What's not to like about "Zombie Attack!"? It's got sex, it's got drugs, it's got blood, it's got guts and, best of all, it's got the undead. And they're hungry. They could eat a horse, but they prefer people. In this hilariously gross play by Justin Tanner and Andy Daley, brought thoroughly to life in Cherry Red Productions' raucously nutty staging, they eat a lot of people. Some of whom deserve it.
      A few years after graduation, a group of college friends reunites at an old house in the hills. At first there's a lot of reestablishing of old, strong bonds--e.g., Buda (Charlie M. Berfield) and Speed (Josh Barrett) getting stupid with pot together, just like old times. There's also a little romantic tension. Will the ambitious babe Cory (Callie Michelle Kimball) Stay with her old beau Buda, or find herself some rich executive whom she thinks a woman of her accomplishments--a flight attendant recently promoted to the Chicago-London route--now deserves?
      But over dinner the highly hormonal Crystal (Kris Ruff), who may or may not be Speed's new girlfriend, decides to prove just how wrong those people are who doubt her claims to supernatural powers (that would be everyone else at the table). After all, she's been studying a copy of "Witchcraft 4 Dummies." She starts by trying to bring back to life the cat she and Speed ran over while pulling in the driveway. Lets just say she succeeds beyond her wildest expectations.
      And thus "The Big Chill" meets "Night of the Living Dead."
      While Tanner and Daley may despise the genre of the former, they clearly love the latter's. Their parody of horror flick conventions isn't mean-spirited at all. In fact, it's actually kind of charming since it still observes horror's antique morality: Bad people--in this case, the ill-mannered, foul-mouthed and/or poorly dressed--are the first victims.
      Director Rick Fiori has grabbed the tail of this whacked-out tale and in some places, literally swung it about. (Lord, what they do to that poor cat.) But instead of overdoing the script's absurdities and excesses, he merely brought them to the fore---and then balanced them with some sharply modulated pacing. His natural talent for building dramatic tension in farce is on full display. So are certain private parts of cast members--briefly--and a body fluid or two, which, in true Cherry Red style, sometimes sprays into the audience.
      The cohesive ensemble includes a variety of entertainingly exaggerated performances. Berfield's Buda and Barrett's Speed, a sweet pair of losers, are either whooping it up or shrieking their heads off all the time. Kimball's startling shallow Cory struts about, perpetually concerned about her nails and clothes, visibly irritated by anything that doesn't put her at the center of attention. Ruff's Crystal is thoroughly obnoxious, a manic boor with a big mouth that lets fly with some wonderfully outrageous lines. As Gary, the only one with a rational mind, Michael Glenn is reserved, controlled and perfectly calm--right up until he must use a power saw for protection.
      The set? It's just the stage of Metro Cafˇ, a bar-cum-music joint with walls as black as it's floor is sticky. It's a pretty good venue for Cherry Red's brand of punk theater, of which "Zombie Attack" is a perfect example. Just make sure you're not on the menu.

The Washington Blade
"A pussy with a curse on it"
by Stacey Whitmire
June 23, 2000

Morbidity reaches a new level as irreverent theatre company Cherry Red Productions locks seriousness out of the house and flushes the key down the toilet with its latest production, "Zombie Attack!"
      Written by Justin Tanner and Andy Daley, this satire of the horror movie genre is just the kind of meat that Cherry Red likes to knaw on. Beware! There will be blood. There will be lots of panicked screaming. There will be exposed genitalia. You will get wet. Openly gay director Rick Fiori makes sure of it. While the plot is predictable, the satirical journey is crudely, zestfully appalling--and hilarious...
      Corey and Buda are the first characters to arrive at the secluded cabin. A self-absorbed flight attendant, Cory keeps a lover in every major city and offers wealthy passengers her own version of first class service. She gloats to friends that she now flies the coveted London-Chicago route twice a week. Buda, she confides, is "someone to take up my time between flights." Buda, her aimless, randy beau, self medicates to escape her aggravated nagging until their next flop in the sack.
      Shannon and Gary soon chug up the stage. Gary is a straight-laced guy who wears his oxford shirt and tie to the cabin. After he takes a slug from his whiskey flask, he reveals his sexist tongue. He mystifies Buda when he says that he is developing Shannon into his "Class A housewife." Wide-eyed Shannon, who loves New Age music, nurses dreams of theatrical stardom.
      Speed and Crystal storm onto the scene just having run over a cat. Speed, a blocked, constantly spun-up painter, is with his punishing benefactor, Crystal, who is reading a book entitled "Witchcraft 4 Dummies." Though Crystal's obsession with this book adds to Speed's anxiety, he cannot do much to dissuade her from her interest in reanimating dead tissue. You have to feel bad for a guy whose lover screams at him, "You want to stop riding my face?"
      Trouble hits these sitting ducks when ... [Cherry Red editor's note: we'll skip the part where she gives "it" away]
      Cast members, particularly Josh Barrett and Michael Glenn, are pushed to incredible stunts, and each offer their natural wit and clever nuance as these screw-ups try to escape their gory fate. ...
      This is a truly enjoyable descent to new lows in taste.

The Washington City Paper
"Zombie Attack!"
by Jessica Dawson
June 23, 2000

Dear Marge: How is Palm Beach? Walt and I will be down over Thanksgiving, so save our spots at Bingo! Things here in Largo are fine, thanks. My Grandson Marty--the dermatologist-- took me into Washington to go to the theatre last week. Isn't that sweet? He's such a good grandson. (And a good doctor, too!) Anyway, Marty took me to "Zombie Attack!," which he says is a hit with the young people. He also told me the theater company is very experimental. Let me tell you, Margie, he wasn't kidding! Now, I love my grandson--even if he is dating that shiksa--and if I could see him through potty training, I can see him through this "experimental theatre phase of his. Margie, they were spewing blood--on the audience! There was even nudity-- right in front of everyone! Oh, it made me blush that Marty should be exposed to this. Apparently young people define "flesh-starved zombies" a little differently than we did when we were young. These undead were sex-starves--and they ripped of their victims' clothes! And the theatre wasn't even a theatre--it was really a rock club. I should have worn earplugs! There's only so much screaming my old ears can take. Oy, kids today! Kisses to you and Paul. See you in November! Yours, Ethel. [Cherry Red editor's note: Ethel eats shit and likes it.]

Metro Weekly
"Zombified"
by Sean Bugg
June 29, 2000>

If Hershel Gordon Lewis, the infamous director of classic schlock such as "2000 Maniacs" and "Blood Feast," were alive today and had miraculously acquired some talent, he'd feel right at home in "Zombie Attack!," the latest hilarious assault on civilized sensibilities from Washington's Cherry Red Productions.
      The plot of "Zombie Attack!" is pretty much summed up in the title. A group of character sketches--the frustrated boyfriend, the goofy stoner, the starry-eyed amateur actress, the real bitch, and others--find themselves trapped in a rural house at the mercy of the ravenous undead, the result of the unfortunate combination of nearby corpses and a misguided attempt to revive a dead cat.
      "Zombie Attack!" focuses on the jokes and blood, leaving great statements on love and death to other, less self-avowedly "sleazy" theatre companies. Horror movies are the more important cultural touchtone here, particularly that compination of slapstick and gore perfected in the cult fave "Evil Dead" series (if you have to ask, go rent them now).
      The only downside to this narrow focus is that it opens the play to some dragging moments as the characters maneuver into position for the grand (guignol) finale, leaving one thinking, "When is someone gonna get an arm ripped off already?"
      Then the blood flies, the limbs rip off, and breasts and penises are gratuitously exposed in an orgy of low budget special effects that make great use of the minimal stage space. Does it make a lot of sense? No. Is it a lot of fun? Yes.
      Just don't wear white to the show. If you do, you'll probably want to sit in the back.

Digital City
"Zombie Attack!"
by Jon Milstein
July 1, 2000

It is said that the dead can walk like the living on certain nights when the stars align just right. For the next few weeks, it seems we've got celestial cooperation, so get ready...
      After a ten-year stint in L.A., launching the careers of several new performers including Third Rock from the Sun's French Stuart, it seems this Zombie just won't die. A sure-to-be cult classic, Zombie Attack is making its East Coast premiere in DC.
      ...This Attack goes for the jugular -- the horror film. The play is a parody of all of your favorite horror flicks, from Night of the Living Dead to Evil Dead. Not for the faint of heart, this screwy scare fest will have you squirming, screaming and squealing with laughter.