One of the best-loved “worst films of all time” comes to the stage when the Aloha Performing Arts Company presents, “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” the stage adaptation of Ed Wood’s notoriously bad 1959 B-movie of the same name. The tangled tale of zombies and aliens who plan to wipe out humanity opened last Friday at Aloha Theatre in Kainaliu, and runs through Oct. 30.
The film was adapted for stage by Mark Landon Smith, and features a plethora of interesting characters such as aliens, space ships, donut eating cops and other various monsters. With an outrageous plot and silly effects it’s the perfect way to get your chuckles on this Halloween.
“The theater decided we just wanted to have some old-fashioned fun and to bring in a little comedy,” said Nicole Gour, one of the shows producers. “We had a heavy season last year. It was a great season, but it’s just nice to do something a little more slapstick fun.”
The sci-fi thriller featured Bela Lugosi in his final film and featured laughable acting, dialogue and direction. In other words, it was terribly perfect. So much so, that the film became a cult classic and the stage adaptation a favorite for theaters during the fall season.
The play focuses on a few inhabitants of planet Earth who become aware of an alien spaceship landing. They also learn that some of their friends are turning into zombies and are determined to get some answers.
“If you want to have a good laugh and be reminded of the fun that you can have in live theater then this is the show for you,” said Gour. “It has a little bit of something for everybody. It has a lot of pop culture references so many folks can relate to and everyone can enjoy. Everyone can come and find a character they can relate to and laugh with.”
The aliens who devise Plan 9, which involves the resurrection of dead Earthlings, are the Ruler, played by Renee Monell, the Space Commander played by Gour and the sexy sidekick Tanna, played by Kaitlin Moore. The risen Earthling corpses, the undead, are Lt. Daniel Clay (Miles Lu-go), the widower (Bert Toyama) and the widower’s dead wife (Martha Stephens). Notable live Earthlings in the play include Colonel Sanders (Don Ellison), General Mills (Martin Dwyer), Of-ficer Donuts (Monell), Officer Pips (Wendy Buzby), Edie the Stewardess (Mark Murdock), and Mr. and Mrs. Mister (Alana Baxter and Victor Lugo). The narrator, who guides the audience through the mayhem, is Rich Mears. Other members of the acting company, who play various roles, include Alessa Stephens, Alex Monell, Detrone Vailu’u, Joel Michaelson, Justyn Toyama, and Tianna Yeaman-Clifford.
Jerry Tracy, assisted by Sarah Crawford and Nora Judd, directs “Plan 9 from Outer Space”. Pro-ducers are Tiffany Kutsunai and Gour. Other crewmembers include Kira Kane, Kerry Matsumoto, Martha Stephens, Judith Tringali, Justyn Toyama, Gill Pecceu, Paula Cornwell, Kaitlin Moore, Ty-ler Savarese, Sharyn Toyama, Brian and Minami Asbjornson, and Rich Bickel.
“It’s nice for Halloween because it’s not serious,” Gour said. “We’re dealing with aliens and zombies, so it fits the whole Halloween season, and younger kids can come and see it too because it’s not something that’s too scary for them.”
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through Oct. 30. Ticket prices are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors (65+), $20 for young adults (19-25) and $10 for children younger than 18.
Info 322-9924 or visit www.apachawaii.org