rom silly Saturday morning fare such as Land of the Lost to Steven Spielberg's recent Jurassic Park flicks, the concept of humans interacting with dinosaurs has sparked the imagination of many science fiction fans. One of the earliest stories that explored this topic was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, which first appeared as a novel in 1912.
This videotape chronicles the recent creation of an audio version of that classic tale by the Alien Voices acting troupe, headed by Star Trek alums Leonard Nimoy and John de Lancie. In their rendition, the intrepid George Edward Challenger (Shimerman) claims to have discovered dinosaurs deep within the South American jungle. Along with explorer John Roxton (de Lancie), newspaper reporter Edward Malone (Schultz) and skeptical colleague Elizabeth Summerlee (Biggs-Dawson), he sets out to prove the existence of this forgotten land.
After a harrowing journey down the Amazon river, the party eventually reaches the site. There they encounter the gigantic reptiles, along with both primitive ape men and native tribespeople. Unfortunately, Challenger and his crew also find themselves caught in the middle of a war between the two groups, forcing the heroic quartet to forgo collecting specimens and quickly figure out a way to escape from the fascinating but deadly "lost world."
Performed at the Variety Arts Center in Los Angeles, the Alien Voices presentation of The Lost World mimics an old-time radio broadcast, with each actor reading directly from his or her script. Original sound effects and musical cues are also provided by individuals who share the stage with the principal players.
A swirl of audio activity
A significant selling point for this videotape is that it offers viewers a rare glimpse at the frenetic creative process behind old-fashioned dramatic radio. With people running from microphone to microphone and the sound effects team constantly banging on boxes and shouting out strange bird calls, viewers can clearly see that generating an on-stage aural adventure can be a surprisingly formidable task.
Surrounded by this swirl of activity, each actor does an exemplary job bringing his or her character to life. Shimerman is particularly powerful as Challenger, while Ethan Phillips adds a touch of humor in two small roles depicting a copy boy who has trouble pronouncing the word pterodactyl and a tribal chief who, even though he does not speak English, finds himself attracted to Ms. Summerlee.
Nimoy, through his portrayal of newspaper editor Angus McArdle, essentially oversees the production, and it's clear he relishes the opportunity to perform in the presence of an appreciative audience. And the crowd does appear to be having a fine time, especially when they're required to participate by cheering or booing at appropriate points in the drama.
The Lost World is reasonably entertaining for home viewers too. However, the goal of the production is obviously to generate a believable audio environment, and while there is some visual excitement, watching the video once or twice will likely satisfy the needs of all but the most faithful Alien Voices aficionados.
