Are you an avid viewer of The Walking Dead? Grown up watching George A. Romero’s films about the reanimated dead? Want to get in on the action yourself? Of course you do, and we’ve stumbled across the perfect event for you. Unlike other zombie experiences which rely heavily on a chase element, Generation of Z: Apocalypse instead has you act as a fly on the wall in an immersive piece of promenade theatre.
Zombie HQ is housed in Whitechapel, just a short walk from the tube station and is easily accessible. The production kicks off with the necessary health and safety brief – you may be manhandled, you may get bloody (but it will wash out) and, to steal from Arnie, there is no bathroom. Once briefed the audience is abandoned in a dark and dingy industrial basement, the walls littered with missing posters, the floor covered in rubbish and debris. Make the most of this quiet unease as it’s the safest you’ll be for the next hour.
The cast, a five strong army squad then burst onto the scene and our world turns upside down. The audience is wrenched about early on with four smaller audience groups forming later, each on their way to a different adventure. This is a very clever idea from the creators as it will encourage repeat attendances. THN found themselves in a group led by the squad leader, the plot strand involving a power struggle with one of the younger team members and a harrowing moral choice that genuinely packs a heck of a kick. The story that we followed was an emotive and evocative rollercoaster. This is not passive theatre, it’s a production that will test your meta and your morals.
Predominantly in darkness you’ll need to keep your wits about you as danger lurks in every nook and cranny. Your nerves will be shredded, but that being said, you’ll be dying to come back and do it all again.
The make-up and special effects elevate the atmosphere, gun shots fire all over the place and blood, and other bodily fluids, spurt from everywhere. The effects are so intense and realistic you’ll find yourself chanting it’s only a play, it’s only a play.
If you go into Generation of Z: Apocalypse expecting the traditional zombie tag experience then you may find yourself a little underwhelmed or disappointed. If however, you’re up for something a little different and want to try a different form of theatre, then this is the ticket for you.
[usr=5] Generation of Z: Apocalypse will run until July, buy your tickets here.
