Catchy, campy and coming soon to the Waage: A girl-loves-ghoul tale the whole nuclear family will enjoy

A musical with equal parts horror and heart, “Zombie Prom” adds a comically grisly twist to the age-old tale of teenagers, tragedy and undying love – because the hero of this story is literally undead.

Gruesomely green and obviously decaying, but somehow very much alive, high school bad boy Jonny takes everyone by surprise when he returns from the grave several weeks after his untimely death at the local nuclear power plant. He shows up back at school in hopes of both graduating and rekindling his romance with Toffee, his high school sweetheart, but his plans face stiff opposition from the school’s tyrannical principal, Miss Strict. Meanwhile, the rest of the staff and students do their best to come to terms with the idea of a zombie attending prom. 

“Set in the era of the Atomic ‘50s and featuring a catchy rock-and-roll soundtrack, this show is a fun, girl-loves-ghoul exploration of relationships, rebellion and acceptance,” says ‘Zombie Prom’ Director and M State Theatre Faculty Stefanie Gerhardson. “It’s witty, campy entertainment for the whole family. It’s just a blast – and it’s just in time for Halloween!”

“Zombie Prom” will be performed at the Waage Theatre, on M State’s Fergus Falls campus, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, October 25 and 26, and again on November 1 and 2, as well as at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 3.

The production stars Henning graduate Kyle Tierney as Jonny, Evansville graduate Cherise Wales as Toffee, Fergus Falls graduate Maezyn Haugen as Miss Strict, and Park Rapids graduate Jacob Berg as reporter Eddie Flagrante. Fergus Falls natives Alyse Fielder, Brodie Sandford, Michey Ochoa and Tasha LaBeau also star, along with Devin Cordahl of Park Rapids, Samantha Lehne of Appleton, Cass Schleske of Pelican Rapids, Kay Jenkins of Moorhead, Cadence Hartman of Battle Lake, Jenna Allen-DeRemer of Detroit Lakes, and Alisha Ouren of Elizabeth.

Assisting Gerhardson with the production are Austin Hess-Jensen as stage manager, Dagny Gerhardson on lights, Haydyn Hedland on sound, and Angel Grenvik on music.

“Zombie Prom” opened off-Broadway in 1996 and was adapted into a short film a decade later, with the role of Miss Strict notably played by RuPaul. With music by Dana P. Rowe and book and lyrics by John Dempsey, the stage show also enjoyed a run in London, opening there in 2009.

Tickets for the M State production are available for $15 at the door or $12 in advance at the Fergus Falls Campus Store or online at mstate.universitytickets.com. The campus store is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and may be reached at 218.736.1556.

Learn more about M State’s Fine Arts programs at minnesota.edu/fine-arts.