As for a possible explanation for the actor-character synergy, Connington mentioned with notable neutrality that “we’ve all met a lot of narcissists in our lives, and Quentin is a narcissist to the nth, nth, nth degree…this is a guy who doesn’t realize that other people have thoughts that are separate from him. A lot of the time, he doesn’t mean to be mean, he’s just totally oblivious.” There’s a fine line between detachment and utter lack of empathy, and while Connington was disturbed by how natural it was to tap into that side of Quentin, he made sure to note that many audience members were even more disturbed to learn that they too could follow Quentin’s logic very easily.
In fact, the greatest accomplishment of Oates’ novella, which Connington’s production also succeeds in getting across, is that even with the horrible acts Quentin is capable of committing and shamelessly admitting to in his diaries, his way of thinking is not something completely alien to human reason, but perhaps just a side of humanity that is rarely expressed in such a grisly way. One of the major themes in Oates’ prolific career has been exploring the darkest recesses of human experience to find its traces in humanity’s roots.
"When I first told people I was adapting a work [about] a serial killer," Connington said, "the common reaction was ‘how could anyone do something so horrible?’…I’ll be very interested to see what psychiatrists who come to see the show have to say."
Zombie runs through March 29 at Theater Row, 410 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Aves. Tickets can be purchased at TicketCentral.com.
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