THE OFFICIAL REVIEW:Pack your bags, protect your brains and head for the hills. The zombies are here!
IT seems that the walking dead are everywhere nowadays. Whether shuffling restlessly on television or movie screens, ambushing you in huge mobs in PC or Playstation games, or making their menace felt through the pages of novels, it appears that the zombie has become a mainstay of popular culture.
And now, with the staging of Serangan Zombi Pertama di Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC), it appears that zombies – grotesque monsters that audiences just love to hate – have conquered the stage as well.
Sandee Chew and Redza Minhat are impressive as Salmon and Ma’An.
The production, a stylized depiction of a zombie apocalypse taking place on Malaysian shores, features many unconventional narrative techniques, not all of which work effectively, resulting in a rather inconsistent show.
Serangan Zombi features the talents of Redza Minhat, Sandee Chew, Ashraf Zain and Shamaine Othman. It is an anthology of several short interconnected pieces: Ma’an and Minah Bakery, written by Redza Minhat and directed by Megat Sharizal; Heenh, written by Adiwijaya and directed by Yusman Mokhtar, and three smaller pieces, Memories, Emptiness and Loneliness, written and directed by Ayam Fared.
Ma’An and Minah Bakery is a character-driven story of two unlikely survivors of the apocalypse, who find themselves drawn together out of necessity. Diary of the Dead-style video-journalist Salmon wants only to rest momentarily before stepping out into the action again; however, neurotic, nerdy Ma’An wants nothing more than to remain where he is, safe and secure.
What results is akin to a zombie Odd Couple, or, to use zombie-movie terms, Alice from Resident Evil forced to move in with Columbus from Zombieland.
While most zombie tales begin with a confrontation and end with its characters reaching refuge, Megat’s piece begins in the safe room instead, and focuses more on how the survivors deal with each other rather than hordes of the walking dead.
The characters serves as an interesting look at the nature of change and how people deal with it. Former bakery owner Salmon embraces change with gusto, seizing it as an opportunity to make a difference. However, Ma’An actively resists it, preferring to maintain as much order as he can impose on his reinforced pantry, and finding comfort in unchangeable, immutable laws of mathematics.
While storyline of Bakery is rather predictable at times, it is nonetheless compelling due to a witty script and capable acting. Chew does well as the gutsy, high-strung Salmon, while Redza shines as Ma’An, portraying his character in both an endearing and a highly realistic manner.
Grotesquely lovable: Ashraf Zain (as Zombi Boi) and Shamaine Othman (Zombi Grrl) in Heenh. – Kelab Shashin Fotografi KL
Heenh is a landmark production, possibly the only production in history to be staged mainly in the zombie language, with subtitles in English and Malay projected on screens behind the actors.
Focusing on the unlikely bond between two zombies, Meshaagh and Hr’Ar, the play attempts to answer the age-old question: Does being a zombie come naturally? Are the shuffling walk, terrifying grunts and hunger for human flesh innate instincts (or should we say in-dead instincts?), or do the undead pick it up along the way?
Heenh is quite gripping, with actors Ashraf and Shamaine doing well as the zombies. Denied the option of human dialogue, they have to rely on the most primal form of acting, using grunts and body language, and they succeed at this admirably, managing to make their grotesque, flesh-hungry characters lovable and even pitiable.
Ayam Fared’s pieces are slotted alternately throughout the performance, with Memories played at the start, Emptiness inbetween, and Loneliness at the end. These pieces, while still focusing on Salmon, are less stories than stand-alone experimental segments, relying mostly on ambient sounds and the actions of actress Chew to convey his message.
When Fared’s pieces succeed, they do so admirably. Emptiness is particularly inspired, combining harsh and unsettling background sounds with graceful, elegant movements. It emphasises the human tendency to create form out of nothing, and to make sense of nonsense.
Another memorable scene is the slow progression of a zombie parade in Emptiness – it is delightfully creepy.
Unfortunately, Fared’s pieces rely on a prolonged buildup, with little happening on stage. This results in making the audience bored and restless, instead of keeping them in suspense.
Certain parts carry on for far too long and lose their meaning. And certain segments, such as the disorienting strobe lighting in Memories, just do not work.
Credit must be given to the make-up and costume department for managing to create grotesque, yet distinctive looks for each of the zombies on set.
The attention to detail is commendable: you see zombies sporting all manner of wounds, scars and disfigurements that would scare even the most experienced of surgeons.
The unconventional narrative techniques and unsettling tone of Serangan Zombi Pertama di Malaysia may not be for everyone, and those who expect a straightforward, action-packed zombie shoot-em-up will most likely be disappointed by this production.
However, if you can look past all that, you may find the show compelling as it manages to be an unusual and complex examination of zombies, who are cast less as a mindless horde than catalysts for change, or metaphors for dehumanisation.
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Another thing Serangan Zombi does well is effectively characterizing its zombies, making them recognisably humanoid while maintaining a terrifying monstrosity. Why zombies work, after all, is because they are like us and not truly like us, people with everything human about them removed. While Serangan’s zombies may be overly person-like at times, they have thankfully retained their grotesqueness, unlike a certain other popular series which has transformed its characters into sparkling, emo-music playing wankers.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
What is it about zombie slaying action girls that makes them totally hot?? Alice from Resident Evil, Zoey from Left4Dead, Wichita from Zombieland..
I think if there really were a zombie apocalypse in Malaysia, we should lure all the walking dead into MidValley; their legs would have all fallen off from overuse once they reach one end from another.
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