by Matthew A. Everett • June 23, 2008
2004 – Lives of the Most Notorious Highwaymen
2005 – Ten Speed Revolution
2006 – 1926 Pleasant
Ever think, “Sure, Shakespeare’s great, but there’s not enough zombies in it”?
Single White Fringe Geek (and Mom) is the blog of Matthew A. Everett, one of four bloggers covering the Minnesota Fringe Festival for the Daily Planet.
Well, then Walking Shadow Theater Company, from my 2005 pre-Fringe Top Ten list, has just the Fringe show for you
William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead
Someone at a party was ruminating, “Why is it always ‘George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead’? Why not, oh, I don’t know, say ‘William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead’?”
John Heimbuch, playwright and one of the trio who heads up Walking Shadow, thought, “Oh no, that’s a terrible idea.”
Then a month later, he thought, “Wait a minute. I know how I can make that work.”
And so, a Fringe show was born.
Preliminary blurb…
“London 1599.
Shakespeare’s Henry V opens the Globe Playhouse,
but while the actors strut and fret,
an excess of bile plagues the populace outside.
A true and accurate account of the Elizabethan zombie plague!”
though I’m still partial to the iambic pentameter of their submission for the Fringe lottery earlier this year, even if it doesn’t exactly fit anymore…
“As flesh transformed Lycaon into raging beast,
the dead now awaken for one final feast.
Their bite brings affliction, wounds that don’t heal,
so sever their necks with thy good English steel.”
We read the script in full-length form in my writing group last month and it’s a hoot. I don’t envy them having to hack it down to Fringe size, but it’s nice to know there’s gobs of good material in there. No matter what way they go, it’s going to be a good time. And with Amy Rummenie once again in the director’s chair, the lunacy shall be executed with the company’s usual flair. A Walking Shadow show is something Mom always looks forward to. Smart, entertaining stuff – textbook Fringe fare. The Elizabethan zombies should be no exception.
William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead
U of M Rarig Center Thrust stage
330 – 21st Avenue South, Minneapolis
August 2, 1pm
August 3, 5:30pm
August 5, 10pm
August 6, 7pm
August 10, 7pm
Entering his sixth year of blogging about the Minnesota Fringe Festival (and bringing Mom along for the ride as a guest reviewer), Matthew A. Everett is also a local playwright and three-time recipient of grant support from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Information on Matthew and his plays can be found at matthewaeverett.com.
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