EMA REVIEW: ZOMBIE JOE’S UNDERGROUND’S URBAN DEATH VEGAS Scrumptious ★★★★

By Erik Engman

Author, Clown and Improvisation Teacher, Theatre Critic EatMoreArtVegas.com

IG: ErikReviewsVegas

Just in time for the spooky season, Vegas Theatre Company and Las Vegas Horror Show bring us Zombie Joe’s Underground’s Urban Death Vegas, created by Zombie Joe and Jana Wimer, the same group who gave us the incredibly popular Abandon last year. This production celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Urban Death, which started in Los Angeles with the Zombie Joe Underground Theatre Group in 2005.

If you saw Abandon, then you will recognize that this show is very similar: short vignettes of a minute or two separated by pitch blackness. You never know who - or what - will appear when the lights come up. As far as what those vignettes are… well, you’ll need to see the show for yourself. Anything specific I could reveal would ruin the experience. I will say that the pieces are a mix of horror, dark comedy, grotesque violence, absurdism, and biting commentary on everything from misogyny to our society to everyday life in Vegas. Be warned: this show is not for the squeamish. It’s highly disturbing and scary, but it’s also hilarious at times. There is no story or through-line. The pieces are mostly unrelated, except for a few running gags here and there.

Jana Wimer skillfully balances the macabre with the murderous, the silly with the sublime, and the demented with the disgusting. The ensemble of actors is all wonderful: Tyler Borresch, Randy Hample, Sammy Jo, Karla Lagunas, Austin Parrales, Giulia Piolanti, Jess Sabine, and Bailee Bob Sveen. They perfectly capture this disturbing world that is not too far off from our own. Again, I could point out specific performances, but the less you know going in, the better. Suffice it to say, they all were superb.

The production values were creepy and wonderful. The use of lighting by lighting designer Jake Harrell was spectacular, whether it was a general wash to set the mood or a tiny spark to hide the monsters in the shadows. The sound design by Harrell, Wimer, and Toby Allen complements the lights to make you shudder as you await the next disturbance. The music composed by Christopher Reiner, Kevin Van Cott, and Joseph Bishara transports you to a dark and foreboding place.

If I had to nitpick about anything, I think, like Abandon, I would have gone further to shock the audience, but what they present is still very shocking. The best way to describe the experience is that it’s like a Halloween horror maze, but instead of walking from room to room, the horror comes directly to you. And as you are “trapped” in your seat, there’s a stronger sense of unease. And isn’t that what you want in a horror play? This is a must-see show for the Halloween season - if you dare!

The show is rated R: No one under 17 admitted without a parent or guardian. It also contains nudity, gore, and strobe lighting.

What: Zombie Joe’s Underground’s Urban Death Vegas

When: October 10 - 12, 17 - 20, 24 - 26 & 31, November 1 - 2, at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Vegas Theatre Company, 1025 S. 1st St. #110, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Tickets: $30 General Admission, $45 VIP (includes complimentary beverage, premier seating, and discounted merchandise)

RATING: Scrumptious ★★★★

Director: Jana Wimer; Executive Producer: Robert Bullwinkel; Music: Christopher Reiner, Kevin Van Cott & Joseph Bishara; Sound Design: Jake Harrell, Jana Wimer & Toby Allen; Lighting Design: Jake Harrell; VTC Technical Director: Jake Harrell; VTC Artistic Director: Daz Weller.