Live Live Play Review

CRITIC 1: Rina
CRITIC 2: Marina
CRITIC 3: Julian

Critic 1: Hello and welcome back to the show! Today, we’re going to be discussing the recent
musical ​Return to the Forbidden Planet​, directed by Kelly O’Connor and shown at the
Montgomery Blair High School Auditorium. It was a very *pause* interesting show, don’t you
think so?

Critic 2: Yeah, it sure was! You know, the plot of the play is based off of the Shakespeare play
The Tempest​, as well as incorporating parts of other Shakespeare plays including ​Romeo and
Juliet​ and ​Macbeth.​

C3: It follows a spaceship that gets stranded in an asteroid belt, and then is pulled in to land on
a strange planet. The captain, played by Francesco Berrett, discovers that Prospero, the mad
scientist played by Jonah Nan, has made his home there.

Critic 1: Then, with the help of Prospero’s servant Ariel, played by Geo Riviera, they discover
that Prospero was exiled, along with his pretty daughter, Miranda, by his cruel wife Gloria,
played by Courtney Wilson.

Critic 2: Speaking of Miranda, the actor who played her was fantastic.

Critic 3: Roshawnya Chambers right? She portrayed a lot of emotion, and really inhabited the
role of a young, naive girl.

Critic 1: Anyway, getting back to the play, through a dramatic series of events, Miranda and the
captain fall in love, and it is discovered that Prospero was only exiled to protect the world from
the dangerous chemical he created known as the X Factor.

Critic 2: At least everything turns out alright in the end. Well almost, Prospero sacrifices himself
to keep the world safe, but isn’t that how it goes sometimes? I guess that just goes to show you
that sometimes, things can turn out in unexpected ways.

Critic 3: That does seem like a good message to take from this play, huh? I don’t really
understand some of the plot however, it was a little confusing. For example, they never explain
the X factor chemical, or what it can do.

C2: Quick question, what was the deal with that tentacle monster. One minute Gloria and
Prospero were yelling at each other, then the next there was an attack. For me, the pacing was
kinda weird.
Critic 1: I guess, for me it made sense. In the next scene, they did explain that the monster was
created by the X factor chemical. Putting aside the play for a moment though, let’s quickly talk
about the music.

Critic 2: Sure thing. Most of the songs in ​Return to the Forbidden Planet​ are from the 50’s or
early 60’s, with hits such as “Great Balls of Fire” and “Good Vibrations” being the most fun to
listen to.

Critic 3: I did like the songs a lot, I thought that it was a nice change of pace from all of the
Shakespeare. Also, the choreography was pretty interesting. I thought that the way that the
entire ensemble would come together to dance really made the play fascinating. However, I did
think that there wasn’t enough space onstage when everyone was there, so the stage looked
kind of crowded.

Critic 2: Though the ​space​-ing was a little off, the special effects were handled quite well.

Critic 1: The production team in charge of ​Return to the Forbidden Planet​ used lights in order to
convey the stakes, draw the audience’s attention, and make the play more realistic. For
example, the production team used strobe lights, specifically in the alien attack scene. This
added some elements of chaos.

Critic 3: Also, spotlights were used in “​Gloria,​” the closing song of act 1. This drew attention to
her. The remainder of the cast being in shadow only heightened the effect of her being
everyone’s focus, including the cast. The team also used fog. This was a fairly simple tactic, but
added to the mechanical and futuristic vibe of the set.

Critic 2: Speaking of futuristic, what was with the heelies?

Critc 1: On the robot? I thought it was pretty cool, it made him look more like a machine.

Critic 3: Eh, I don’t know, I thought it looked kind of silly.

Critic 1: You’re entitled to your opinion, and I’m entitled to mine

Critic 3: Except when your opinion is wrong

Critic 1: *gives pointed look* Well, that’s all for today’s episode

Critics 1,2,3: See you next time on critics corner!