearean costumes from each of the original plays. Senior James Clark, who plays Fortinbras, described the design process for Horatio’s costume.
“The enhancements to Horatio’s costume are [inspired] by Bane from Batman. A lot of people just have to see what it looks like because it’s very interesting,” James said.
The production was mainly student-run, with minimal adult input. Student directors ran the play, choreographed complex fight scenes with dramatic deaths, and created the set design concepts.
Living Dead in Denmark offers a fun and unique mix of Shakespearean drama and zombie horror, full of humor and adventure. The Peregrine Players are set to perform Original One Acts, a collection of original plays written by students, from April 16 to 19, and then an extracurricular production of the musical Hadestown from April 24 to May 3. All information about upcoming performances is on the Archie Williams Drama website, or the Peregrine Players’ social media site.
