Theatre review: Back From the Dead inhabits a chaotic apocalyptic world
An energized live band accompanies the new rock musical, but the songs don’t always serve the storytelling
Back From the Dead: An Apocalyptic Rock Musical!
Back From the Dead: An Apocalyptic Rock Musical! continues at the Shop Theatre to June 28
A ZANY PLOT FOR a musical can be fun, but things still need to be digestible for the audience.
Presented by Renegade Arts Co., Back From the Dead: An Apocalyptic Rock Musical! aims to take audiences on an adventure through a quirky, post-apocalyptic world, set to electric-guitar-driven contemporary rock songs by the band Renegade.
But the show sometimes feels disjointed over its two-and-a-half-hour runtime, with some songs so disconnected that they break up the narrative flow.
In the story written by Jim Buckshon and Tom Harrison, a group of young people fall asleep together for some reason on March 10, 2020, and wake up in the 2080s. An apocalypse has now occurred, and the world is ruled by the villainous President Dr. Genius. The newly awakened group, who still appear to be in their early 20s, decide to call themselves “The No One”. Led by Vesper (Sophia Radford), The No One are on a mission to find The Green Space, the only place where greenery still exists. But to achieve this, they must evade the autocratic Dr. Genius and the watchful eyes of his cult The Immune.
It’s difficult to become emotionally invested in The No One’s journey, because there’s little clarity in the storyline or consistency in character portrayals. Plot elements such as the threat of the “Cyber Rat Frat Club” are spoken about without ever being introduced, then are seemingly dismissed moments later. On more than one occasion, The No One are captured by authority figures, and shortly after, everyone appears to have forgotten about it. There’s even a character who is killed, but returns in a later scene—yet no one seems surprised.
The songs, written by Buckshon, often don’t align with character motivations or the story. At one point, Vesper lets her hair down and does a seductive song and dance to “After the Smoke Clears”, reminiscing about her missing companion, Gatsby—but it’s odd, because there’s no romantic sparks between Vesper and Gatsby. Similarly, the second act opens with a production number titled “Take a Chance on Romance”, featuring a cast member inexplicably dressed as a mouse. It’s not clear who the mouse is encouraging to take a chance on romance.
Throughout, when a choreographic number begins, the actors abandon their blocking in the scene and run to strike their opening poses—jerking the audience out of the story and killing the momentum.
There are some bright spots. The live band, under the leadership of musical director Ricardo, plays Buckshon’s rock score with amped-up energy. And amid the chaos, Dalton Nelson delivers a strong performance as Gatsby, staying fully committed to his character and the story. He’s also a fantastic singer with excellent pitch, and his solo “Angel of Love” is the show’s highlight.
Throughout, projections are shown on a screen at the back of the stage, depicting the kind of computer-generated images you might see in a video game about a dystopian world. The images themselves fit with the theme, though they could be more connected to what’s happening onstage.
While Back From the Dead may have been intended as an edgy, high-energy rock musical, it weaves a tangle of incoherent storytelling, disconnected musical numbers, and unexplained tonal shifts. Revision will be needed for Back From the Dead to come to life. 
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