N3rd.Girl versus the Zombie Apocalypse

It’s was highly appropriate that it was a dark stormy night when I made my way to The Butterfly Club to see the special Halloween Edition of N3rd.Girl versus the Zombie Apocalypse.  You never quite know what you might see or experience when you take a trip to Melbourne’s premier Cabaret Venue, and this time was certainly no exception. I was indeed lucky to escape with my life and brains intact after being overrun by REAL Zombies…

Jen Coles has come up with certainly one of the most unique ideas for a Cabaret that I have ever seen. Her Heroine, N3rd.Girl, is the last person who can save the human race from the Zombie Apocalypse, foretold by such movies as Dawn of the Dead but ignored by the foolish human race. Gathered in a bunker, the audience are the last lucky members of the human race to have a chance of deliverance. Luckily for us, N3rd.Girl has spent much of her life unwittingly preparing herself for such an occasion; instead of interacting with other humans in a social capacity she was watching Zombie Movies instead.  With handy tips on how to identify, understand and kill Zombies, N3rd.Girl and her assistant “guy in the hat” or Rowland for the uninformed, present a most informative and helpful workshop. Things don’t quite go to plan, with our helicopter-bringing rescuers being infected by the Zombie virus and real Zombies breaching our non-Zombie zone but luckily N3rd.Girl had the wits and tricks to save us from them; culminating in an all-singing, all-dancing Zombie finale (is there any other kind?!?!).

In order to better enhance the flow of the story, some amendments of the script going into and coming out of the one serious song would help. As the story is so heightened and unrealistic, to have a real moment without much lead up was slightly jarring. Otherwise I thought the writing was of an excellent standard. Whether you are a Zombie aficionado or not, there are many gags that will tickle your funny bone. There were also a range of songs from Michael Jackson to REM to Weird Al Yankovic, with some additional lyrics by Coles that really added to the comic value of the piece. Musical highlights for me were the rewritten “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from the Disney classic Mulan, and the use of “English Country Garden” in some underscoring moments.                    From her entrance (singing “praise the Lord and pass the ammunition” and handing out pamphlets) to her exit, Coles brings a high energy performance. Her character is quirky and unexpected, with matter-of-fact comic timing and an ironic manner that was a winner with the audience.  Highlights of her performance include an unexpected serenade to an unsuspecting audience member, a translation of Zombie language via a very witty song delivered with dry humour by Coles, and “the Book of Zombie” including a detailed breakdown of how the situation arose. Coles has a clear, pretty soprano tone, however perhaps some of the songs could have been transposed in order to fully show off her vocal talents. The songs were thematically excellent but I’m not sure we saw all that she is capable of vocally. Technology was utilised very effectively in the presentation, with audiovisual presentations that were at times reminiscent of Troy McClure, adding a little bit of extra humour in original ways.

Direction by Kim Edwards was well executed with great initiative used in staging. The space is so small, and effective staging can make the space seem so much bigger, as is the case in N3rd.Girl. Lighting also by Edwards was appropriate and helped convey the emotion desired by Coles.  Coles was accompanied by Rowland Braché in more ways than one…  As the aforementioned “guy in the hat”, Braché used his musical prowess and acting chops to be a great addition to the show. (He also had a couple of handy props that gave the audience a laugh or two).

It doesn’t matter if you are obsessed with Zombie Movies or just enjoy a well-executed Cabaret performance; you will find something to enjoy in N3rd.Girl. Coles is a talented actor, certainly a fantastic creator and this show is a very clever and funny Cabaret indeed. Congratulations to all involved, and thanks for the heads up, I’ll be sure to be aware of the impending Zombie doom from now on!