Shakespeare Undead

Much ado about zombies.

by Lauren F. Friedman

"If there be nothing new but that which is," begins William Shakespeare's Sonnet 59. He couldn't have imagined that 400 years hence, he would lend his name to a play honoring his life, his work and — here's the new part: his zombie encounter.

John Heimbuch — a director, actor and playwright based in Minneapolis — was at a party when a friend started talking about George A. Romero's Land of the Dead, a 2005 entry in the horror director's zombie canon. "That title implies that there would be other versions," Heimbuch explains. His friend pointed out that, hypothetically, "William Shakespeare's Land of the Dead would be awesome." All agreed, but there was one obvious catch: "Shakespeare's dead."

Not easily deterred, Heimbuch — who initially dismissed that offhand suggestion as "one of the silliest ideas I'd ever heard" — jokingly e-mailed around some zombie couplets and friends urged him to continue. And thus "the true and accurate account of the 1599 zombie plague" was born.

Heimbuch spent months researching the ins and outs of Shakespeare's life and times and watching a marathon of zombie movies until he was sure he had the formula just right. "Writing for me is all about the process of dramaturgy," Heimbuch explains. "The details, the history, the style — I want to get something as authentic and interesting as possible."

Authenticity may not be the first word that comes to mind when Shakespeare and zombies come together. The script's introduction sounds like a joke, but it's dead serious: "William Shakespeare's Land of the Dead is both a comedic homage to zombie films and a carefully researched drama about Shakespeare and his authorship."

Unlikely bedfellows though they may be, zombies and Shakespeare proved a fruitful pairing: When the play premiéred at the 2008 Minnesota Fringe, it became the most-attended play in the festival.

Daniel Student, the Plays & Players board member responsible for bringing the show to Philly (he also plays Shakespeare), understands where the skeptics are coming from. "By subject matter alone, I wouldn't think it was good," he admits.

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But Heimbuch's script brings more to the table than a zany idea. "These are real historical characters" — along with the Bard, Francis Bacon and Queen Elizabeth have major roles. Student explains. "You're all caught up in that ... and then zombies attack." While the characters and the setup are historically accurate, zombiephiles seeking a good undead slugfest won't go home disappointed. "There's a lot of blood and gore," promises Student. "We're going balls to the wall with it."

At a recent rehearsal, fight choreographers discussed with director Bill Egan whether 31 packets of blood per night would be enough, and one zombie cast member asked casually if getting a fake spinal column was a possibility.

"Page 33! Zombie horde!" shouted the stage manager.

"It's like two colliding plays going on," says Egan, who struggled to milk the campier aspects of the show without glossing over its more serious themes.

Student sees this as an opportunity for "two dorky audiences" — zombie and Shakespeare geeks — to unite. Heimbuch agrees.

"Shakespeare scholars will recognize lots of the Shakespeare, and zombie aficionados will see lots of zombie movie references," Heimbuch says. "So that covers just about everybody."

William Shakespeare's Land of the Dead | March 12-28, $10-$25, Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Street, 215-735-0630, playsandplayers.org