cience-fiction musicals traditionally haven't fared too well on Broadway—the initial run of The Rocky Horror Picture Show lasted only about a month—but that hasn't deterred young Scottish playwright Daniel O'Brien from fashioning a futuristic presentation that he hopes will one day conquer the Great White Way. While Area 51 has yet to be staged beyond a single workshop production, folks can experience the adventure via a new CD containing 15 spirited songs. The album, featuring former Babylon 5 star Claudia Christian and up-and-coming British actor Matt Rawle, offers a stimulating sonic "sneak preview" of the stirring SF tale.
Although there are short dialogue segments sprinkled throughout the recording, it's the musical elements that propel the action forward. In the opening melody, "Stranger Than Fiction," three young women recount the rumors surrounding the mysterious Area 51 military base, while the facility's
lead researcher, Rick Adams (Rawle), is introduced in the effervescent "Resident Cool Guy." The first act continues with the discovery of an extraterrestrial radio signal ("Greys Are Givin' Us the Blues"), the unexpected emergence of a group of shadowy strangers ("Persons in Black") and the entrance of a man claiming to have been abducted by aliens ("Human Lab Rat").
In the second act, "The First Encounter" outlines the anticipation surrounding the imminent arrival of the visitors, with the ensuing instrumental, "Dance of the Possessed," harmonically presenting the space invaders' psychic subjugation of Dolores Fullborn (Christian)—Adams' personal assistant and lover—and various supporting players. The tunes progress through several more twists and turns, and when the curtain figuratively comes down following "Aftermath," the show's concluding composition, listeners will have discovered that, at least within Area 51, aliens and appearances can be not only deceiving, but also deadly.
Dynamic, but still in need of development
Filled with sly verbal and melodic allusions to such popular movie and television standards as Star Trek, Flash Gordon, The Day the Earth Stood Still and, of course, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Area 51 is a bright and breezy romp that combines classic genre story elements with modern-day alien mythology and a lively rock 'n' roll attitude. The compositions have a few rough edges—the play is admittedly still a work in progress—and the characters and plot could both benefit from additional development, but overall the recording presents a tantalizing taste of the tale's inherent energy and excitement.
The strongest composition is undoubtedly "Then We Met Like This," an elegant love song impressively performed by Christian and Rawle. Their voices soar over gorgeous strings and keyboards as they declare their true feelings for one another. The sentiments expressed in this show-stopping tune, which closes the first act, add significant power to ensuing cuts like "You Can Run" and "Damned If You Do," which raucously pit Adams against the possessed Fullborn.
Nevertheless, taken as a whole, the play lacks focus and polish. "Surfin' the Cyber-Sexual Highway," a number that delves into important identity issues, is marred by overly lascivious lyrics and an unnecessarily exaggerated presentation, while some of the key supporting players lack crucial individuality; they're billed simply as Person in Black, Cammo Dude Captain and Cammo Dudette. The production also ends on a decidedly pessimistic note, leaving listeners crestfallen rather than contemplative. Yet the basic narrative remains intriguing, and the performances are, for the most part, adequate (Rawle's contributions are particularly accomplished). Area 51 serves as an admirable preview of an SF musical that, with a tad more fine tuning, could readily result in a rewarding and
worthwhile night at the theater.
