Directed by Zombie Joe and Featuring: Patrick Beckstead, Jason Britt, Vanessa Cate, Michelle Danyn, Shayne Eastin, Ian Heath, Makoa Kawabata, Amanda McKenna, Elif Savas, Brandon Slezak and Matthew Vorce; Live Musical Score by Kevin Van Cott; For Ages 16 and up.
Rest easy avid fans, Blood Alley Christmas has returned for year two and adroitly avoids the missteps of the first incarnation without sacrificing the gory, unpleasant goods. Nestled away in the small black box theatre that HorrorBuzz calls a home away from home, Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre delivers another raucous night of carnage and Christmas.
Inspired by the Grand Guignol of Paris, the Theatre of Cruelty of London, and the Butoh theatre of Japan, Zombie Joe’s revels in delivering aggressively shocking and absurd performance art. There is minimal dialogue, minimal plot, and copious amounts of nudity, blood, and sick humor. The lights come up, a disturbing scene plays out inches before your face, and the lights go out. Each time the theatre is black you wince in anticipation of what horrors might be awaiting when the lights return. But that, friends, is the fun.
As patrons enter the performance space this year, we are greeted by two sunbathers. For a Christmas show? Yes. Just yes, just go with it. They are under colorful Christmas lights, so relax. Of course, once the performance starts they reveal a sinister secret, the lights dim, and we are on our way.
As is tradition for Blood Alley, the friendly neighborhood cop patrolling his beat arrives, played by the wonerful Kevin Van Cott, to shake up any riff raff that is loitering in his domain before taking his place behind a drum set and accompanying the performance with his signature score.
The onslaught of holiday fear begins rife with perversion, yet this time, with a level of maturity that was lacking before. Yes, there is still plenty of blood, guts, vaginas, penises, vile behavior but there is a better pacing to the shocks. The cast is perfectly solid this year without a single weak link. Nobody is inhibited in this troupe. All are there to fearlessly push the boundaries of your comfort zone and good taste. Of course there are the usual standouts with Shayne Eastin, Ian Heath, Vanessa Cate, and Matthew Vorce all delivering. However, this is Michelle Danyn’s breakout with her giving her best performance to date. Then of course there is the lovely Elif Savas holding sway over the ceremony like a sickened madame of the macabre.
If you like your Christmas as black as a lump of coal, and as frayed as a burlap sack, make it a point to visit Blood Alley. This is one holiday show you will not be able to forget. Ever.
Ferocious Holiday Engagement! (3) Weekends Only:
FRIDAYS and SATURDAYS @ 11:00pm, DECEMBER 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 & 16, 2017.
ZJU Theatre Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601
Tickets Only $15.
For Reservations Call: 818-202-4120
Website: ZombieJoes.com
Advance Tickets On Sale for Al Performances at: ZombieJoes.Tix.com }
