Alien On Stage
93 Minutes / Not Rated
Directed by Danielle Kummer and Lucy Harvey
Synopsis:
British Bus driver’s amateur stage show of Ridley Scott’s Alien accidentally makes it to a famous London theatre! With awkward acting and special effects requiring more luck than judgement, will their homemade homage be alright on the night?
When I saw this film pop up on the list for SXSW, I was excited. I had a vague awareness of this event, but hadn’t really delved into it. This film seemed like an easy choice to put on my “must-watch” list.
I had tweeted a couple of general comments about this film while I was watching it, but I’ll expand on them quickly here.
I had hoped, early on, that the film wouldn’t become some sort of tear down of this group of intrepid bus-drivers as they paid homage to a true science fiction classic: Alien.
And it didn’t.
This group of would-be thespians are great. Even if they didn’t all go in with and appreciation of Alien, they certainly understood that some people did, and they were all on board with the end goal of raising money for charity.
The actual production itself, while obviously (and sometimes hilariously) amateur, is one of love, and surprising dedication to getting the best possible look/result given their time, financial, and artistic limitations.
And what they did in terms of creating props and effects is actually very impressive, all things considered.
Anyway, what could have been a simple “laugh at them” property, becomes so much more when we get to see behind the curtain at all the excitement, anxiety, and downright FEAR these folks have as they prepare to make their London debut.
But what I want to know is if the actual performance has been recorded and put on disc.
If so, send it ASAP.
Alien on Stage doesn’t seem to have a distribution plan yet, but when it does: watch it.
Especially if you’re a fan of Alien.
Alien On Stage features David Mitchell, Lydia Hayward, Luc Hayward, Mike Rustici, John Elliot, Carolyn White, Jaqcui Roe, Scott Douglas, Jason Hill, and Peter Lawford.
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