The lead roles were played by Doyi Lee of Saipan Southern High School as Toffee, Matthew Lopez of Marianas High School as Jonny Warner, Anna Rose Deloen Guerrero of SSHS as Delilah Strict and John Darag of MHS as Eddie Flagrante.
“Zombie Prom” is a romantic comedy that takes place in the atomic 1950’s and is set at Enrico Fermi High School.
The audience at PIC ranged from five-year-old children to esteemed figures of the community.
You’d expect a little rowdiness from the children but the cast’s demonstration of skilled acting and astounding vocals captivated spectators from the get go — children and adults alike.
The energy the characters exuded was enough to keep the audience from turning their heads away from the stage.
Deng Angeles, parent of Anne Angeles who played the role of Ginger, said her daughter worked very hard on her acting and her singing for hours on end, all the while staying on top of her studies.
Watching her daughter on opening night, she said all the stress, frustration and practice her daughter went through paid off when she stepped on the stage.
At the end of the show, the audience gave a lively round of applause.
Spectator Josie Delfredo said the play was fantastic. “My favorite part was when Jonny Warner turned into a zombie,” she told Variety.
Pastor David Bucher, a science teacher of Kagman High School, said it is always fun to see the youth perform.
“They were superb,” Bucher said. “They worked very hard on this play. Although they can take tonight as an opportunity to refine themselves for the next two nights, they already did a spectacular job on opening night. I’m very proud of them!”
The play was directed by Marianas High School’s Craig Hart, Dowen Joesen and Chiantee Rosette.
“Our brilliant young stars and actresses and tech crew have worked many long hours to bring ‘Zombie Prom’ to the community,” Hart stated in the director’s note.
Craig Hart is an 11th grade student. This is his first play. He participates in MHS video productions, filming Trench Tech and the Flame Tree Arts Festival.
He said “ ‘Zombie Prom’ is the next ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ ”
“Directing ‘Zombie Prom’ was a challenge, but in the end, working with the people in it and meeting new talents made all the stress and tears worth it,” said Dowen Joesen, a 12th grade student.
She directed the Thespians of the Western Pacific Islands’ productions of “The Secret Garden” and “Stage Door.”
Chiante Rosete is an 11th grade student and has been in TWPI productions before but this was her first time directing.
“Zombie Prom” was written by the writing team of Dana P. Rowe (music) and John Dempsey (book and lyrics), who are also responsible for writing the musicals “The Fix” and “The Witches of Eastwick.”
Zombie Prom was first produced at The Red Barn Theatre in Key West, Florida in February, 1993. Later in the same year it was produced at the New River Repertory Theatre in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Subsequently, “Zombie Prom” was taken to New York City and produced in workshop at the Lawrence A. Wein Center in February and March of 1995. The following year, the show opened Off-Broadway on April 9, 1996 in New York City at the Variety Arts Theatre.
