The Dementia Vote 

Reviewed by Dana Martin 
Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group 
Through May 27th 

The most frightening time of year approaches: election season. Nothing but sinister crooks and fools running for office, making empty and incomprehensible campaign promises. In other words, primetime television. The nation of dummies laps it up, falling for every sideways wink and crooked smile. The Dementia Vote by David Dickens delivers a dementedly delicious bit of campy fun at Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre. The dark, dopey farce pokes fun at the absurd circus of election season and seemingly inherent deception of our elected officials.

Elderly couple Bruce (Jetta Juriansz) and Willow (David Dickens) waste away in front of the T.V., foggily following an upcoming election. Willow is seduced by the late-night campaign promises of Senator Orlando Humor (Tory Hains) — your typical sexy-slimy-embroiled-in-a-sex-scandal politician — who (ahem) rubs Willow in all the right ways until she climaxes to her death. Widowed, senile Bruce ends up in a nursing home under the care of dopey Nurse Lucy (Alyssa Weldon) and becomes an accidental star of primetime as the masses eat up his enthusiastic senility. The plot predictably thickens as sinister incumbent Arnold J. Ballview (Max Zumstein) grabs for power and is thwarted by his shady wife, Lady Ballview (Caiti Wiggins). She and Senator Humor are caught in the middle of a torrid love affair by the third and most unlikely candidate for office, Uncle Jack (Ellen Bienenfeld). The story takes many dark and twisted turns in a variety of ridiculously outlandish acts of treachery and betrayal. Ultimately, Bruce is forced to declare his loyalty to one of the three candidates while everyone around him gets fucked, killed — or both.

The ensemble understands the intended farcical style of the piece and creates intentionally exaggerated caricatures that indulge the sinister stupidity of the cast of wacky characters. Jetta Juriansz’ old man and unwitting celebrity Bruce is wacky good fun. Ellen Bienenfeld nails the comedic timing of horny hillbilly Uncle Jack. Tory Hains steams up the joint as charming playboy Senator Humor, and Alyssa Weldon finds a delightfully dingy Nurse Lucy.

David Dickens writes the story as an episode of bad TV in all the right ways: sex, drama, violence and plot points aplenty, humorously pointing out that we’re all being fucked by the system and deceived by the media. Director Brandon Slezak keeps the action quick and the camp high, though the play’s quick pace is intermittently interrupted by lagging light and sound cues. Set design by Dickens, Wiggins and Juriansz is thankfully sparse; a bare stage encompassed by a giant TV set, blurring the line between anonymity and celebrity. Dickens and Zumstein create an ominous underscore, peppered by outlandish advertisements, that solidify the feeling of an overly dramatic TV saga.

The Dementia Vote is raunchy, farcical fun, even in its darkest and most violent moments. We all get fucked in the end, no matter who we support politically. The system is rigged — run by mobsters, idiots and clowns who’ll do just about anything to secure a vote. So just relax, have a good laugh and enjoy the attention. It feels better that way.

Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Sat., 8:30 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; through May 27th. (818)202-4120(818)202-4120(818)202-4120202-4120 or zombiejoes.com. Running time: 45 minutes with no intermission.