ou don\u2019t have to brush-up on Shakespeare to appreciate the sci-fi comedy \u201cReturn to the Forbidden Planet.\u201d For every classic passage used, there\u2019s a rock \u2018n\u2019 roll song to accompany it.<\/p>\n
This campy mash-up of \u201860s music, \u201850s B-movie plot and Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cThe Tempest\u201d is a lot of fun in the hands of a talented Jobsite Theater cast.<\/p>\n
Playing through July 6 in the cabaret setting of the Jaeb Theater at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, \u201cForbidden\u201d is an imaginative recreation of the 1956 space thriller \u201cForbidden Planet\u201d as well as \u201cThe Tempest,\u201d along with a nod to \u201cStar Trek.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those who aren\u2019t familiar with Shakespeare or the original \u201cForbidden Planet\u201d might be confused at first but when the music starts they can catch on fast because almost everyone knows the more than 20 golden oldies included such as \u201cGreat Balls of Fire,\u201d \u201cTeenager in Love\u201d and \u201cGood Vibrations.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Bard of Avon\u2019s \u201cTempest,\u201d a disposed Italian Duke named Prospero plots to restore his beautiful daughter Miranda to her rightful place using his powers of illusion. He conjures up a storm that brings his usurping, scheming brother and others to a remote island. Things get complicated when Miranda falls in love with his brother\u2019s son.<\/p>\n
In \u201cReturn to the Forbidden Planet,\u201d a spaceship piloted by Dr. Tempest (Jonathan Harrison) is lured to a mysterious planet where a mad scientist named Prospero (Owen Robertson) has created a humanlike robot Ariel (Jaime Giangrande-Holcom), a brain-enhancing \u201cX Factor\u201d formula and a deadly monster.<\/p>\n
Just before the landing, Science Officer (Heather Krueger) flees the ship in a space shuttle. She turns up later as Gloria, Prospero\u2019s defiant wife.<\/p>\n
Prospero\u2019s young daughter Miranda (Amy E. Gray) quickly falls for Dr. Tempest while one of the crew, Cookie (Spencer Meyers), falls hard for Miranda.<\/p>\n
Also on the ship\u2019s bridge are a very Spock-like Boson Arras (J. Elijah Cho) and a blue-face alien Navigation Officer (Maggie Mularz). And a in surprise role, a pre-recorded narrator who appears on a giant porthole screen is played by WFTS, Channel 28, anchor Brendan McLaughlin.<\/p>\n
This cast excels on the many song and dance numbers and a script which shifts back and forth from Shakespeare to sci-fi jargon. Some of Shakespeare\u2019s most familiar lines (from \u201cHamlet\u201d to \u201cRomeo and Juliet\u201d) are \u201crepurposed\u201d such as this exchange:<\/p>\n
Navigation Officer: \u201cBut hold, I have another beep.\u201d<\/p>\n
Captain: \u201cA second beep?\u201d<\/p>\n
Navigation Officer: \u201cWell, I\u2019m not sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Captain: \u201cOne beep or not two beeps?\u201d<\/p>\n
Crew: \u201cThat is the question.\u201d<\/p>\n
And from Shakespeare\u2019s sonnets: \u201cShall I compare thee to a Barbie Doll?\u2019<\/p>\n
Harrison, who is front man vocalist for the power lounge band Vodkanauts, is solid as a comical cross between \u201cStar Trek\u201d captains Kirk and Picard and is entertaining on songs such as \u201cYoung Girl.\u201d<\/p>\n
Krueger, who performs with the Frankie Valli tribute show \u201cLet\u2019s Hang On,\u201d delivers some powerful vocals on songs \u201cGloria\u201d and \u201cIt\u2019s a Man\u2019s Man\u2019s Man\u2019s World.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robertson shines on the villain\u2019s lament \u201cDon\u2019t Let Me Be Misunderstood.\u201d Gray rocks on \u201cTeenager in Love\u201d and a \u201cRobotman\u201d duet with Giangrande-Holcom.<\/p>\n
Meyers has some spirited solos including \u201cShe\u2019s Not There\u201d and \u201cOnly the Lonely.\u201d<\/p>\n
The whole cast gets into \u201cThe Monster Mash\u201d (with a \u201cRocky Horror Picture Show\u201d dance number) and a comical nod to a \u201cStar Trek\u201d blast-off with the Venture\u2019s \u201cWipe Out.\u201d<\/p>\n
A four-piece rock band (with a Theremin for sound effects) provides the music.