Return To The Forbidden Planet

Return To The Forbidden Planet is a musical that I was unfamiliar with so I went along to Whitworth AMDS`s production of it with eager curiosity.  From the moment I entered the auditorium I was treated as if I was boarding a spaceship. I was shown to my seat by a sparkling silver clothed stewardess, the stage was open and looked exactly as one imagines the inside of a spaceship to look – there were lots of  flashing lights, a bridge and even some sideways opening swoosh noised doors in the centre at the rear of the stage. Various musical instruments were placed on stage in front of the bridge which different members of the crew played throughout the show. The Band were visible on stage throughout the whole performance and were dressed as crew – ingenius! Jeremy Sleith as Musical Director steered our musical journey with some great pace and attack. The cast had been very well drilled through their vocals and harmonies, notes were strong and sustained. Emma Bradburn as Choreographer brought some very clever ideas and incorporated them well with the music, the cast obviously understood her choreographical vision well and ran with it. Lighting by Connor O`Neill and Ged Hinchliffe was sympathetic to the scenes, it worked well with all the haze and smoke. Sound by Mash Audiovisual is a little difficult for me, it was very loud but we are supposed to be on a spaceship. At times it was difficult to hear dialogue over the music but again we are being transported by spaceship and the actors did use facial expressions to enhance what they were saying/conveying. The costumes all looked fabulous and very in keeping with the production. A special mention must go for the costume of Ariel the Robot, it was spectacular.

The cast handled all the musical numbers well and I must mention Emma Konnanov, from the moment she stepped on the stage she meant business and when she opened her mouth to sing – she was fierce! Both as the shy Miranda and then as the siren Miranda, she used her facial expressions and her body language in her characterisation. Lauren Bates as Ariel the Robot showed off her roller skating skills – I have no idea how she managed it in her costume but she looked great. Dan Fielden as Cookie showed off his musical playing skills as well as his acting prowess – the audience  all felt very sorry for him in his characterisation.  Terry Banham as Captain Tempest delivered a very strong characterisation and kept a straight face at all times, his vocals were good and his turmoil over Miranda evident. Angela Grady as the Science Officer gave us some solid, big  vocals and some great facial expressions, she had some good chemistry on stage with Andy Kelly as Doctor Prospero, she showed some nice empathy as Andy`s character unravelled.

The audience thoroughly enjoyed this production and threw themselves fully into the performance, especially at the end when the band/cast were able to really show what they could do. There was dancing across the aisles and singing as well as inflatables being thrown about, the energy levels were through the roof. Thank you for inviting me, I look forward to seeing you again soon.  

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.