With a nod to George H. Romero's "Living Dead" movie series, as well as plenty of blood, laughs and a certain powdered soft drink, Sandbox Theatre Project's production of "Multi-Purpose Doom" will keep you on the edge of your seat—and since you'll be sitting on bleachers, that's the perfect position.
In the brightly lit gymnasium where the play is set, the glaring overhead lights give the feeling that nothing could go wrong. The gym has been overbooked for the night among a high-school reunion set-up crew, basketball players and a self-help group full of easily rattled members. So what group gets the rightful use of the gym? Only the authority of the seen-it-all janitor can solve the problem.
Then the zombies arrive, and hell seemingly breaks loose. Not to fear, the janitor happens to be well-versed in dealing with the undead, and leads the living on a kill-or-be-killed mission providing action, adventure and through it all, self-realization.
Because of the gym setting, dialogue between the actors tends to get lost except when the self-help group led Peggy Lions (Chelsea Keenan) aptly uses a speaker to lead her group of misfits. You have to really listen closely at times, especially to the conversation between the basketball players, to understand the beginnings of the conflict. The unsteady-in-her-heels high-school-reunion-planner Cassandra Taylor-Villanueva (Katy Boza) is really quite a treat with her mixture of Lincoln Park Trixie-ness and determination. She's out to prove to her husband that she can accomplish something great besides making coffee.
When the action gets going, and the zombies begin their rampage, the entire ensemble shines. They hold back nothing. It's not only fun to watch, but because of the audience's proximity to the action, you really feel you are taking part and rooting the living on to victory.
A nice touch Sandbox lends to the production is the interaction the ensemble has with the audience beforehand. Audience members are encouraged to shoot baskets with the actors, explore the Menomonee Club facilities and remember what it's like to be back in a gym.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
