Daily Times

Everyone knows you should never respond to trolls. In Zombiegate, an engaging but didactic new play by Matthew Gabrielli, two friends forget that and dive headfirst into the backlash of an online scandal. With creepy puppets and a slide to the alt-right, this is a laboured exploration of social media as a bully’s sidekick. Outrage ensues when Sophie and Jamie post a selfie in zombie costumes on Halloween, not realising they’ve caught something inappropriate in the background. While Sophie apologises and faces a never-ending onslaught of abuse, Jamie fights back, rallying against snowflake culture and accidentally becoming a poster boy for free speech. Their opposing attitudes provide a springboard to explore how social media has the power to simultaneously build up and destroy a life. In a smart comparison, Gabrielli writes the trolls as puppets.