Reviews
“Bill Connington . . . perfectly counterfeits the experience of sitting in a room with a serial killer, which is even less comfortable than it sounds . . . [his] ingenious performance gives the skin-crawling piece such an authentic texture . . . Connington is not interested in performing a whodunit (he did it, after all) but in re-creating a truly evil character down to the last detail. Thus, for the entire play, the actor seems to be channeling the weirdness of an utterly amoral psychopath . . . When Quentin turns to speak to the audience, we really feel like we’re in the presence of someone morally empty . . . it’s hard to overstate the effectiveness of Connington’ unblinking gaze, weird cadence and surprising, and off-kilter swearing. Impressive, too, is helmer Thomas Caruso’s direction . . .”
--Sam Thielman, Variety
“Shocking . . . a chilling one-man study of perversity . . . Mr. Connington commits totally to this haunting characterization and leaves us wondering exactly what kind of people are walking the streets alongside us.”
--Anita Gates, The New York Times
“Harrowing . . . Connington delivers a haunting characterization . . . unnerving . . . The piece is further enhanced by Thomas Caruso’s intense staging.”
--Frank Scheck, New York Post
“We are taken into Quentin’s confidence and hear a story of almost unbearable horror . . . [Connington’s] commitment to playing Quentin without stepping back and judging the man’s behavior gives us the illusion of meeting and listening to a psychopath laying all of his cards on the table. We become a surrogate psychiatrist, or God forbid, a best friend Quentin feels he can trust with the unvarnished truth of what he desires and what he has done . . . Connington’s performance is simply extraordinary.”
--Joe Meyers, The Connecticut Post
“Almost unbearably intense . . . Mr. Connington generates a galvanizing friction between control and abandon . . . [Connington as Quentin] is either the most monstrous tragedy or the most tragic monster in recent memory.”
--Eric Grode, The New York Sun
“Bill Connington’s intense, superbly layered performance as a psychopathic serial killer . . . is not likely to be soon forgotten by anyone who sees it. Connington ventures deep inside the sick psyche of Quentin P . . . [it’s] horrific . . . Connington’s indelibly detailed performance and his taut, highly dramatic script purposefully pull us into this psychopath’s twisted mental state; it isn’t long before we follow his demented logic and understand his madness. Ultimately, that is how ZOMBIE achieves its power to disturb: Quentin’s violent, inhuman crimes are the product of simple, recognizable human needs and there is no easy answer as to what makes a madman.”
--Patrick Lee, Theatermania
“Bill Connington brings to life one of the most fascinatingly repulsive characters to come down the pike in a long while . . . in addition to being a fascinating look at a serial killer, ZOMBIE is also an indictment on the failures of the criminal justice system to keep a man like this off the street . . . Connington is excellent . . . [creating] a person you wouldn’t want to be within 100 miles of but who is eerily compelling . . . Caruso’s direction is spot-on, continually ratcheting up the tension and never giving the audience a chance to recover from one situation before leading them headlong into the next . . . Definitely not to be missed.”
--Judd Hollander, broadwayafterdark.com
“Haunting.” –The Village Voice
“Scarily good.” --WNYC Radio
“Ripped-from-the-headlines.” –Backstage
“Brilliantly ghoulish.” –Blogcritics
“Bone-chilling. Unflinching.” –Gay City News
“Riveting. Startling.” –Nytheatre.com
“Extremely honest.” –TalkEntertainment.com
“Endlessly terrifying.” –Downtown Express
--Sam Thielman, Variety
“Shocking . . . a chilling one-man study of perversity . . . Mr. Connington commits totally to this haunting characterization and leaves us wondering exactly what kind of people are walking the streets alongside us.”
--Anita Gates, The New York Times
“Harrowing . . . Connington delivers a haunting characterization . . . unnerving . . . The piece is further enhanced by Thomas Caruso’s intense staging.”
--Frank Scheck, New York Post
“We are taken into Quentin’s confidence and hear a story of almost unbearable horror . . . [Connington’s] commitment to playing Quentin without stepping back and judging the man’s behavior gives us the illusion of meeting and listening to a psychopath laying all of his cards on the table. We become a surrogate psychiatrist, or God forbid, a best friend Quentin feels he can trust with the unvarnished truth of what he desires and what he has done . . . Connington’s performance is simply extraordinary.”
--Joe Meyers, The Connecticut Post
“Almost unbearably intense . . . Mr. Connington generates a galvanizing friction between control and abandon . . . [Connington as Quentin] is either the most monstrous tragedy or the most tragic monster in recent memory.”
--Eric Grode, The New York Sun
“Bill Connington’s intense, superbly layered performance as a psychopathic serial killer . . . is not likely to be soon forgotten by anyone who sees it. Connington ventures deep inside the sick psyche of Quentin P . . . [it’s] horrific . . . Connington’s indelibly detailed performance and his taut, highly dramatic script purposefully pull us into this psychopath’s twisted mental state; it isn’t long before we follow his demented logic and understand his madness. Ultimately, that is how ZOMBIE achieves its power to disturb: Quentin’s violent, inhuman crimes are the product of simple, recognizable human needs and there is no easy answer as to what makes a madman.”
--Patrick Lee, Theatermania
“Bill Connington brings to life one of the most fascinatingly repulsive characters to come down the pike in a long while . . . in addition to being a fascinating look at a serial killer, ZOMBIE is also an indictment on the failures of the criminal justice system to keep a man like this off the street . . . Connington is excellent . . . [creating] a person you wouldn’t want to be within 100 miles of but who is eerily compelling . . . Caruso’s direction is spot-on, continually ratcheting up the tension and never giving the audience a chance to recover from one situation before leading them headlong into the next . . . Definitely not to be missed.”
--Judd Hollander, broadwayafterdark.com
“Haunting.” –The Village Voice
“Scarily good.” --WNYC Radio
“Ripped-from-the-headlines.” –Backstage
“Brilliantly ghoulish.” –Blogcritics
“Bone-chilling. Unflinching.” –Gay City News
“Riveting. Startling.” –Nytheatre.com
“Extremely honest.” –TalkEntertainment.com
“Endlessly terrifying.” –Downtown Express
