What do Romeo and Juliet and the enduring zombie craze have in common? The Leigh Purtill Ballet Company combines the two in Sweet Sorrow, A Zombie Ballet. In choreographer Purtill’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s tragic love story, an apothecary leads the dead lovers into the underworld, followed by Benvolio and Rosaline, where they mingle with undead characters, including zombies, witches, vampires and gargoyles. Cast members Daniela Strong, Lana Nahapetian, William Reiss, John Lushefski, Corey McCullogh, Jenifer Marchain and April McLeod dance to not only Prokofiev’s famous score to the ballet, but also Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. Purtill created the piece two years ago and has performed it at such places as the annual ScareLA Halloween convention and on ABC’s The Gong Show in 2017, where it won. Based in La Cañada, Purtill’s amateur ballet company for adults has staged other original ballets, as well as The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty.

AGBU Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Performing Arts Center, 2495 E. Mountain St., Pasadena; Sat., Oct. 26, 7-9 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 27, 4-6 p.m.; $20-$25. agbupac.org.

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