The Brain From Planet X

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This article was published 15/07/2011 (4815 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PTE Mainstage (Venue 16), to Sunday

This 90-minute musical spoof hits all the ’50s sci-fi clichés.

Dynamic full-cast opening number Here on Earth paints a picture of an American idyll, albeit one that’s threatened by the spectre of Communism and nuclear annihilation. That is, until flamboyant alien The Brain and his minions — a sex-starved space vixen and a brown-nosing male foil — arrive on a mission to enslave humanity.

Humanity in this case consists of perfect housewife Joyce, her inventor husband Fred, their sex-obsessed teen daughter Donna and Donna’s beatnik boyfriend, along with a gaggle of news reporters, a pair of gay beach boys and an army made up of one General Mills and a Private Partz.

They may escape the aliens, but there’s no running from the bad puns and sophomoric gags penned by American writer David Wechter. Still, the Landmark company is solid, performing more than a dozen forgettable songs — along with one massive, mind-blowing tap-dancing scene.

— Pat St. Germain

 From the official Fringe Festival program:

A hilarious send-up of bad 50s sci-fi movies. A brain and its two alien cohorts arrive on Earth with a plan to take over the San Fernando Valley – starting with a happy nuclear family, the first step on their quest to take over the entire planet and destroy the family unit.

Recommended For: General Audience

Length: 90 MIN

Tickets: $10

 http://www.crosswalkplayers.com/