Our Price to Pay
Written by Frances Smith
Directed by Emmie D’Amico, Presented by the New York City Fringe Festival
Thu April 2 at 6:30pm, Sat April 4 at 8:40pm, Thu April 9 at 9:50pm & Wed April 15 at 9:50pm, 2026
Zombies under St. Marks. A Fourth of July BBQ gone wrong. A play that starts out as a lovingly giddy romantic comedy quickly turns into a horrific death match.
Those are 3 sentences to sum up Our Price to Pay. Playwright Frances Smith takes us on a metaphorical journey that feels all too real.
Craft-fully written and beautifully executed are the motifs of the greater war in our own United States at the moment: the perspectives of liberals vs. conservatives. In other words, our fight and survival for humanity.
You see, Uncle Carl pops up unannounced at Sylvia’s apartment right after Ellie agreed to take the next step in their relationship and move in with her. There’s one problem: Uncle Carl is a conservative zombie and he’s after his niece’s partner.
With reflections of the Covid pandemic, Sylvia’s highly conservative and abusive family don’t believe her and Ellie about the virus Uncle Carl was infected with. In fact, everything is fine and dandy according to them. It hasn’t affected them directly yet, so it doesn’t exist. But soon, they’re snapped right out of their denial by getting infected themselves.
But the virus and turning into flesh-eating zombies are not enough to get them to open their minds about politics, immigrants, liberals, LGBTQIA humans, and healthcare — No. They stick to their guns right till the end, not seeing that their unwillingness to open up their minds is the very thing that’s killing them. And in effect, every one of us. Humanity is on the brink of extinction. How are we going to survive?
The staging and fight choreography for this piece was beautifully executed, given the small space in Under St. Marks by a cast of 7 craftful performers.
The chemistry between characters, especially our main protagonist partners, was apparent throughout, which brought a realism to this horror-like story. The lighting, costumes, and production are quality artistry.
What’s the conclusion? You’ll have to see for yourself. I don’t want to give any of it away. Our Price to Pay is a piece that has the potential to be longer, and I sure hope the playwright considers making it so. This play is not over, in my opinion. See Our Price to Pay, as we all will have to pay for the actions of all of us in the end.
Click HERE for tickets.
Review by Amanda Montoni.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on April 6, 2026. All rights reserved.
