Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre has made a name for itself for bringing easily some of the most daring theatre to Los Angeles. With the annual productions of the infamous Urban Death, Zombie and company deliver a poignant blend of Grand Guignol, Theatre of Cruelty and Butoh alive in a small 60-ish seat black box theatre. Then there’s the sicker, far more twisted cousin to Urban Death (surprised that there is such a thing) that appears twice a year to really shake things up. Blood Alley Christmas has finally arrived and this sick little monkey could not be happier with the hell that Zombie and his team hath wrought.

Conceived by Zombie Joe and longtime veteran of the ZJU stage, Elif Savas, Blood Alley takes place in, you guessed it, an alley. A nasty, grimy corner of some forgotten city haunted by the horrors that humanity has dumped into it. The lurid, the absurd, and the repulsive all seethe here in the darkness. Our singular moral compass is “The Cop” (Kevin Van Cott) who occasionally chasses miscreants away and who also provides the live musical accompaniment to the show.

As with every show at ZJU we arrived 45 minutes before curtain to find a well-established line of 10 waiting for the doors to open. (Get there early for a good seat) Bathing in the amber sodium lighting along Lankershim and making small talk with other fans, we eagerly wondered what nightmares were awaiting us inside. At the right time, Zombie Joe flings the opaque storefront door open and welcomes his patrons in. Each person greeted with a smile, a boisterous welcome, and asked to wait in the lobby until the theatre space is opened.

The cellar door in front of us is pulled aside and we are offered our choice of seats in Blood Alley. One of the ensemble, Brandon Slezak, is already on stage performing a bit as we find our places. To the right are the normal raked seats, but for the more daring there are seats in the actual performance space opposite the majority of the audience. Of course, I chose to be in the “suicide seats” as they are dubbed and took an aisle chair.

The Cop arrives and chases Slezak off the stage for reasons only apparent to those present. (I will leave that for you to discover. No, I’m not yanking your chain.) Van Cott warns us that things have gotten crazy in the alley and tells us to be careful. He then settles behind his drum set that is draped in black cloth and the music begins. Driving electric guitar, and pulse-pounding drums swirl in the air as the lights fade and we dive into the inky darkness once again.

To give away what I saw next would be to rob you of the pleasure of discovery so I will speak in very general terms here. What I can say is that fans of the absurd, the sick and the twisted will all be more than pleasantly entertained. The entire cast bares their entire collective soul and then some playing out scenes that range from depraved to wickedly inspired and sometimes both. Of course, this is all in the name of Christmas so, I mean, it’s all good.

Blood Alley Christmas 2018  is easily the best iteration of the show since its debut. Savas and Zombie have crafted the perfect holiday show for those mourning the departure of Halloween. Here we see things that cannot be unseen followed by a moment that suddenly touches on a deep emotional level. While this is, without question, the most solid ensemble Blood Alley has ever enjoyed, there are some notable standouts. Savas, of course, brings everything for the audience but there are a few nipping at her stilettos. Michelle Danyn starts the show quietly, then soon busts out one of the most twisted scenes I have ever seen played out on the ZJU stage. Jason Britt fearlessly struts the stage, brooding and gunning down reindeer. But the real breakthrough here is Chris Foglesong. A veteran of the haunt world, Foglesong seems to have crossed a threshold from acting to portraying. Bravo sir.

The lights do eventually come back up, and The Cop tells us to scram. Yet the magic of a Blood Alley Christmas remains in our hearts to remind us that we belong. Each and every one of us dark souls don’t need witches, jack o’lanterns, and ghosts to be scary. No, Santa, his reindeer, and the dark side of humanity are here to say there is plenty to confront and to scoff at.

FRIDAYS and SATURDAYS at 11:00pm
DECEMBER 7, 8, 14 & 15, 2018.