Although I would struggle to actually recommend this one-man zombie apocalypse rock musical from Korea, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a good time at it.
The Last Man - by Jishiuk Kim and Seungyeon Kwon - isn’t really a case of being so bad it’s good. It’s more that it’s quite good at a load of contradictory things, that get in the way of each other: I never worked out whether the whole thing was a massive joke or not, and I suspect the writers were unsure too. With its widdly ‘80s rock guitars (complimentary) and comical-whatever-the-actual-intent-was lyrics (there is a song that literally has the chorus refrain ‘THE MOTHERFUCKING ZOMBIIIIIEHS’), it often has an endearing Trey Parker/Matt Stone-esque air of faux machismo to it. Whether this is intended to amuse, I can’t quite say; I think it is, but it doesn’t quite commit to the bit.
Lex Lee is a young-ish resident of Seoul, whose fondness for zombie apocalypse films has allowed him to spot the telltale early signs of an actual zombie apocalypse. Hence he’s built himself a bunker, which he’s stocked up a six months supply of food and a fancy climate control system. (NB the role is alternated with actress Nabi Brown, who presumably puts a different spin on it).
Much of the first half of the play consists of The Survivor making video diary entries for future generations in which he muses on the apocalypse, the events leading up to it, and a childhood he seems to have a complicated relationship with - as embodied by an old teddy bear that’s in the bunker and which he struggles to remember ever being given.
Kiwi actor Lee turns in a very watchable lead performance. As a lone vocalist of intermediate strength, he initially struggles to be clearly heard over the show’s bombastic opening number - basically a narrative account of the fact there’s been a big old zombie attack -, but he settles into it quite nicely, and the one-man format soon becomes pretty engaging.
Again, though: the show doesn’t know exactly what it wants to be, and it often feels very apparent that it could be better if it committed to an angle. If the writers wanted it to be funny, it would surely be much, much funnier: ultimately, I wouldn’t describe the genre here as ‘comedy’. Even if the motherfucking zombies are meant to raise a smile, Daljung Kim’s direction simply isn’t playful enough, much of the storytelling is simply too earnest. (The show originated in Korea but this UK edition has dramaturgy from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button mastermind Jethro Compton, and it would be fascinating to know what his precise influence has been – I’d guess the funnier stuff).
Equally, it doesn’t really engage with the zombie genre in as smart a way as it might.I’m not talking about going full meta (although that might have been an option) so much as just answering a few more questions about what the heck is going on precisely and what exactly The Survivor’s plan is, as he never seems to entertain the idea that the zombies might move on or die out.
Finally, I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say efforts are made from early on to throw doubt on whether there’s ‘really’ a zombie apocalypse or whether it’s all in The Survivor’s head – in theory this is good and reasonable storytelling, but while I won’t divulge the outcome, the character’s psychology doesn’t really feel like it properly supports the ambiguity. Certainly, the groundwork is never laid for any serious explanation of why he might have hallucinated an entire zombie apocalypse.
The Last Man is weird, goofy and confused. But it’s such a quixotic endeavor – it’s a one man zombie apocalypse musical FFS – that I had a good time despite its obvious befuddlement. Whether you want to drop your own money on an endearing folly is another matter.
