Return to the Forbidden Planet at the Theatre Royal Brighton Review
Return to the
Forbidden Planet
Theatre Royal, Brighton
20-24 January 2015
Reviewed by Meresa Bergin
I have never quite seen anything like Return to the Forbidden Planet, it is on par with The Rocky Horror Picture Show which is the only thing I can possible compare it to. When we arrived at the theatre we were greeted by the crew of the spaceship who informed us who they were and give safety advice and seemed eager to explore our programmes, debating which member of the crew was the best looking! They also engaged wonderfully with the young members of the audience who loved how they really stuck to their roles and involved them.
Return to the Forbidden Planet tells the tale of group of crew members in space who crash into a planet to which Dr Prosero a mad scientist who was sent to by his wife with their infant child Miranda many years ago, on the planet with the help of his robot Ariel he makes a crazy potion which has unthinkable consequences Told through the magic of music, it Is a rock and roll journey through the stars as we witness new love and betrayal with Captain Tempest and his crew!
The musical hosts a range of amazing roll and rock songs from the 50s and 60s, among them my favourites were Great Balls of Fire, Gloria, It’s Man’s World and She’s Not There but there are so many songs to choose from and the cast pull them off in such a way you have no choice but to get up and dance, clap and scream! My favourite moments mostly involved Cookie, the crew’s chief who is hopelessly in love with Miranda, he has such comic timing and flare and Dr Prosero was fabulous as the self-centred mad scientist!
There is so much in this show, at times I felt I was in a play and then a musical, watching a science fiction movie! And ending as if I was in a rock concert. The cast were amazingly outstanding with the crowd, engaging us as part of the show and they got a well-deserved standing ovation at the end as people danced in the aisle and shouted for more.
I have never seen anything like this before and believe me either have you, you MUST see this show while it is on tour this season!
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £12.90 to £36.40 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
Return to the Forbidden Planet is at the Theatre Royal in Brighton until 24 January 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 871 7650.
Theatre Royal. New Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1SD | 0844 871 7650
