Theater Review: 'Living Dead in Denmark' by Connecticut Repertory Theatre

Review by Connecticut Critics Circle member and Patch Contributor Nancy Sasso Janis

In celebration of the spooky season, Connecticut Repertory Theatre will present a killer production of the Qui Nguyen play “Living Dead in Denmark” through Oct. 19 in the Nate Katter Theatre on the UConn Storrs campus. Tlaloc Rivas directs all of the fighting off of zombies that have a clever connection to Shakespeare in this unique piece.

This action-adventure/horror two-act play manages to blend Shakespearean themes and modern horror. The action-packed tale is set five years after the events of The Bard’s classic tragedy "Hamlet." In a world where zombies have taken over, the unlikely protagonist, Fortinbras, rallies a team of female characters from Shakespeare's works, including Juliet, Ophelia, and Lady M(acbeth) in order to combat the threat of the undead.

While I will not pretend to know everything about the world of zombies, I am familiar with another of Nguyen’s works “She Kills Monsters.” Patrons that appreciate a story involving the creepy undead, will enjoy this imaginative and frightfully fun mashup of what CRT Artistic Director Megan Monaghan Rivas calls “memorable characters from Shakespeare with modern zombie imagery.”

I was grateful that Rivas reminds us of the undead imagery that spans from Mary Shelley to “The Walking Dead.” “Generations have gazed in riveted horror at the figure of a body controlled by another intelligence and sent to perform violence and mayhem,” she adds. I read with interest that zombies are rooted in beliefs about divinity. The original word “Nzambi" (from the Kongo language spoken in West Africa) actually “names an omnipotent deity who is kind, looks out for the poor and those in trouble, and is just and merciful.”

Halli Gibson, who is a ‘27 MFA acting student who has trained with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, strongly portrays the brave Ophelia. Puerto Rican actor Sandy Borrero, a ‘27 MFA actor, effectively brings to life the bilingual Lady Macbeth (“Lady M”) and Julia Smith, who is a ‘27 BFA acting major, is a delight in the deceptively tame Juliet from “Romeo & Juliet.” Ensemble member Mariangelie Velez steps up to portray the mischievous Puck, often speaking in Spanish. Velez, who is a Puerto Rican actress and MFA ‘27 student, also plays Taylor Swift, a characterization that I did not recognize until I checked my printed program.

Lia Marie from the ensemble, a ‘27 BFA actor, plays the beautiful Titania, the fairy queen, as well as one of the weird sisters. Bryan David Anderson of the ensemble, who is studying to earn an MFA in ‘27, takes on the role of Fortinbras as well as McDuff. Jiahui Guo, a ‘27 MFA acting student, tackles the role of Guilderstern, Peaseblossom, a puppeteer and a delightful interpretation of a UConn-inspired Caliban. Chris Martin appears as a ghost and also as the black leather clad Hamlet himself. Martin is a ‘27 MFA actor who earned his BFA at Florida State University and does well with both roles.

Mark Sadowski, a ‘26 BFA actor from Sandy Hook, seamlessly handles his roles of Rosencrantz, Tybalt, Oberon, a gravedigger and ensemble. Daniel Pawlyk, a ‘27 BFA actor, steps out of the ensemble to play Horatio. Kudos to Beau Brennon ‘26 on his CRT debut performance as the puppeteer of Laertes. Marie Sawyer ‘28 is also a (self-taught) puppeteer in her CRT debut, and ensemble members play zombies as needed.

The puppet members of the cast were impressively designed by Ali Etesamifar, who fabricated them with Bart Roccoberton, Jr. What a pleasure to see how the various styles of puppets (that I would not dare to attempt to identify) work together in the two acts.

Scenic design by Siyi Xiang struck me as Shakespearean in its austere tone and lighting design by Michael Chybowski illuminates the stage with precision and shading.

The costumes designed by Emma Sowards struck me as a fresh take on traditional Shakespearean garb, beautifully constructed and able to stand up to the requirements of the fight choreography worked out by Brad Frazier, a visiting assistant professor of movement at UConn. Makeup design by Madison Szymaszek enhances the faces of the various characters that come from very different plays. Sound design by Jake Neighbors worked as well as could be expected at the matinee for high school students that I attended.

I admittedly did not process all of the zombie aspects in this clever script, but I proudly caught more of the Shakespeare riffs than most of the audience members. I loved the incidental music, and I enjoyed the premise, as well as the hard work put in by the cast and production team.

Coming up at CRT in the 2025-2026 season will be the musical version of “As You Like It,” “Darling: A Choose Your Own Adventure in Dismantling the Patriarchy,” “Three Musketeers: 1941,” and a double bill of one-act comedies to be announced.

Please note: Due to construction is the area of the Nate Katter, plan on at least 30 minutes to park your vehicle and walk to the theater. I spent an hour finding a space to park and making my way across the massive Storrs campus (although the fact that Google maps had me walking in circles certainly did not speed up the process.)

LIVING DEAD IN DENMARK
Written by Qui Nguyen
Directed by Tlaloc Rivas
October 9-19, 2025
Nafe Katter Theatre
connecticutrep.uconn.edu
860-486-2113

*photos by @mattiaslundblad