By SHARON EBERSON

Valentine’s Day weekend is upon us, and so thoughts naturally turn to romance and … zombies?

It’s also a Friday the 13th weekend, so perhaps it’s the perfect balance for the 1980s-inspired zombie-rock musical Romero & Juliet to make it’s debut, in the hometown of modern zombie culture, at the Greer Cabaret.

Co-creator and Somerset native Scott Logsdon, with composer Aaron Gandy, reported in November that, “We just had a wildly successful New York City concert premiere [including] a cast packed with Broadway stars and newcomers, and we are ready to bring it to ‘dahntahn’ Pittsburgh.”

The Romero of the musical (Matt Kontur) is a regional guardsman and distant relative of filmmaker George. He meets zombie Juliet (Makayla Wynn) at a Pittsburgh music festival called Deadstock on Friday the 13th in September 1985, in a story that fuses Shakespeare’s tale of star-crossed lovers with the zombie lore of George Romero. The musical “draws stylistic inspiration from cult favorites such as Little Shop of Horrors [and] an original score inspired by 1980s power pop legends.

The cast includes Becki Toth, Ben Sheedy, Tristan Smith, Ruth Waiwaiole, Max Suwarno, Mikayla Keyes, Ben Allen Carter, Kendal Williams and Vince Tresco.

The makeup artist for Romero & Juliet is Christopher Patrick, an associate of Tom Savini, who created the effects for George Romero’s zombie films.

With Stage 62, Gandy and Logsdon, a swing and dance captain in a touring company of Les Miserables, brought their original musical The Crinolynns at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, in 2023. In May of last year, a concert version of Romero & Juliet, with Split Stage Productions, was performed at St. Vincent.

Here’s more from Logsdon and Gandy, via email, on what to expect when George Romero and William Shakespeare are channeled in Romero & Juliet. 

onStage Pittsburgh: What inspired you and Aaron Gandy to create a musical mix of George Romero’s zombies and Romeo and Juliet?

SL: The idea of writing a musical (now frighteningly prescient) about a group of “others” being targeted for being different and the effects it has on innocents and love (viewed through a B-movie lens with ’80s music and zombies) intrigued and tickled Aaron and me.

oSP: Tell me about bringing the show to the Pittsburgh Cultural District, and casting with local actors?

AG: We were blown away by the Pittsburgh talent. It was imperative to us to cast as much Pittsburgh talent as possible. What’s in the water here? The cast is filled with performers who can (and should and will) carry shows on their own. It’s a privilege to work with them.

oSP: How has working with makeup artist Christopher Patrick helped develop the characters and look of the show?

SL: He is, simply put, a genius. He’s a collaborator who instinctively understood the feel of the show and brought more to it than we could have dreamed of ourselves.

oSP: How are you finding the Greer Cabaret as a place to stage a show?

AG: We love the intimacy of the Greer. It has presented some challenges but we have a dream team of designers — Tony Ferrieri, Andy Ostroski, Kim Brown, Bob Bollinger, not to mention Chris Patrick. Sofian Marino is a marvel at multi-tasking with all the mixed media being used. Everyone at the Greer has worked hard and is helping us bring this new show to life. And our [stage manager] Claire Durr and [assistant stage manager] Liam Nute deserve awards- if anyone reading this has a tropical island where they could vacation after, let us know.

oSP: Is there anything in particular you would like audiences to know? 

SL: This is a new show set in Pittsburgh, inspired by Pittsburgh artists. The 1980s were a scary time. We hope audiences will realize the effects hatred has on innocents who are trying to find love in a time of disease and fear and finger-pointing. We are so grateful to be the first show presented by BDE Productions and sponsored by FireWhistle Brewing. It’s the perfect show for a weekend that has both Friday the 13th AND Valentine’s Day. It’s good to be reminded that love bites.

TICKETS AND DETAILS

Romero & Juliet is at the Greer Cabaret on Friday and Saturday, February 13-14, 2026. The Trust website lists 1% availability for Friday, and no availability for both Saturday shows. https://trustarts.org/production/104737/romero-and-juliet

Categories: Arts and Ideas