Return To The Forbidden Planet
St George’s Hall

When Buttershaw St Paul’s Amateur Operatic Dramatic Society elected to present Return To The Forbidden Planet they knew they were taking a risk.

This was a rarely performed show inspired by a Fifties B-movie and not unlike the TV programme Lost In Space of the same period. It’s a show with Shakespearian references, a 33-item score, a show that would be expensive to stage. How could they have known the weather would be so atrocious for show week or that Bradford City would play their game of the century on opening night?

But like the City players, Buttershaw St Paul’s AODS pulled off a great success.

The production team of director Kevin Moore, musical director Ian Sapiro and choreographer Cathryn Laban has put together a fast-moving, highly entertaining production, involving special effects, imaginative costumes, a two-level spaceship set, the Starship Albatross, and a very talented cast.

There were parodies of the Bard’s great phrases in humorous guise, accompanied by the great rock ‘n’ roll music of the 1950s and 60s.

Great performances from Chris Nuttall as Captain Tempest, the pipe-smoking caricature of a space-ship captain with an eye for the opposite sex, Andrew Toothill as Cookie who has a singing voice of range and quality, Christa D’Apolito as Miranda, the temptress who not only gets her man but the total support of her audience too, Sara Rhodes as Gloria, the lady of mystery who delivered a stunning rendition of Go Now.

Phil Jowett is powerful as Prospero, the marooned professor, and Nathan Hall deserves special mention as roller skating robot Ariel. He sings and leads routines with the dancing chorus, all on skates too.

Chris Avery and Jayne Whitehead are great support as the Bosun and Navigation Officer while Vincent Franklin, on film, provides a Shakespearian-cum-Hitchcock style narrator.

The audience, ‘we happy few’, were transported away from the cold of winter into a warm, inviting reverie of the music of our youth, which many of us sang along to.

This hard-working, talented cast delivers Shakespearian style language and rock ‘n’ roll music in a manner appealing to all.

Miss it and you miss out on a highly entertaining evening.

Runs until tomorrow.

Stephen Raynor