Zombiegate review – a Halloween night dive into online toxicity

Theatre503, London
Matthew Gabrielli's play about abusive online culture cleverly uses puppets as trolls but feels didactic

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 (Ebony Jonelle) and Jamie (George Howard) 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.

At Theatre503, London, until 19 November.