Return To The Forbidden Planet

Return to the Forbidden Planet is what is termed by some as a Jukebox musical by playwright Bob Carlton based on Shakespeare's The Tempest and the 1950s science fiction film Forbidden Planet. The high energy show features a bevy of 1950s and 1960s rock and roll classics including Great Balls of Fire, Good Vibrations, Teenager in Love, The Young Ones, Don't Let Me be Misunderstood, The Monster Mash, Wipeout, Young Girl, Born to be Wild, Gimme some Lovin' and many many more.

On entering the auditorium we were on board the spaceship Albatross and some crew members (the cast) were undertaking routine checks ready for takeoff, while others were showing the audience to their seats. The ship was represented by a very convincing open stage set. I wonder how many empty recycle bins belonging to the cast and crew there were leading up to this production. Well done to the set designer and the construction team.

As the show begins you are welcomed on board the Albatross by two unforgettable characters Cutie Cull and Vesuvia the ships hostesses played entertainingly by Claire Heaton and Rosie Sephton. They then invite you to sit back and relax as the crew take you to another galaxy. You meet characters such as the jet-setting Captain Tempest played and sung well by Paul Robinson who had an enjoyable singing voice. There is a mad scientist Doctor Prospero nicely played by Paul Davies, and then there was Pip Bradshaw who was outstanding as a soft hearted fun loving robot named Ariel. Bryan Dargie-Lynch as Cookie was a very likeable character and had affinity with the audience he also delivered his dialog well. The Science Officer Gloria (Prospero’s estranged wife) was played with conviction and swagger by Sam Moores. She sang her songs with feeling and her voice suited the songs. Julie Molyneux as Bosun Arras the ships officer gave us a good sound performance and sang well as did Bet Davies in her part as the Navigation officer. Sarah Johnson did well as Prospero’s daughter Miranda she emanated naivety on first encounter and then ably changes character later in the show when trying a different tactic to attract the Captain. Ruth Gibb was very amusing as the Newscaster keeping us up to date with the story. The principle cast were ably supported by the crew members (chorus) each one offering different characterisations to good effect. In this show libretto is spoken in Shakespeare verse with an American accent, resulting in the potential for it to be problematical for the audience when trying to follow the action. However in this production for a majority of the performance the actors projected very clear diction and there were some very good well-maintained American accents. But unfortunately on just a few occasions the dialogue was not easy to hear.

The small but well balanced orchestra was conducted by Musical Director Wayne Oakes and was one of the better orchestras I have heard. They supported the cast well although they were a little loud on a few occasions; however I was sat on the front row and my feet were keeping time with the music most of the time

The costumes were well thought out and it was obvious allot of time and effort had gone into getting the right theme and putting them together. Well done to sound, lighting, crew and front of house, the unsung heroes of many productions.

Congratulations to Bryan Dargie-Lynch Producer/Director for a very enjoyable toe tapping show.

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