For those unfamiliar with the cult children’s book by Claire Freeman and Ben Cort, on which this hour long show is based, it runs to just 12 pages with only four lines of text on each page, so a certain amount of “padding” is to be expected but, as the huge Assembly Hall Theatre audience witnessed, it’s “padding” of a really good quality.
The additional scenes and characters that are included in the stage show are the flesh that covers the bones and they give considerable depth to the tale, whilst not masking the familiar roots that so many of the youngsters, including my son, had come along to see and hear.
As the audience enters, the four strong cast start by surveying some members as to their favourite type of pants and, as the house lights dim, they share the information with the rest of us. All this is done under the premise that the show has been cancelled and they are simply trying to find an alternative way to entertain us.
Of course, the pantomime style shouting from the audience soon prompts the cast to offer to create a show and we find ourselves watching Timmy in a school history lesson about the first moon landing. He is so inspired by the lesson that, despite the ridiculing from his classmates, he rushes home to tell him Mother about his ambition to become a spaceman.
Timmy finds his Mother hanging out a washing line full of underpants which, for the second time that week, suddenly disappear and launch us into the more familiar part of the story. Back in his bedroom Timmy encounters the aliens who have been stealing the underwear and, using puppets of various colours and sizes, the three other cast members become Coops (a small red, three-eyed, alien) Cryl (the green alien with red pants that features on the posters) and Dex (a large blue alien with huge eyes that stick out on stalks).
Startled at being discovered by Timmy the aliens transport themselves and, in a freak accident, Timmy, up to their spaceship. Using ultra-violet lighting, copious amounts of smoke and a backdrop covered in thousands of twinkling stars, the spaceship scene has the audience almost totally silent and transports us up to Planet Janet – the alien home world.
In the underpants exhibition on Planet Janet the aliens have several of the most famous pants in history including Henry the Eighth’s only pair, our present Queen’s pick frilly pants complete with royal crest, Kylie’s infamous gold hotpants and a tiny pair of swimming trunks as worn by Tom Daley. Sadly, they don’t understand the symbols on the labels but when Timmy explains that they are simply washing instructions, and is able to “translate” most of them, the aliens make him king.
Overall the show is extremely good with the four cast members working very hard to keep the pace and the interest of a very tough audience of under tens. Harrison Spiers is very believable as Timmy and he works well with the other actors, and with the puppet aliens. Between them Charlotte Cooper, Cheryl Felgate and Derek Elwood play eight parts (five humans and three aliens) so they are pretty much on the go throughout the show but they seem to love every second of it.
The sets are simple but effective and the targeted use of special effects helps to keep the audience’s attention from start to finish. The musical numbers are catchy and memorable, as I discovered on the long car journey home as I was being serenaded by my, still very excited, son who was clutching his cuddly alien souvenir.
Unlike a lot of children’s shows that are based on books or TV programmes, it is not necessary to have a “working knowledge” of Aliens Love Underpants before seeing the stage show but, for those who have, the familiarity doubles the, already high, excitement level. A superb way to spend an hour and a great way to check out the latest trends in underwear – go see it!
Four Stars ****
