REVIEW: Rewrites: Chosen at MAST Mayflower Studios

When you accidentally kill the Chosen One, would you pretend to be them instead of telling the truth?

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

This was a wonderfully written dark comedy which subverted expectations, from the “chosen one” trope and stereotypical hero’s trio, to the zombie apocalypse storyline and coming of age genre.

The main character, Sue, already starts us off with turning things on their heads; she’s a middle aged IT worker who was born, raised, and now lives in her office.

All she knows and cares about is working in IT, despite how much her co-workers absolutely despise their lives.

But suddenly, a meteor crashes into earth, and Sue wakes up 18 months later to a zombie – sorry, undead – apocalypse.

She then accidentally takes the real “chosen one” off of life support and has to charade as them for the story, though she just wants to get back to her office.

Along her way, she meets Ted, who is a rather dim-witted undead, and Quinn, who is obsessed with murdering people.

Quinn’s character is one of the strongest in the musical, and her introductory number is filled with great comedic lines.

It’s also wonderful to see a woman take on not only the lead role in a zombie apocalypse (Sue), but also as the ‘brawn’ and bodyguard character in Quinn.

The villain, Colonel Chaos, is introduced extremely well, with a small build up before what is perhaps the best song in the show.

While still funny, the harmonies and overlapping melodies (which are beautiful throughout the show) create a fantastic number which really stands out.

However, as the narrative building up towards the climax does fall a bit weak, so does the villain, with some parts of the plot feeling a bit rushed or glossed over.

Of course, this is still a work in progress, and scenes were likely abridged for the audience’s sake, so this will hopefully be fixed with time.

The ending may feel anti-climactic for some, but I believe that a large-stakes fight would not suit this show, and instead, the ending focused on looking to the future and character growth for Sue is much more fitting.

The friendship between the main trio is very sweet, and I can see it being oddly comforting to the audience to watch them flourish and support each other.

The comedy is mostly very strong, it flows well and despite very few props (just a few different hats, masks and a vial) the group included some physical comedy when performing which really elevated the overall tone.

However, I did find some of the jokes outdated or awkward, such as some of the more obvious sexual innuendo or references to pop culture or memes that have been overused or ‘dead’ on social media for a while.

I also currently don’t see many ways to actually stage this show, as it both seems to need very complex sets and almost nothing on stage at all.

Perhaps something similar to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time may work, with more abstract staging combined with many props would work in this case.

I would also like to point out, especially, that the scene where Sue does finally return to her office only to find that she has grown as a person and can’t stay there anymore is particularly moving.

It is an ode to the bittersweet feeling that learning more about yourself and changing for the better can open you up to new opportunities and experiences, but can also make going back into comfort less… comfortable.

The line “please make sense in time” is simple but effective, telling the audience that even if you don’t understand your growth or your sudden discomfort at something that was once so familiar, it is okay, and the answers do not all have to come at once.

You are allowed to keep exploring, and you are also allowed to mourn the person you used to be.

Overall, for a show that started as a joke, “Chosen” breathes new life into what is typically an overdone genre with outdated tropes.

It lends itself to a lot of creativity, and it feels like a whole new story where you can explore the theme of identity, with a solid foundation of comedy.