Brains – Theatre Peckham, Peckham

Writer: Andrew Atha
Director: Jasmine McHayle

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Clever, Funny Zom-Com“

4.5 / 5

28 Days Later, The Walking Dead, Train to Busan – the undead are constantly on our screens and sparking discussions on what you’d do if was ever actually a Zombie apocalypse in the future. Keira has always been a big fan, but now it’s actually here, she’s realised the reality unfortunately isn’t as exciting as she thought.

After managing to find a safe hideout in the pub she used to work at, Keira (Lauren Michell) has so far survived impressively well. The Tesco down the road is so far untouched and stocked with supplies, her radio still works and she’s not managed to catch the attention of any of the Zombie’s outside yet. So when fellow survivor Henry (Andrew Atha) bursts in with a gun and erratically demands to see her supplies, she’s caught off-guard – can she trust him or is he more dangerous than the outbreak outside?!

Andrew Atha’s aptly described zom-com is complete delight for any horror movie fan. The typical zombie movie tropes are well referenced with a really funny, clever lens. His characters are very well structured – Keira’s chilled out, blasé nature compliments Henry’s manic, desperate energy perfectly, and their slow progression of trusting each other is paced well, the initial apprehension until they start finding common ground is enjoyable to watch. Both Michell and Atha are great within their roles, extracting the comedy from the script with excellent facial expressions and well-timed exclamations. Henry’s hopeful reinvention as Shark is a brilliant introduction to his character, while Michell’s energetic intensity is an ideal way to close the show.

Director Jasmine McHayle does a fantastic job of balancing the sense of feeling – allowing the audience to relax into the easy chemistry between the pair, before ramping up the tension with a bite scare or secret reveal. The urgency of the outbreak is constantly simmering within the narrative, interspersed well with the day to day monotony and believable thought-processes, sometimes shown at its peak with an atmospheric lighting and sound change. All of the decisions made and conversations are brilliantly realistic, while still being humorous and entertaining. Although mainly a comedy, due to the well-layered characterisation, there is still an emotive, heart-felt message behind both characters who in the pre-zombie world, were both a bit lost. Touching on that aspect helps add another layer to the narrative, which really strengthens the production as a whole.

Running for two days at Peckham Fringe – Brains will hopefully make like a zombie as well, because this is a great show, by two talented actors that deserves to rise again and have another life in the future.

Runs until 7^th May 2025