How the TV show “Survivor” inspired a zombie musical

You would figure a former Survivor contestant might know a little something about surviving a zombie apocalypse. But writing a stage musical about a zombie apocalypse?

That’s exactly what Josh Canfield did. Of course, Canfield — who was the eighth person out on Survivor: San Juan del Sur — also knows a little something about the stage, having appeared on Broadway in shows such as Doctor Zhivago and Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. And after his time battling for a million dollars on Survivor, he set his sights on creating his own show: ALIVE! The Zombie Musical.

Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Josh Canfield on ‘Survivor: San Juan del Sur’

Canfield wrote the book, lyrics, and music for ALIVE!, which first had a concert in 2019 and is returning for a series of concert shows Oct. 8, 9, 15, and 16 at Theatre 555 in New York City. Here’s the official synopsis of ALIVE!

“Shelly Dinkley, a gutsy news reporter, believes zombies are terrorizing her small town. She witnesses her co-worker, Eve, attacked and surprisingly saved by a Zombie with a ‘heart.’ As Eve discovers there’s more to this disenchanted walking cadaver than just his decaying limbs, sparks begin to fly between the pair. Joined by Shelly, they embark on a mystical journey to restore the flesh-eater’s humanity; all the while being hunted by a cluster of zany, brainless, kick-line loving zombies, led by the mysterious Big Z who has a secret score to settle with Eve.”

EW spoke to Canfield to get the scoop on how a musical zombie apocalypse compares to surviving against a bunch of strangers on an island.

Alive! The Zombie Musical

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What’s more cutthroat: competing on an island for a million dollars or surviving in the urban jungle of musical theater?

JOSH CANFIELD: Whoa, this is a toss-up for me. On the one hand, competing on Survivor was incredibly cutthroat for obvious reasons. But let me tell you, until you’ve been in a room with 20 other guys who are dressed exactly like you, all vying for the same role in a Broadway show, you don’t know the meaning of cutthroat.

Why zombies?

I was obsessed with The Walking Dead back when it first aired, so zombies were on my brain (lol). Then I started dating a guy, who Survivor fans know very well, and wrote a song about my feelings for him. He and I were so different that in the song I used the analogy that he was a zombie and might kill me if I got too close. Ironic.

As you were writing the book and lyrics for this, how much did you draw on your experience of starving on an island to put yourself in the mind of a zombie with an insatiable appetite for human flesh?

Ha, this question is hilarious, Dalton! I will say that I have been able to draw so much from my experience starving on an island. I honestly can say I think about food completely different now. It definitely gave me more sympathy as I was writing the zombies story arc. I mean, they’re just hungry, right? We all do crazy things when we’re hungry — just watch CBS Wednesday nights at 8.

Which Survivor player most resembles a zombie and why?

Oh man, I hope this doesn’t get me in trouble. I could answer this in one or two ways: Zombies as brain-dead, or zombies as always hungry and will eat anything. I’ll go with the latter. My answer is Natalie White. I mean, she ate a rat.

Finally, what’s more dangerous: a reality TV showmance or falling in love with a zombie?

Hands down, a reality TV showmance. Oof. First-hand experience on that one, and I would highly discourage going down that path. And if you want to see someone fall in love with a zombie, no matter how dangerous, come see ALIVE!

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content: