photos by Mykal Burns
photo by Mykal Burns
Perhaps it was too much absinthe, or fumes of swamp gas, that inspired the absolutely unnatural idea behind a staged musical adaptation of the classic Universal horror film, “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” but with tongues firmly planted in gills, the result is a surprisingly hilarious and spectacular production and becomes a rare theme park attraction worthy of making a destination that isn’t a ride.
The story is your standard B-monster movie fare: expedition sets off into the jungle in search of mythical creature – in this case, a half man, half fish known as the Gill-man – said creature shows up, kidnaps the expedition leader’s fiance, and the expedition tries to rescue the maiden who has now fallen in love with the creature.
Contained within 30 minutes, the simple plot is an open canvass for some catchy tunes and non-stop jokes, frequently campy, sometimes cliched, and often dark and risque (I’d say too subtle for the little monsters to understand, but the signs warn to keep away spawn younger than 13).
The creature is captured after briefly escaping its holding tank. Photo by Mykal Burns.
Even diehard theatre fans may be impressed with choreography by Lynne Taylor-Corbett (whose credits include Footloose and Broadway’s “Swing!” for which she received a 2 Tony Award nominations), a creepy, Amazon set by James Youmans (Broadway’s “West Side Story” and “Gypsy”) and a script from Universal Creative that is on par with with anything the rival Imagineer team could do, but free of all those Disney restrictions on lewd jokes and less than happy endings (I don’t want to give anything away, but the “very hung… hung… hungry” creature’s giant tongue is featured, paying off an earlier lyric, “I know its sick but I gotta have a lick”).
Before the show’s preview performance, the creature was unveiled to assorted press and media outside the theatre after he “escaped his holding tank” making for a fun photo op as he menaced the photographers and news crews, before finally being subdued by his captors. Unfortunately, the only disappointment I had was in the creature’s costume design, which looked more like the Predator than the classic Gill-man. Making up for this, however, was the fun performance, who, like the rest of the cast, who seemed to be having more fun than the audience, who were enjoying every moment.
For Universal Studios Hollywood visitors, and especially those who appreciate dark rides and classic horror, the show makes for an excellent compliment to the existing lineup including the Mummy ride and the Universal House of Horrors maze, which will tide most over until the park gets remade in October for its Halloween Horror Nights.
Click the pic for more of Mykal Burns photos from "The Creature from the Black Lagoon"
