No show should be allowed to be as fun as Mark LaPierre’s Zombie Strippers. Set in the graveyard of an unnamed city, the show plays out like a Scooby-Doo episode imagined by the people behind Porky’s. Tiffany (Elle Bensinger) and Jinx (Sariah) are two former high school friends who meet by chance at a graveyard at four in the morning. Tiffany - and her d-bag boyfriend Playya (Ryan Farnsworth) - have come to pay their respects to her three deceased friends, while Jinx has come with the eager Brett (Wendell Bullen) and naive prepster Tim (Joshua Stenseth) to engage in some kinky games. There are half naked female zombies doing “Thriller” dance moves, characters running around like they’re in a Benny Hill sketch and cheesy tunes with cheesier lyrics that you can’t help but give yourself into.

LaPierre has obviously invested time into removing any ounce of self-consciousness from the show, and it’s a delight to see the actors give themselves completely to their characters. Bensinger is just the right amount of dim-witted and sweet, to make her a heroine we can actually root for. “My life is like Detroit, there’s no reason to stay” she sighs, as she explains to Jinx why she can’t just leave the terrible Playya. Similarly Jinx turns out to be much more complex than we ever expected and despite her character’s twist being completely ridiculous (which in this show is a compliment), we see that there is also something very empowering about the way in which the concept of female friendship gives the show its entire structure.

This isn’t to say that the show takes itself seriously, because it really doesn’t. LaPierre finds as many ways as possible to use double entendres (the phrase “nailing a coffin” will never be as repulsive and hilarious as here) and there are dance sequences galore which remind us why the show is called Zombie Strippers, but the show also proves to be a great nostalgia piece. From the costumes to the synth-infused score, LaPierre expertly comes up with one of the best 80’s pieces you never even knew existed.

Zombie Strippers is a part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, which continues through July 27.  For more NYMF reviews and interviews, click here.