There will be blood - Western students bring ‘Night of the Living Dead’ to the stage

Director Don Lillie has a message for those who go to see “Night of the Living Dead” at Missouri Western’s Potter Theatre.

“I would suggest that the first three rows might come dressed in things they don’t particularly care about,” he warns. “We’ll just say that Gallagher would be proud.”

Taking his advice might be wise as the zombie classic comes alive on the stage from Oct. 28 through Nov. 1. The 1968 George Romero film inspired a play that has become a popular show in theaters throughout the country. With Halloween rapidly approaching, it seems like a great time for the folks at Western to embrace their inner-zombie.

“We thought it might be kind of fun to welcome in the new holiday,” says Lillie, the professor of theatre and video at Missouri Western. “It’ll give somebody over the age of 10 something to do on Halloween night and still have fun.”

The cast will be having fun, that’s for sure. Lillie says that there are 20 or more zombies in the show and that the dialogue is almost the same as the original horror movie. There are, however, a few modifications.

“If you’re a die-hard, purist Romero fan and you’re expecting a remake on stage, it’s not going to happen,” Lillie says.

One of the changes is with the female lead of Barbara. In the ‘68 film, Barbara had little dialogue and was in a near-vegetative state for the bulk of the movie. Daisy Buntin, a senior at Western, says she will do the character a little more justice.

“My Barbara is never unresponsive or out of it at all,” she admits. “Instead of going comatose, she goes kind of hysterical… It’s over the top and a lot of fun.”

The male lead of Ben is played by senior Nick Ford. While he likes playing a strong, decisive and resourceful character, he admits that the real stars are the zombies.

“In the original, if you ask George Romero, his protagonists are the zombies,” he explains. “The zombies are the backbone of the show. We’re just up there with them.”

Freshman Aaron Holt, who plays Johnny, says the show will be a great time for all who attend.

“You don’t have to come here and think a whole lot,” he says. “You sit down, have fun, we throw fake blood on you and you have a party with the zombies.”

The show starts at 8 p.m. each night. There will be an encore show at 11 p.m. on Oct. 31. There also will be a costume contest during every show. The ticketholder with the best costume will win a prize. General admission tickets are $8 and can be purchased by calling the Western box office at 271-4443.