Return to the Forbidden Planet

Infobox Musical
name= Return to the Forbidden Planet
subtitle=


caption=
music= Various
lyrics= Various
book= Bob Carlton
basis= Shakespeare's "The Tempest"
1950s film "Forbidden Planet"
productions= 1989 West End
awards= Olivier Award for Best Musical

"Return to the Forbidden Planet" is a Jukebox musical by director Bob Carlton based on Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and the 1950s science fiction film "Forbidden Planet" (which itself drew its plot loosely from "The Tempest").

Return to the Forbidden Planet started life with the Bubble Theatre Company as a production for open-air performance in a tent. A revised version of the musical opened, indoors, at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool in the mid 1980s [http://www.henleycol.ac.uk/henleycollege/courses/arts/drama/reviews/planet/planetprod.htm] . It later moved to the Tricycle Theatre in London. After some rework a final version opened the Cambridge Theatre in London's West End in September 1989 [http://www.rttfp.com/history.php] . It won the Olivier Award for best musical for both 1989 and 1990.

The plot follows the crew of a routine survey flight under the command of Captain Tempest. Their spaceship is drawn mysteriously to the planet D'Illyria where mad scientist Doctor Prospero and his lovely daughter Miranda are marooned.

The high energy show features a bevy of 1950s and 1960s rock and roll classics, performed on stage by the cast. The campy sci-fi setting consisists of silvered space suit costumes and space ship sets concealing keyboards and drums. The show's dialogue is largely adapted from well-known passages from Shakespeare. There is a part for narrator on pre-recorded video which was played in the original production by Magnus Pike and in the London production by the popular astronomer Sir Patrick Moore.

On September 27, 1991, an off-Broadway production opened at in New York at the Variety Arts Theatre, a former nickelodeon and pornographic movie theatre. "Return to the Forbidden Planet" was the first theatrical production in the new venue. A notable cast member was Julee Cruise, known to audiences from her role in "Twin Peaks". The pre-recorded narrator was James Doohan, famous as "Scotty" from "Star Trek". It played to mixed reviews, but was nominated for two Outer Critics Circle Awards. It closed on April 26, 1992 after 243 performances. A cast album was released in 1991 by Rhino Records.

The show was revived for touring productions in the United Kingdom in 1999, 2001 and 2002. A new production toured the UK in 2006 with the pre-recorded narrator being the astrophysicist and virtuoso guitarist from Queen, Brian May.

ongs featured

*Wipe Out
*Tell Him
*It's a Man's Man's Man's World (song)
*Robot Man
*Great Balls of Fire
*Shake Rattle and Roll
*Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
*Go Now
*Good Vibrations
*Only The Lonely
*I'm Gonna Change the World
*The Young Ones
*A Teenager in Love
*Born to Be Wild
*Young Girl
*Mr. Spaceman
*She's Not There
*Monster Mash
*All Shook Up
*It's So Easy
*Gloria
*Johnny B. Goode
*Who's Sorry Now
*Gimme Some Lovin'
*Warpaint
*Telstar
*Albatross
*Yeh Yeh
*The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)
*Ain't Gonna Wash for a Week
*Shakin' All Over

External links

* [http://www.return-to-the-forbidden-planet.co.uk Official Website]
* [http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9D0CE4D7143FF937A25753C1A967958260 New York Times review of off-Broadway production]