As a fan of the 1950s sci-fi movie Forbidden Planet as well as the plays of William Shakespeare, I have always wanted to see a production of the fabulously campy Olivier Award winning musical RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET, but could never find a production being done in the area.
So when I heard the award-winning Rubicon Theatre in Ventura was bringing it to their stage, I quickly made plans to take my family with me on opening weekend as a fun way to celebrate my birthday. And what an entertaining afternoon it turned out to be for all of us!
The musical is a send up of the cult classic movie and other sci-fi films and TV shows of the 1950s, melded with plot elements from The Tempest along with language from multiple plays by Shakespeare. That was part of the fun for me, catching so many Shakespearean quotes perfectly placed in the dialogue of Bob Carlton’s musical set on a spaceship sometime in the future, featuring a galaxy of 1950’s and 1960’s rock and roll classics including “Wipeout,” “Good Vibrations,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “All Shook Up,” “Monster Mash” and “We Gotta Get Out of this Place.” And what an outrageously fabulous band was assembled under the musical direction of Trevor Wheetman and Martin Landry to rock the score while believably playing ship crew members during the play.
“Return to The Forbidden Planet” follows the adventures of the dashing, guitar-playing spaceship captain Tempest (tall and handsome Harley Jay) and his crew who hit a meteor shower and are then mysteriously drawn off course to the planet D’Illyria. There they discover the mad scientist Dr. Prospero (Rubicon Co-Founder and brilliant character actor James O’Neil) and his beautiful daughter Miranda (lovely Kimberly Hessler), along with the robot Ariel (Jason Graae who perfectly combines the rigidity of a mechanized robot infused with an outrageous sense of ironic humor). Craig McEldowney as the ship’s guitar-wielding Scottish Bosun and Martin Landry as the keyboard-playing Spock-like Navigation Officer add a touch of Star Trek and musical showmanship to the show!
As a romance develops between Captain Tempest and Miranda, the ship’s chef Cookie (rock singer extraordinaire Caleb Horst) also falls in love with Miranda causing complications galore as they ask themselves “Why Must I be a Teenager in Love?” Dr. Prospero’s anger rises as the men pursue his daughter, and his ex-wife Gloria (fabulous redheaded rocker Rebecca Ann Johnson) re-appears to seek revenge, causing the monster created from Prospero’s unconscious mind to threaten the spaceship and the survival of everyone on it.
As the story unfolds, film and TV star Fred Willard appears digitally as the Narrator on a large screen above the multi-level set, a brazen salute to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. With all the antics going on, I was wondering when the audience would be encouraged to throw rice or toast at appropriate moments – but fortunately that never happened during this rock and roll extravaganza which will appeal to audiences of all ages whether or not you know the original movie or Shakespeare’s dialogue.
A veteran of more than 65 theatrical productions, director/choreographer Kirby Ward has created quite a magical production with a wonderfully creative and talented cast, impressive and thoroughly entertaining staging, inventive lighting and scenic design by Thomas S. Giamario, perfectly appropriate costumes by Pamela Shaw with outrageous hair and make-up designed by Tiffany Baker, along with sound designer Jonathan Burke who kept the place rocking without damaging your eardrums! I cannot offer enough kudos to everyone involved for making this production a fitting tribute to the musical’s 25th anniversary. This is one show you must not miss!
“Return to The Forbidden Planet” continues Wednesdays at 2 and 7 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through Nov. 13. All performances are at Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main St. in Ventura’s Downtown Cultural District (the corner or Main and Laurel). Tickets range from $35 to $64. Special pricing for students with ID is $30; Equity members and military are $35. There is a $5 discount for seniors 65 and older. For tickets, call 805-667-2900 or visit www.rubicontheatre.org. But don’t wait as this rocking musical is bound to sell out and cannot be extended.
