RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET with Walkerville and Korda
Blast off to the Walkerville Centre for the Creative Arts (WCCA), and rock and roll with the valiant starship crew as they journey through space and RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET. See Captain Tempest battle the evil Dr Prospero for control of the mission, and the universe! See the fearless space explorers attacked by the horrific Monster from the Id! See the beautiful space maiden Miranda make her first discovery of human love! See the stalwart robot Ariel protect the secrets of Telegenesis! All this and more will thrill you as you hum along to such ‘60s hits as “Good Vibrations,” “Monster Mash,” “Teenager in Love” and “Great Balls of Fire!”
Written by Bob Carlton, and 2-time winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, with a plot based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET brings together the seasoned expertise of one of the area’s most successful performing arts companies, Korda Artistic Productions, and the emerging talents of the WCCA in their second co-production. The musical also features the theatrical artistry of the Capitol Theatre, the School of Dramatic Art, the Stratford Festival, and Stratford Off the Wall. The prodution is directed by Korda’s Resident Director Jeff Marontate, with music direction by WCCA’s Sarah Preney, and choreography by WCCA student Helena Critchlow. It is produced by WCCA’s Program Lead Roger Wellington, with tech direction by WCCA’s and the Capitol Theatre’s Eric Tulp, set design by SODA’s David Court and prop design Stratford’s Matt Burgess. The set was built by students at Off the Wall and dressed by design students from SODA. Live music is performed by Lunatics, Lovers and Poets, WCCA’s resident student rock band.
RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET opens on April 25 for a 6-show run, continuing April 26 and 27, and May 1, 2 and 3, 2025. All performances begin at 7:00 p.m., except April 27 which is a 2:00 p.m. matinee. All performances are presented at Walkerville Collegiate, 2100 Richmond Street in Windsor. Tickets are $25 (General Admission), and $20 (Seniors & Students). Special pricing is available for May 1, 2025, only – with $20 (General Admission), and $15 (Seniors & Students). For all performances, tickets are available online or at the door.
Korda’s 2025 Season, including this production, is generously supported by Windsor Improv Theatre (WIT), and Denise and Peter Hrastovec.
This production is presented through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals, New York, NY.
“Korda’s third decade of entertaining and thought-provoking theatre continues with a season that mixes the unknown with the familiar,” said Jeff Marontate, Korda’s Resident Director. “We examine the loss of identity and individuality in a selection of shows that balance laughter, music, and mystery. Whether they confront corruption or battle conformity, this season’s protagonists must rediscover the self in order to succeed or survive!”
“A masterpiece… Take one plot (Shakespeare’s The Tempest), one B movie (Forbidden Planet), and for added flavor plunder the entire Shakespearean canon for dialogue (the more pungent the plagiarism, the more piquant the final effect)… your favorite blasts from the past… ring out of the story with such unadulterated audacity that the cue lines themselves beg for mercy.” – What’s On
