In Hollywood, CA? Re-Animator The Musical Through May 29th 2011

First off I’d like to thank one of our readers, Paul, for sending this one in! So this is actually very entertaining to me for one main reason. I’m a huge fan of Re-Animator (which is zombie-ish though not your traditional zombie.) Now the entertaining part is one of my friends ended up actually insulting Stuart Gordon at a showing in Chicago, not knowing who he was to his face. Stuart Gordon is the director of the original film AND the this musical! (Said friend was mortified and humiliated by all of his horror loving friends since this happened.) At any rate, I hope Stuart (Hey I love that guy’s first name) gets to bring the musical of his masterpiece to Chicago as I’d love to see it in the flesh!

In 1985, Stuart Gordon directed his first feature film and created a sensation. It was “Re-Animator,” a smashing popular success based on a horror story by H.P. Lovecraft. The film delivered as many laughs as it did screams making it a cult classic among horror fans and winning a Critic’s Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Now, Gordon is back with his co-writers Dennis Paoli and William J. Norris and composer/lyricist Mark Nutter to turn “Re-Animator” into a musical for the stage.

“RE-ANIMATOR” tells the story of Herbert West, a brilliant young medical student who has created a glowing green serum that can bring the dead back to life. What should be a medical breakthrough results in hideous monstrosities and ghastly consequences. “I guess he just wasn’t fresh enough,” is West’s constant refrain as his quest for fresh subjects results in the murders of half the faculty of the medical school.

The cast stars Harry Murphy, best known as the affable Norm from “Cheers” but now playing the Dean of the Medical School who West transforms into a mindless zombie. Chris L. McKenna, the star of Gordon’s neo-noir thriller “King of the Ants” is Dan Cain, Herbert’s hapless roommate who finds himself drawn into the mayhem. And operatic Jesse Merlin, who played the President of the United States in the long running “The Beastly Bombing” is Dr. Carl Hill who loses his head for Meg, the dean’s beautiful daughter (Rachel Avery) only to actually lose it at the hands of Herbert West. But thanks to the glowing re-agent, Dr. Hill is still able to take his curtain call with his head tucked underneath his arm. Rounding out the cast (in alphabetical order) are Mark Beltzman, Cynthia Carle, Brian Gillespie, and Liesel Hanson, and introducing Graham Skipper as Herbert West.

Special effects are being done by the same guys who did them for the 1985 movie: Tony Doublin, John Naulin and John Beuchler. And the blood will flow so freely that the first row will be designated as a “splash zone.” Laura Fine Hawkes, who last designed “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” at the Taper, will provide the creepy sets, Joe Kucharski the moldering costumes and Jeff Ravitz the cadaverous lighting. Stage managing the madness is the unflappable Joe Begos.

Needless to say, the show is not for small children.

Mark Nutter is composer and lyricist and his cheerfully disturbing songs have been compared to Tom Lehrer. His previous stage credits include the international hit “The Bicycle Men”; “Christmas Smackdown” (created with the equally demented Cynthia Carle); and “Wild Men.” He’s also known for his work on “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “Saturday Night Live.”) His recent CD “Twisted Songs for Twisted Sophisticates” has been banned from the airwaves.

Stuart Gordon directs. Prior to the “Re-Animator” movie, he spent fifteen years as the founder and artistic director of the Organic Theater of Chicago, where he co-created the original production of “Bleacher Bums,” produced and directed the world premiere of David Mamet’s “Sexual Perversity in Chicago,” presented Ray Bradbury’s “The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit,” and would later direct the feature film adaptation. Gordon has also directed four more films based on Lovecraft (among them “From Beyond” and “Dagon”.) Gordon’s most recent stage credits include the award-winning “Kabbalah: Scary Jewish Stories” and the long-running and critically acclaimed “Nevermore,” with “Re-Animator” film star Jeffrey Combs as Edgar Allan Poe.

You won’t want to miss “Re-Animator, The Musical.” It’s certain to inject some life into the spring stage season.

So if you are interested in checking it out check out the official Re-Animator The Musical Website.