Abducted Into An ‘Alien Nation’ (Review)

by Edward Mylechreest
Edward Mylechreest
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September 28, 2018
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5 min read

Pass the popcorn and enjoy this existential millennial sci-fi thriller

It’s a Tuesday evening, and I find myself in the middle of a dance floor, music pounding and people moving all around me. Suddenly across the room, light beams down onto a tall man with glasses, and I am able to hear his thoughts through the room’s sound system. He hates dancing. The light moves and shines on a girl in a dazzling jacket, and I hear her concerns about how other people will view her. One by one, the light seems to interrogate person after person, as we hear their inner monologues out loud. This is how we meet our cast of characters, five soon to be college graduates and a collection of truly terrible people.

There is Leslie (Alexander Paris), a performance artist “pushing the boundaries of modern art” mostly by annoying his small group of friends. Giselle (Elisha Mudly) is a self-diagnosed lifestyle therapist, obsessed with maintaining and promoting her own social media brand of therapy and self-help. Cameron (Graham Techler) and Tilly (Jessie Kenner Tidball) seem to be constantly on the verge of breaking up, but neither of them is listening to the other enough to realize. Meanwhile, Beck (Simon Henriques) is so apathetic that life seems to be passing him by. When Leslie asks for his help with an upcoming art project, he would rather decline, as much as he opines that he truly does want to help, because he would hate to commit to saying “yes,” then have to pull out later. It’s a broad range of satirical Millennial stereotypes, which provides a lot of angsty humor, much of which ends up hitting quite close to home for this writer. But while they dance, and complain about their lives, one name seems to keep coming up in all of their inner monologues: Penelope.

Penelope (played by the other-worldly Carrie Adams) is returning from a life-changing semester abroad in Spain, which news reports tell us is the location of a recent series of alien abductions.

Look into her eyes, and you can see she’s changed…

It is from here that the story really takes off, as it would appear that Penelope has been taken over by a mysterious alien race. These floating creatures have come to Earth to discover more about its inhabitants, and over the course of the evening, our group of college seniors discovers more about themselves. Alien Nation becomes a classic campy sci-fi thriller with a collection of contemporary protagonists who find themselves on the run from the FBI, who are on the hunt for this extraterrestrial being. This unlikely group of heroes gradually learn how to become better human beings, even if it means no longer being fully human.

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The lighting design by Christopher Annas-Lee, set design by Adam Wryon, and illusions by Skylar Fox (who also served as Director and Writer) are a noteworthy aspect in themselves. It is a relatively small space, set up to feel like a 1950’s era cinema vestibule with red leather stools and booths, but what the team are able to do with the space is incredible. The play feels like a real-life Edgar Wright film, with sets suddenly transforming and the audience being transported instantaneously as if by jump-cut. There must have been at least 30 scene changes throughout the show, each effortlessly delivered. The show is a masterclass for immersive creators in how to use a space and how to make “not a lot,” feel like “a lot.”

Even though the audience cannot change the course of the narrative in Alien Nation, the show is fully committed to keeping the audience involved throughout the performance. At times the audience is asked to take part in a scene, as the venue transforms into an impromptu subway car with the aid of two curtain rails. Perhaps someone is plucked out to be an Uber driver as the plot thickens in the backseat behind them. At one point, the entire audience find themselves in the middle of a wedding reception, in the middle of a field, dancing to Whitney Houston.

Each of the actors performs with such energy, enthusiasm, and commitment that it is joyfully easy to be sucked into the world of the story and to be along with each of the characters for the ride. This audience interaction mixed with the dark satirical humor, and incredibly “straight” delivery of the cast, makes Alien Nation a very enjoyable performance. And in the midst of all the laughter, there are some really moving and surprisingly deep lines that cut through the madness. One scene towards the end of the show has a real emotional kick to it, and it is one I know I’ll remember for quite some time.

To allow the narrative, and solely the narrative, to take the lead in an immersive piece is a bold move which I can only commend Nightdrive on undertaking here. Alien Nation really is a 360-degree ride, with the action taking place all over the room, encouraging movement from the audience to be in the best position to witness the action. The seats that are dotted around the room were left empty throughout the performance.

By the end of the story, it becomes clear that amidst all of the alien invasion, the chases, and the clever set pieces, at the heart of Alien Nation is a story of existential crisis. A reflection on our own humanity, on our willingness to open up to our community, and to hopefully become less alienated from our fellow brothers and sisters.

Nightdrive’s Alien Nation continues through October 6. Tickets are $25–40.

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