Plan Nine From Outer Space Lands at the Brick

In the grand tradition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the Brick Theater’s Plan Nine From Outer Space (co-presented by DM Theatrics) revels in the fact that bad science-fiction flicks, ridiculous dialogue, men in demi-drag, and exuberant song-and-dance numbers are rather appealing in combination. (And, no, Freud, I’d rather not know why.)

Conceived and directed by Frank Cwiklik, Plan Nine is a fun, though occasionally long-winded, parody of director Ed Wood’s infamously awful 1958 sci-fi film of the same name, in which aliens visit Earth and raise a few zombies, terrifying the polis and befuddling the cops.

Bringing contagious enthusiasm onto an intimate stage, Plan Nine‘s cast campily re-enacts the film, mixing Wood’s original dialogue with some riffing of their own. The production budget is thin and the set is bare, but Cwiklik makes good use of several screens on which video clips play. 

Plan Nine is at its best when cast members dance their hearts out to rock anthems, and at its worst when scenes grow overlong and baggy. The show starts at 10 p.m. and capitalizes on inside sci-fi jokes, so it’s not for everyone. But it’s definitely an upbeat offering for fans of the late-night double-feature picture show.