Olivier Award-winning musical Return to the Forbidden Planet, which was inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest, is coming to the Festival Theatre Edinburgh in March 2015.
A "musical of meteoric proportions that will be remembered for light years to come", the new production comes 25 years after it opened at the West End’s Cambridge Theatre in September 1989.
Among the songs featured in the rock 'n' roll musical are golden oldies such as Great Balls of Fire, This is a Man’s World, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, Who’s Sorry Now, Teenager in Love, Young Girl, Heard It Through the Grapevine, Johnny B. Goode and Born To Be Wild.
The cast of actor-musicians includes founding member of Queen and world-renowned guitarist Brian May - or at least a video projection of him - as the Newscaster. The new production also promises "stunning" special effects by the original design team, a mad scientist, a huge green-tentacled monster, and a rock ’n’ roller-skating robot.
“It was an incredible time when Return to the Forbidden Planet landed in West End in what was a vintage year alongside shows such as Miss Saigon and Buddy," said creator Bob Carton. "It’s thanks to the audiences, who took it to their hearts and rocked out every night, that it became such a cult success. I can’t wait to bring it back 25 years later, to introduce it to a whole new generation and to reunite with original fans of the show…”
The production will be Carton’s final as artistic director of the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch.
So fasten your seatbelts, set your ray guns to stun and prepare for blast off with Captain Tempest and his crew into hyperspace.
Festival Theatre Edinburgh from Tuesday 10 March to Saturday 14 March 2015