Austin Peay’s Fall theater production presents Zombie Prom. A rock and roll musical based in the atomic 1950s at Enrico Fermi High.

“The best way I could sum up the show is Grease, but if Danny had killed himself and then come back as a zombie,” said Ansley Arthur, senior, musical theater major.

The show focuses on senior good girl Toffee, who falls in love with a bad boy named Jonny. The two are inseparable until they are forced apart, which leads Jonny to hurl himself into the local nuclear power plant. Three weeks later, he resurrects as a nuclear zombie and returns to Enrico Fermi High where he is determined to graduate and win Toffee back.

The play is an instant hit with zany characters and hilarious lyrics. One of the most crowd-winning characters is Principal Delilah Strict, who wants nothing to do with the undead teen in her school where rules, regulations, and respect is the motto. Played by Ashley Birnbaum, Strict delivers as an outstanding character who even the audience is captivated by. Her drive to separate the two love birds while in her own love conflict with an old high school flame is just another ridiculously fun twist in the production.

With the entire Theater and Dance department involved, Austin Peay students deliver with campy sets and old-timey costumes. Although it is a school production, it feels far from it with the musical talents and energy the cast gives.

“It’s a true musical being sung all the way through, and everything about it is larger than life,” said Arthur.

The play runs Thursday, Nov. 17 through Sunday, Nov. 20. It is a chance not to be missed as tickets are $10 for students and can be purchased online or at the door.

The next production being put on by the department is American Son, directed by Dr. Ayo Walker in February. Auditions are on Nov. 28 and more information can be found on posters around campus and in Trahern.