THE AGENDA
1. Anna and the Apocalypse : Undead & Woke
Two stars from this madcap musical weigh in on its resonant themes.
Take one part Glee, two parts 28 Days Later, and add a dash of A Christmas Story, and you’ve got Anna and the Apocalypse. This Christmas horror musical teen comedy (say that five times fast) opens November 30—just in time for you to punch up your holiday soundtrack with a chorus of zombie-elves devouring brains. End times are both festive and tuneful in Little Haven, where teenage Anna (Ella Hunt) lives an unenthused life until the threat of apocalypse forces her to step up. Quickly, she becomes a candy cane–wielding warrior straight off the pages of a manga, fending off zombies and fighting to stay alive.
“She presented an opportunity to play a badass teenage girl,” Hunt says of her character. “She’s brave, smart, and sassy but also vulnerable. She’s not your typical teenage heroine.”
Among Anna’s friends is Steph (Sarah Swire), whose queer identity is seamlessly woven into the plot. “Steph is many things,” says Swire. “Being queer is just one of them. If she’s ostracized, it’s for her unusual ambition, selfless concerns, and anxious
