By Ripped-off body parts, flying demons and an unrelenting masked killer named Jacob hit ‘center stage’ in California Repertory Company’s last theater production of the spring 2025 semester.
The show also features rude teddy bears, fights set to Mortal Kombat music and jokes crass enough to make Freddy Krueger blush.
Written by Qui Nguyen and directed by Long Beach State alum Anjela Vega, “Alice in Slasherland” premiered at the Long Beach State Studio Theater on Friday, April 25.
The story follows teen Lewis Diaz (Aiden McGuinness), whose Halloween party night takes a dark turn when, after failing to confess his feelings to longtime crush Margaret (Janna Lambert), he inadvertently summons undead girl Alice (Dana Sandoval), unleashing a portal to Hell in the process.
Aidan McGuinness, as Lewis Diaz, briefs the audience on the plot of “Alice in Slasherland” via an onstage video blog update projected onto the set. The April 23 show opened with Lewis excited to finally confess his feelings to a longtime crush during a Halloween party. Photo credit: Delfino Camacho
A mix of slasher, cosmic horror and comedy, the play walks a chaotic tightrope between being a homage and farce in the spirit of classic parody. The play is chock-full of jokes, sight gags and slapstick.
“I kept telling the actors, this is not necessarily reality; we can bump up the cartoony-ness to create these characters,” Vega said. “But you need balance because you need the humanity in horror for it to be meaningful.”
Some scenes, including the opening, play it straight, allowing the horror to land. The production’s overall tone is more in line with classic parodies like “Airplane!” and “Young Frankenstein,” with the raunchiness cranked to eleven.
Playwright Nguyen is known for meshing genres and references in his scripts, including the award-winning “She Kills Monsters” and the semi-autobiographical “Vietgone.”
However, the director, Vega, who has a background in both dance and horror, added her own unique layer to the production with choreography.
“I always like to deepen the story using physicality,” Vega said, who grew up with dyslexia. “Movement gave me the words to tell the stories I wanted to tell.”
Silent killer Jacob, as played by student actor Devin Stone, writhes on the floor as confetti rains down during a musical number set to “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler during a dress rehearsal for “Alice in Slasherland” on April 23 in the CSULB Studio Theater. Photo credit: Delfino Camacho
Physicality is present in many stand-out moments of the show, including when demonic killer Jacob, the production’s take on Jason Voorhees from “Friday the 13th,” has an impromptu and sensual dance number set to the 80s hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”
“The tone is so unserious,” McGuinness said. “It’s definitely very comical and so out of this world.”
Growing up, McGuinness always tried to make his parents laugh; for this show, he flexed his comedy chops by channeling his “dorky” younger self.
His past Cal Rep performances include the politically satirical “Urinetown” and the cult classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
The show was a full-circle moment for McGuinness, with it being his final one. After being part of eight main-stage productions, he will soon join the graduating class of 2025.
Lead characters Lewis, played by Aidan McGuinness, and Margaret, played by Janna Lambert, look on in horror as a classmate played by Lucca Carr-Veramo gets ripped apart by demons during a dress rehearsal for “Alice in Slasherland” on April 23 in the CSULB Studio Theater. Photo credit: Delfino Camacho
Demonic teddy bear Edgar, portrayed by Matthew Hill, dances with the cast at the show’s end during a dress rehearsal for “Alice in Slasherland” on April 23 in the CSULB Studio Theater. Photo credit: Delfino Camacho
Normally gravitating toward dramatic roles, Hill was initially unsure about getting laughs but credited the script and director Vega’s encouragement to take things as wacky as they came.
Vega, who has worked in both film and stage, said she appreciates the collaborative aspects of her job and loves working with actors.
“It’s beautiful to have actors with that kind of energy where you can feed off of each other and keep yes-anding to each other, especially in a play like this,” she said. “Yeah, it’s fun because I can look at them and say, ‘Hey, you OK with your d— getting ripped off?’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah, no problem.’”
“Alice In Slasherland“ will run from Tuesday, April 29, to Saturday, May 3.
Tickets are available here.
