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I hadn’t heard of the Alien on Stage documentary until I received an email promoting its screening at the South by Southwest festival. At first, I thought it was about the production created and performed by North Bergen High students in New Jersey, whose performance went viral in 2019. Little did I know that I was about to enter a whole new world of theatre.
Background Information
Alien on Stage follows a surprising theatre troupe who in-lieu of a traditional pantomime decide to produce their own stage-adaptation of the 1979’s Alien. The theatre troupe in question? A team of bus drivers from Dorset, England.
The production is created completely from the ground up. It is written by Luc Hayward — the son of the leading actress, Lydia — and directed by Lydia’s husband, Dave. (The director is Luc’s stepfather.) The sets and costumes are lovingly created by friends and family members. Alien on Stage wasn’t exactly a sell-out when it was first performed in Wimborne. Although, somehow, this production gained a cult following online that helped bring the show to the London stage.
This documentary follows that journey from a small-town show to the West End stage. We see how they prepare for such a jarring shift from what was originally being done on the same stage as Dame Joan Collins. The nerves are high, but so is the excitement. By the time the movie is over, you’ll be wanting to rewatch it all over again. The documentary is an infectious laugh-out-loud ride of a lifetime, perfect for the current world climate.
Discussion
I’m not one for cringy entertainment, and yes, the portions of the play that we see can be cringe-worthy. However, it can all be forgiven because no one on the stage is an actor by West End standards. They’re just doing it for fun, and their fun radiates off the screen. If you don’t laugh along with the audience or at least smile, then I don’t know what to say to you. This is one of the best documentaries of 2021 so far.
While we don’t get to see the full performance, the documentary shows enough of it that it will have you joining in with the audience during the faithful recreations of scenes from the Nostromo crews awakening from cryosleep to the famous chest-burster scene. You’ll be howling and laughing along with the audience like it’s a midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. As for the titular “Alien” or Xenomorph, the costume is clearly a homemade creation, but with dim-lighting and the right atmosphere. Only a theatre can create it to become a wonderful replica of the original suit.
Overall Thoughts
I can’t give enough praise to the team behind this stage-adaptation. They’ve done such a great job with creating something that’s not incredibly enjoyable. Additionally, it made me miss the theatre so much more than I have been since they closed in 2020. The show returned to the Leicester Square Theatre a few times since its first London performance, with all proceeds going to charity. I really hope that we see it return once the theatres reopen. Alien on Stage is a great mood-lifting remedy we all deserve after such a horrible year. Indeed, this is British humour at its finest.
Since Disney now owns the Alien franchise, thanks to their purchase of 20th Century Fox, I don’t know how rights work over the documentary. If they had any sense, then they would purchase the streaming rights for Disney+. It would make a wonderful companion piece to the history of the franchise on their streaming services.
