Sussex Concerts

Concert Details


Title: Return to the Forbidden Planet
Performed by: Ariel Company Theatre
Time: Tuesday, 6 June 2006, at 7:45pm
Place: Hawth Theatre, Crawley
Description: Join Captain Tempest and his fearless crew on their journey into hyperspace... and beyond!
This classic ‘Cult’ musical is loosely based on MGM's 1956 film Forbidden Planet, which itself is loosely based on Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST. The plot involves the crew of a routine survey flight, commanded by the stalwart Captain Tempest, which is drawn inexplicably to the planet D'Illyria where mad scientist Doctor Prospero, his lovely daughter Miranda and their faithful robot Ariel are marooned. Secrets and betrayals are revealed amid a veritable smorgasbord of 1950s and 60s rock and roll classics performed on stage by the cast. The dialogue is largely comprised of THE TEMPEST, but interspersed throughout are some of Shakespeare's best known quotes, including lines from ROMEO & JULIET, HAMLET, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, MERCHANT OF VENICE, TAMING OF THE SHREW and THE WINTER'S TALE. It's basically Shakespeare's (and rock and roll's) greatest hits. Director by the award winning team of Neil Hopson, Musical Director Andrew Sutton and Choreography Beverly Locke come together yet again to produce what will be a rip roaring tongue-in-cheek homage to the bards forgotten rock n roll musical..

"Had the crowd bopping in the aisles and me standing on my seat screaming along to all the songs" Daily Telegraph

"The greatest Rock 'n' Roll musical of them all" Chester Herald & Post

This winner of the 1990 Olivier Award for Best Musical bursts with red hot rock and roll hits, including a sultry duet of "It's A Man's World" between Captain Tempest and the ship's Science Officer, Prospero's haunting treatment of "Misunderstood," "The Shoop Shoop Song," featuring the ship's kitchen mate, Cookie and Bosun , Cookie's rousing electric guitar rendition of "She's Not There," and the Science Officer's impassioned styling of "Go Now." Under the vocal direction of Andrew Sutton, the ensemble will all provide solid back up to the proceedings, blending well on the numbers "Great Balls Of Fire," "Good Vibrations," "Hey Mister Space Man," "Gloria" and "Wipe out." "Shake rattle and Roll," "We've got to get out of this Space," and many, many more.

So fasten your seat belts, set your ray guns to stun and get ready for a cosmic adventure of meteoric proportions! Bob Carlton's smash hit West End musical takes the 1956 film, with plot taken from Shakespeare's The Tempest, raids the Bard's other plays at will (and not always absolutely verbatim) and sets it to a score of great pop hits from the 1960s and 70s.


The Story:

On a stormy night way back in the winter of 2009, mad scientist Doctor Prospero worked late in his laboratory, aided only by his wife, Gloria, as he developed the elusive formula with which he would change the world.

The apparently faithful Gloria, however, duped him and sent him off into hyper-space in an old spacecraft. Unknown to Gloria, her infant daughter, Miranda, slumbered peacefully in the craft and was now catapulted light years into the future in her father's company.

Many years later, a routine survey flight, Intergalactic Starship Albatross, takes off under the watchful command of Captain Tempest. Aboard this flight is the new Science Officer, a strong willed woman if you ever did meet! Also on board are the Damage Control Crew, Bosun Arras, the all round good guy, the Navigation Officer, who knows where they are going and Cookie, the ships cook, a hopeless romantic.

As the spaceship blasts its way through space, it encounters a storm of asteroids, the Science Officer flees taking the only emergency shuttle craft. Meanwhile the Albatross is being pulled inexorably towards the Planet D'Illyria, which is not marked on their charts.

The adventure now begins....... 6th - 10th June, 2006 @ The Hawth Crawley

Tickets: Tues: £ 10
Wed: £ 12
Thurs : £ 13
Fri: £ 14
Sat mat : £ 10
Sat: : £ 14

box office 01293 553636
NB Tuesday buy 10 get 1 ticket free
Contact: Ariel Information (Nicci) 01444 250407

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