BWW Reviews: MISSION TO PLANET ZOLBOTT Lifts Off at Denver's Dangerous Theatre but Fails to Orbit

Denver's Dangerous Theatre MISSION TO PLANET ZOLBOTT is a sci-fi space parody about a disco loving drag queen alien who wants to take over the universe with a disco death ray. The befuddled crew of the spaceship Conundrum is on a secret mission to the mysterious planet Zolbott. Along the way they must come to grips with their varied addictions and defeat Diva, thus saving the universe from disco hell. How do you defeat disco? With pop music from the 80's! A fun, musical, sexy romp through space!

While I did enjoy the inventive and fun mini movie that opened the show, the live action after that fell a little flat. Now in B-movies, musicals, or plays; I truly believe that the "B" stands for Beyond. Whether it be piranhas, killer clowns, 50-foot women or sweet transvestites - the skies the limit when it comes to this unique genre. If they needed any inspiration, they could have simply checked out the Saturday evening feature on the SyFy network (which has transformed the B-movie into an art form). Written and Directed by Artistic Director Winnie Wenglewick, Planet Zolbott had a really good foundation, unfortunately the transformation from page to stage failed to deliver and needed improvement. The crew of the starship had the most need for improvement and growth and here are some suggestions. If First Mate Pix (played by Eric Noto) is a recovering sexual deviant, then he should sport a large cod piece and possibly have a nervous tick from the excessive shock treatment. J.K. Tatham as Officer Barbara O'Riley was quite entertaining, but I would have loved to have seen a Valley Girl or Jersey Shore accent from her. Also, if this characters flaw was a shopping addiction, then I would expect to see a different outfit on her every single time she entered. Captain Kenneth Collins (played by Evan Glaser) was dynamic, but I just needed him to stop playing his character so literally and have some fun with it. This would have helped to drive the plot that seemed to drag for quite a while. His role was begging for an exaggerated Shatner accent when doing his Captain's logs. The best example of doing the right thing was Brainard Starling's brilliant over the top characters as the computer program, Precious. I loved the fact that he had so many characters up his sleeve and neither the audience nor the cast knew what was going to come on the stage next. The rest of his crew needed to take a page from his zany ways and just have playful fun with their roles. Another breath of fresh air was Mona Lott as Diva. Her larger than life character and outfit gave the show a shot of energy that it so desperately needed and she was a delight to watch. I also enjoyEd Scott Kameltewe as her bumbling henchmen, Barbarino. His goofy character and accent added to the campy potential of this show. I do have to compliment this show of the fun dance-off, but again they needed to go much further with it and include more heckling and improve as well as audience participation. Ultimately the goal of this scene is to have everyone dancing in the aisles and getting in on the action. I have to mention the set and my annoyance with the ships consoles. In line with this over the top attitude, I would have transformed those flat control panels into a large pair of breasts for First Mate Pix and a completely bedazzled console for Officer O'Riley that would have added some flair to the otherwise forgettable set. I do have to commend Kevin Leonard on his wonderful video and energetic choreography that added so much to this show. I also want to give total props to the theater for offering a sundae bar that was a cool, refreshing treat before the show!

Denver's Dangerous Theatre's original production of MISSION TO PLANET ZOLBOTT is entertaining audiences now through August 16th. Performances are Fridays at 9pm and Sundays at 6pm. For tickets or more information, contact the box office at 720-233-4703 or online at www.dangeroustheatre.com. Denver's Dangerous Theatre is located at 2620 W. 2nd Ave #1 in Denver, CO.