So, the Zombie Apocalypse is finally upon us, but it has arrived with more of a low moan than a blood-lusting scream.

Royale Productions’ high-concept Apocalypse Z – written by Simon London and David Van Horn and directed by Andrew Foster – has barricaded itself securely within Aotea Centre. The square is host to one of the few refuges yet to fall to the onslaught of the “infected”, a last hope for we lucky few remaining survivors to be airlifted to the safe zone.

Feeding into the contemporary mania for all things Zombie, and selling itself with buzzwords like “interactive” and “immersive theatrical experience”, Z has run an impeccable promotional campaign that has even included a zombie reporter reading the news. Z, however, has oversold itself on two fronts. First, there’s a practical issue of audience numbers and space. Second, expectations built high, the pay off needs more flesh and braaaiiins. [More] 

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Audience members find themselves cast as B-movie extras and interactive drama hits a new level.  

The growing trend towards interactive theatre is thrown into overdrive in a show that invites you to immerse yourself in the always hazardous task of surviving a zombie apocalypse. 

All the action takes place behind the barricades of a makeshift containment facility, and the imaginative identification that grips spectators of any engaging narrative is taken to a different level as audience members find themselves cast as extras for a B-grade horror flick. [More] 

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Zombies are ubiquitous in popular culture at the moment. Books, film adaptations, video games, TV series and even children’s animations, they’re so plentiful and nigh-exhaustive you’d think there would be nothing new left to explore within this area of the horror genre.

And you’d be (pardon the pun) dead wrong.

Apocalypse Z is a new immersive zombie experience happening right in the heart of Auckland. Down the far end of Aotea Square a compound has been constructed out of shipping containers and fortified fences, with armed guards and scientific personnel, as a safe haven to the survivors of the impending zombie apocalypse that has hit the city (and, we’re told soon after, the world). 

We’re cattle-herded out of our urban comfort, into this setting by a team of trained weary professionals who have managed to keep themselves safe and promise to get us away from the approaching madness, into a waiting quarantine station. Poked and prodded, we have to pass a bunch of tests and be disinfected to make sure we’re not one of the already infected. 

Before long, fears mount and hell starts to break loose and we’re quickly shepherded into a ‘safer’ environment deeper in the base where further complexities evolve and tensions mount amongst the team. 

Evolved extensively by an excellent production team and scripted tightly by Simon London and David Van Horn, the show is a 75 minute adrenalin rush for an audience seeking something truly thrilling and involving in their theatre. We’re given all the traditional exposition, some expected character types and tightly wound scenarios of the horror genre, but here the audience is thrown right into the middle and asked to participate with the characters and environment as the hordes of undead make their inevitable approach. 

To say too much about the actual plotting of this would be to spoil the surprises and frights that this highly inventive work has up its sleeve, but be prepared to get frightened in a whole new, bloody fun, way. Of course, if you don’t want to get involved, there is the option to just sit back and watch everyone else get scared out of their skin, but the whole fun of this piece is the immediacy of the interplay between audience and cast. 

A large video wall keeps us abreast of the events outside the makeshift walls from seemingly all angles and is very well rendered and controlled throughout so we can see and react to everything unfolding, complemented perfectly by walls of perfectly placed sound effects and use of focussed, subtle lighting shifts.

Horror and effects are so hard to get right, so I am very pleased that the work has been put in to make this such a compelling, credible environment with minimal moments where it is required to suspend disbelief.

Make no mistake though, this is no fairground haunted house ‘ride’: it is a brilliantly evolved and focussed work of theatre and the performers imbue their respective characters with high degrees of credibility and inject them with raw humanity that the scenario throws them into.

I’m not going to single anyone out here because a zombie movie is all about the ensemble surviving and this one manages it perfectly. All understand the moments of true terror and give it their all in their physical presentation within the space. 

My only criticism would be audience size. There were moments when vital plot points were a bit missed or muted with talking from nervous fellow audience members when we all knew that the undead could be on top of us at any moment and attack. Also, it would have just been nice to have not been crammed like sardines into the space, despite that helping to heighten the tension and immediacy of the environment. Maybe there is a need to halve the house size and play more sessions or maybe just a wee bit more planted crowd control? 

Get ready for a brand new, exciting kind of flesh-eating extravaganza. These zombies are creating an apocalypse that can’t, won’t and shouldn’t be stopped. George Romero would be so proud.  

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