Ophelia's Revenge is a comedy theatrical production by Plagued Productions held at Marian Underground at the Indianapolis Fringe in Indianapolis, Indiana, now in its sixth year.
What's the Scoop?
Zombies, zombies, zombies! It seems like everything has been invaded by the flesh eating monsters in the past few years, from the book Pride and Prejudice to the shelves of Hot Topic. This time, hordes of brain craving ghouls invade the world of Shakespeare in Ophelia's Revenge--a delightful one act romp through the bard's plays.
Enter Ophelia, the woman thought dead at the end of the Hamlet. Upon awakening from a drug induced simulated death, she is accosted by Horatio and informed that she's not the only one who's returned from beyond the grave--a plague has hit, bringing the dead back to life (if you can call it that), including the man responsible for her father's death, Hamlet himself. What follows is a fabulous farce in which Ophelia enlists the aid of characters such as Juliet and Lady Macbeth in exacting her revenge against the now-undead Prince of Denmark.
An All Around Satisfying Production
There are a million ways in which such a premise could go horribly, horribly wrong, but Ophelia's Revenge manages to avoid all of them. A brilliant play that hilariously and affectionately pokes fun at the two genres it merges--classic theatre and classic zombie movies--it doesn't miss a step.
The characters are fresh and interesting, delivering a great deal of humor. In Juliet we find the coquettish, twitty teenage heroine is a satirical look at the typical "love at first sight" plot device so often found in classic literature and theatre, and in Horatio we see the deadpan dopey comic relief, walking a fine line between being the only sane man in the room and the biggest idiot in town. Both actors in these roles (Carrie Morgan and Ben Asaykwee, respectively) play their parts perfectly, wonderfully self aware.
And what of the lead character, Ophelia? Maria Meschi does an admirable job with the material, proving to be a good 'normal' counterpoint to the over the top happenings going on around her. This contrast only enhances the humor of the story, since, without a good straight man, absurdity can seem like it's trying too hard.
There aren't many instances when the script fails to deliver guffaws and the only complaint may be that the play feels like it needs a good tightening all around--maybe shortening it by five or ten minutes--but that doesn't change the fact that it's a deliciously playful piece packed with humor and fun.
Final Verdict
With genuine affection, Ophelia's Revenge gives both Shakespeare and the now tired Zombie-Invading-Established-Fictional-Universe cliche a good and thorough ribbing, delivering lots of laughs and a satisfying night out at the theatre. Four stars.
Lydia Ballard - A writer who got her start in the perilous world of fan fiction, Lydia Ballard is an aspiring comic book writer and self proclaimed lover ...
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