Meeting Zachariah Robinson, (who plays Quentin P., in the gripping one man show "Zombie") out of character, as simply himself, I could not have imagined the amazing transformation he'd undergo as the unrepentant serial killer character he plays.

In fact, watching Mr. Robinson get his teeth into a role that is arguably one of the hardest to watch and yet one of the most brilliant I've ever seen, is the stuff of pure genius.

Robinson gets into form right from the first moment we see him, when the lights go up and Quentin P. is sitting at a table, where a game of chess is stalled, talking to us, the audience.

He is spitting out his story of having been caught "before he got to have his zombie" (how he describes the teen boys he mutilates, in pursuit of a twisted dream of perfect love), barely able to contain his frustration and raw anger. He makes it very clear that even as he is caught, because his last victim "runs screaming into the street, " he feels it was his right to make this youngster into his plaything.

Be warned, the language with which each horrific act is described---including things I won't mention in a family newspaper--is not tempered, nor is it delicate. This is a close and personal look into the mind of a monster.

Still, in Robinson's capable hands, Quentin P. is a multi-dimensional character, both despicable and anguished. Both deadly and oddly tender in his desire for a being that would make his unrequited love for a former schoolmate, tangible.

We come away from "Zombie" (which is condensed, and made into a sparkling gem, by Bill Connington, from a story by Joyce Carol Oates) with not only awe at the character's unnerving evil, but also pity for a human being so unable to find the care he seeks in any other way.

It is not a black and white portrait, but one with shades of gray in between, and again, it is Robinson, who gives a performance filled with the menace and dark rage of a coiled rattler, that gives us these gray areas.

He is most convincing when the character's many attempts at amateur lobotomy have failed, sending him into an explosive crescendo of unspeakable acts of violence against his young victims. We can almost see the gore, almost see the young men, though Robinson is alone on the starkly lit stage.

True, it is not a night of merry-making and trick-or-treating with friends, but this show is one that will send chills down your spine.
For that reason, I, who love horror movies this time of year, highly recommend "Zombie," which is a brave trek into the darkness for Burien Little Theatre.

Directed by Maggie Larrick, this show will grip you by the hair and hold you in thrall until the final lights go out. Just know, it might follow you home too; so bring a friend, and maybe surround yourself with lots of light after the show.

Zombie plays at Burien Little Theatre from October 15th, until October 30, on Friday and Saturday nights. The show begins at 10:30 p.m. and runs around an hour.

The performance is held at the Burien Community Center Annex, 425 S.W. 144th St. Tickets are $10. and are available at www.burienlittletheatre.org or 206-242-5180.