What I liked
I loved it. It helps that I am a long time fan of the original movie, but I brought a friend who had never seen the movie and she loved the musical as much as I did. The songs are fun and the stellar cast delivers them with conviction, comedy and character. It makes me laugh just to think about he guy who played Roy. The Robot Monster deserves some kind of award for best acting in an ape suit with a robot head.
What I didn't like
The projections of the Great Guidance were slightly confusing and might benefit from a frame around them that mirrors the ones held by Ro-Man and the Family. Also – the movie has some iconic visuals that are referred to, but visually underrepresented in the musical — the cave, the bubbles and Roy spending half the movie with his shirt off. The musical is very aware of these details and tends to them effectively enough. Still, I did think that some sort of cave facade, a few more bubbles and a shirtless man would’ve elevated the production another level. None of this robbed me from loving it, it was just something I thought about.
My overall impression
If you’re not familiar with the original Robot Monster movie, “Robot Monster the Musical” is a nice introduction. The musical revels in all the absurdity and ludicrousness of the original head-scratching movie plot and celebrates its many bizarre iconic moments. The songs are really funny and sung with gusto by the awesome, memorable cast. The “Pooped-out Pinwheel” song is a favorite. The guy who played Roy makes me laugh just to think about him. I really had a fun time and plan to see it again.
