Friday, August 9, 2013

Review: (Calgary) An Apocalypse Survival Guide: Undead or Alive (Fringe)

Zombie Tag! I survived! 
by Joe Vermeulen
@YYZatcboy

Chalk this up to the weirdest birthday ever! Work has kept me away from the Fringe this year (hence my lack of coverage – sorry!) but finally I managed to snag a day off for my birthday and for a Fringe show. As soon as I was down in Inglewood all I heard about was this show called An Apocalypse Survival Guide: Undead or Alive, so I thought I would check it out.

I’m totally glad I did. Rocking the Dade Art and Design lab, ASG:UA is a hilarious romp that not only talks about zombies, but parodies fanatical religion (looking at you tele-evangelists), scam artists and concludes with a chosen group of survivors being chased through the streets by the rest of the audience as a horde of zombies.

I don’t normally like the whole audience participation thing, but the lead 'Wade Kliffguard' and his female assistant really get the crowd going.  You are not only encouraged to participate but are actively rewarded for doing so. Given 'Wade Bucks' for good zombie apocalypse tactics or ideas, the people with the most bucks end up being the 'alive' people for zombie tag. When talking about the zombie apocalypse strategies Wade and his assistant expertly blur the lines between people who are real believers, and those who are just in it for the money and the fame. It’s great to see these two Albertans have such a good time with sarcastic parody and fun.

With my military experience I was one of the alive, and one of only two people to 'survive'. Wade is heading up to Edmonton Fringe next, make sure you head out ready to engage and participate, and prepare to stay late for the Zombie tag.  This is one of the most fun and interactive shows I have seen for a long time and recommend it to anyone with a taste for zombies, clever parodies, and running around being chased by zombies! Look Out! 

An Apocalypse Survival Guide: Undead or Alive is at the Calgary Fringe
The work will also appear at the Edmonton Fringe

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