NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD! THE MUSICAL! | Ghostlight Theatre Co.
All images: Alan Burchill
When you mix a cast of young actors, a live band, some playful cultural misappropriation and camp acting influenced by noir, horror and the razzle-dazzle of musical theatre, you’ll get the side-splitting chaos that is NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD! THE MUSICAL! from the folks at Ghostlight Theatre Co. This tragic-horror-comedy rock musical runs from 7-23 November 2025, at the EvilCorp Horror Maze in Fortitude Valley—a perfectly chosen venue for horror themed mayhem and tasty shots at the bar. The whole package is a sensory feast of absurdity and misadventure.
All images: Alan Burchill
To appreciate this production fully, one must first revisit its cinematic ancestor: George A. Romero’s 1968 Night of the Living Dead. Often hailed as the father of the modern zombie genre, Night of the Living Dead brought an apocalyptic end of world narrative to cinemas. The film is set in a claustrophobic rural Pennsylvania farmhouse, which served as an allegory for Cold War paranoia, civil unrest, and racial tension at the end of the civil rights movement, when middle America was grappling with Apartheid. Romero’s low-budget black-and-white film broke new ground in horror and social commentary. Made for just over $100,000, it ignited an entire cultural mythology that persists to this day.
Crucially, the casting of Duane Jones, an African American actor, as the lead character Ben was revolutionary. In an era still marked by segregation and civil rights battles, Romero’s decision to portray Ben as the competent, rational hero stood in stark contrast to Hollywood stereotypes of the time. The film’s tragic ending—where Ben survives the zombie horde only to be casually shot by a white posse—was a gut-punch that mirrored America’s racial violence and indifference. Released just months after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, the film’s bleak conclusion felt like a haunting metaphor for a country devouring itself.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD! THE MUSICAL! pays homage to this cinematic legacy but does so with an irreverent wink rather than a deep dive into the original narrative. Its rock-driven score injects a vibrant pulse where the horde is pounding at the door. While the original film’s score relied on eerie electronic loops and stock orchestral cues to build suspense, the musical replaces that dread with rhythmic satire and camp energy.
The musical’s script reimagines Romero’s cult classic through a modern Australian lens, peppered with bawdy humour, exaggerated stereotypes, and pop culture crucifixion. Its characters are heightened caricatures of the original’s ensemble: think “bogan survivalists” and “Instagram influencers at the end of the world.” The production lampoons the low-budget spirit of the original—the couch, a door and some curtains, deliberately awkward choreography, and intentionally overacted panic scenes all contribute to some bad-taste fun.
All images: Alan Burchill
Notably, in this reimagining much of the original film’s subtext on race and human nature is sidestepped. In the musical, Ben’s tragic heroism is reworked into a camp twist—his fate ending in a bloody thirsty bad sex tape instead, bypassing the film’s searing commentary on racial violence, it misses an opportunity to highlight contemporary First Nations campaigns on human rights, reparation and recognition historically and currently, which would have offered a poignant Australian resonance.
Still, the production’s bawdiness and comedic intelligence shouldn’t be underestimated. Ghostlight Theatre Co. embraces the joy of bad taste with sharp timing and infectious enthusiasm. The show doesn’t aspire to the gravitas of Romero’s classic—it’s a rock ‘n’ roll resurrection.
In short, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD! THE MUSICAL! is a raucous, cleverly unhinged tribute that proves even horror’s darkest origins can find new life in song. Go for the zombies, stay for the satire—and maybe rewatch the original 1968 masterpiece before or after. You’ll laugh, cringe, and remember why Romero needs to make zombie movies and how entertaining and they still are today.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD! THE MUSICAL! plays at EvilCorp Horror Maze from Friday 7th to Sunday 23rd of November 2025.
