KIM WILCOX | features editor

Welcome to a survey flight aboard an intergalactic spaceship. The expected flight plan is fairly routine, so sit back, buckle your seat belts and in the event of a polarity reversal, please place your hands on top of your cranium and push down, exhaling in a giggly school girl fashion to restore physical equilibrium.

The sci-fi musical Return from the Forbidden Planet is a deep space tour to nowhere.

“It’s a classic sci-fi, ‘‘50s rock musical set to a Shakespearean undertone,” sophomore theater arts major Chris Bright said.

Bright plays the classic Red Shirt man whose sole duty is to give his life, repeatedly, for the protection of the crew. And in truth, he provides comic relief. The real fun part is trying to keep count of how many times he dies.

The cast of 12, live band and technical crew took this show to a new level. Their set is large and extremely impressive as it divinely mimics the inside of the Star Trek Enterprise from the ‘‘60s with glowing and blinking lights and an instrument panel which reacts to sound so the lights change every time the band plays.

The use of technology itself is impressive on the set as many components of the play rely on that technology for some sort of situational irony or plot revelation. On the other hand, the giant tentacles which attack the ship may be a little less than up to date with technology, only adding to the humor of it all.

The play is loosely based off Shakespeare’s The Tempest with several lines from his other shows including Romeo and Juliet, King Lear and Hamlet. Director Dr. Thomas Parham summed up his play as a 1950/60s jukebox musical which was “lovingly ripped off” from the MGM film Forbidden Planet.

Parham said the show has no deeper meaning. In fact, it’s more like Gilligan getting the whole ship lost resulting in one fantastic and surprisingly enlightening trip to a non-existent planet.

Students Sam Kinsman, Mary Lucas, Darren Bonaparte, Nick Estop, Jimmy McGeady and Bridget Schack all portray the wacky characters in the show.

Characters range from a mad scientist, played by Kinsman to faithful robot Ariel, played by Bonaparte. Meanwhile, Lucas, Estop and McGeady all find themselves in a pressing love triangle.

Among all this chaos and fun there are vocals which will melt your heart like butter. The voices of Kinsman and Schack will surely make you want to see the play again, and Lucas’s imitation of Dolly Parton could make any listener a classic country fan.

The play may be a little bit cheesy when it comes to plot and character development, but its entertainment value far surpasses all the cliché lines and tacky dance numbers.

The costuming adds to the entertainment. Each member of the cast is clad in traditional Star Trek garb blended with psychedelic ‘70s go-go boots and glow-in-the-dark accessories.

The gentlemen in the cast have their sideburns cut in traditional Captain Kirk fashion and the traditional Volcanic hand sign can be seen flashed between the characters. The news reel which plays throughout the musical features Dr. Kevin R. Grazier, who works on the set of Battlestar Galactica.

Sci-fi fans everywhere will find watching this play to be like winning the lottery. But there is something for the psychology majors out there too. Freud would have a field day with this play and all its references to man’s uncontrollable Id and his masterful super ego.

So really, even though Parham says there is no deep meaning to the play, one must be a deep well of knowledge in order to catch all the literary allusions and fascinating symbolism.

“It just a fun show that no one has heard of,” Parham said. “Dracula was my last show and I wanted to do something lighter.”

For tickets, students can visit the Felix Event Center ticket counter on West Campus or call the Theater office.