Customer Reviews

Return To The Forbidden Planet (1989 Original London Cast)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first saw this musical when it ran off broadway in some year which occured in the early nineties. I instantly fell in love with it, and in fact, the first CD I ever owned was the American cast recording of this. I listened to many of the tracks, (Particularly Teenager in Love. No particular reason though. I musta been eleven at the time.) many many times. The British recording is just as good (Even if I didn't think so at first because i was so used to the American version.) While soem of the songs, such as teenager in love, i believe are carried out better on the American version, the British version has We Gotta Get out Of This Place, which absolutely rocks. All in all, it is a wonderful interlacing of Broadway/West End style musicals, Classic Rock, and Shakespeare.

Way way back, when I was in High School, a friend of mine told me about a play she'd seen when she went to England. She said, "Michelle, I know you'll like this soundtrack, it's a combination of three of your favorite things. A Shakespeare play, a 50/60's music concert, and 'Forbidden Planet'."

Needless to say, I was intrigued.

I was very lucky to see it about a year later in New York, off Broadway, with Julie Cruise (Who's voice most of us would recognize from much of the music in Twin Peaks) and James Doohan ("Scotty" from Star Trek).

"Return to the Forbidden Planet" roughly follows the plot of the classic movie "Forbidden Planet", which itself was roughly based on Shakespeare's "The Tempest". It has the 1990 Laurence Olivier Award for the Best Musical. (The Olivier is the British equivalent of the Tony. Remember, this was also the year "Miss Saigon" came out. So that shows you where the British priorities are... RIGHT WHERE THEY SHOULD BE!)

It's a wonderful show, with a small cast, and fun music. I would especially suggest this CD as a gift if you have a young drama geek in the family who likes soundtracks. Or if you're planning a trip to the UK, there's usually a production of this show going on somewhere. Get this to listen to on your way over. (After all, the RSC only has so many productions going on at one time... ;) )

I first saw RTTFP in 1990, and again (this time with my wife) in 1991 and 1993, all at the Cambridge Theater while visiting the UK and an American version in 2001 in San Jose, CA. I guess this would make us a real fans. In 1991 we took my son and daughter-in-law (stationed in England at the time) and in 1992 my daughter-in-law took my daughter to see it. So for our family, RTTFP truly spans generations. Over the decades I have seen many stage productions of all types but RTTFP has to be one of the greatest and absolutely the most "fun" shows ever.

The music on the CD faithfully captures the ingenious combination of lyrics and creativity of the live production. What is missing from this CD(hence the lowered rating)is the delightful dialog and the delicious double entendres of British humor found on earlier versions of the CD. The missing dialogue connected the story line giving it flow and continuity. As it is, the songs only hint at semblance of the orginal story line. For those who have seen the live production, the music will bring back many memories. And Cookie's bass solo of "She's Not There" is a truly memorable musical experience which uniquely translates the tortured turmoil in his mind into the notes of his guitar. Absolutely unforgettable!

For those who enjoy 50's and 60's music sequenced to tell a story this is definitely one to have in your collection.

I have seen the show in the UK quite a few times now, and have had the cd for sometime, but if you like the show, this is a must for your collection, but if you just like rock 'n' roll then buy this as well, its great fun and great to sing along to!

I saw Return to the Forbidden Planet in London -- it was the most fun I've had as an audience member at a scripted stage play. The recording is of a live performance and gives a very good feeling of what the live show was like.

As for the content of the show itself -- it's a cross between the movie "Forbidden Planet" and Shakespeare's Tempest. It's done mainly in Shakespearean lines but with slight twists that make it very, very funny. The actors were all quite decent rock-and-roll musicians and they fill the show with revised versions of songs from the 50's through the early 70's. Cookie the Baker's rendition of "She's Not There" is one of my favorites. The New York accented, Roller Skating robot's "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" is pretty good too. There are some duds, of course, almost every record or show has 'em. But overall, one fun show and one good record.

My first copy was stolen during a burglary and I'm very happy to have found a replacement is available here.

My first reaction to this soundtrack (actually, live recording) album was that it was so reminiscent of some of the poorer high school productions (of anything) I've seen. It had it all -- atrocious, poorly delivered dialogue, with the important parts yelled really loud to make sure you knew this was an important part; garbled speech, so that not one complete line was thoroughly understandable; amateur-hour orchestrations; and a group of singers selected at random from the senior-grade drama class.

But then I realized the recording bore much greater resemblance to dollar-drink night at a karaoke bar. High school kids have suppler voices and more verve. This was the after-work accountants and secretaries having several belts and then sidling up to the mike to do a cover of "Runaround Sue." Forget about the range of the singers: all combined, I'm not sure they have a full octave among them. Several went frequently and grotesquely flat. With the possible exception of a quirky "Go Now" rendition, every song was markedly inferior to even a bar-band cover of the classic-rock songs.

The idea for the show is audacious, but you wonder why finding a group of talented people was a concept studiously avoided in its implementation.

This album is a travesty. I was going to take it down for a few bucks to the used-CD trading post, but I have some measure of ethics. So I broke in my new hammer on it. At least it worked well for that. Too bad they don't recycle CD slivers in my area.

This CD reflects a clever idea combining Shakespeare with modern characters and songs. It was such successful word of mouth production with actors who could sing, dance and play a range of instruments on stage. Each song on the CD is joyous. AAP

This is a great compilation of music from the London play. We were magically surprised by the production while in London , and the music is a great reminiscence of nostalgic 60s songs from the adapted story.Brings a smile everytime we listen.

K. Cohen... see the "one star" review... has clearly never seen a production of RTTFP. I have, repeatedly, and although the soundtrack is no match for the live experience, listening to it still makes me smile every time. Buy this soundtrack, but do not cast your judgement untill you have experienced the production first hand. The key phrase here is "unabashed, riotess fun" Enjoy ;o)

I saw this play/musical in London five times over two years. It is one of the great theatre experiences I have had. And, that includes seeing most of the big names releases in London over the past 20 years.

The bad news is that unless you have see this fantastic production done by a good company, the songs will have only limited impact. While they are great tunes, and an excellent cover of them, the images they conjure after you have seen the production is the real thrill.

Thanks again for selling this cult masterpiece. And can anyone tell me why this play does not circulate? I would pay double to see it again