Friday, May 25, 2012

Sci-fi, Puppet-style

With the Alien prequel movie Prometheus about to begin in NZ, an unusual remake of Aliens is ready to hit the stage.
Yes, stage! The Meat and Potato Theatre is performing a musical rendition, using...puppets!
Luckily for my aging sensibilities, the show is light-years away from me - in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 24-June 10.
Aliens (The Puppet Musical) has the same storyline as the 1986 James Cameron flick: Ellen Ripley returning to slay slimy space creatures and fulfill maternal instincts by protecting an orphaned girl. But mix that up with a full cast of puppets, a soundtrack of eight songs, and the very novelty of the show should draw an audience through curiosity alone!
Meat and Potato’s version tweaks the cast lineup a bit, with characters such as Optimus Prime and puppets resembling Ernie and Bert. Alf and Lady Gaga also make appearances. The only character appearing in the flesh is Ripley. As for the alien itself, you’ll know the queen mother has arrived when strains of opera-singing hit the air (y'know what they say: "It ain't over til the slime-dripping egg-laying human-devouring lady sings").
As the fuzzy puppet soldiers are armed with water-guns, audiences should expect to get a little wet...and have a good laugh!

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