This Star Trek Musical Khan’t Lose
The sci-fi scream heard around the world is about to come to a theater near you (if you live in the tri-state area). A parody musical based on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan will be playing in New York City this year and something tells me you won’t want to miss it.
As you can imagine, someone who does what I do for a living gets a lot of press releases every day. But it’s not every day you recognize a friend’s name in one! Alina Morgan (my pal) co-conceived and provided additional materials for KHAN!!! THE MUSICAL!: A Parody Trek-tacular from Brent Black—who co-wrote, composed, and did the lyrics.
So, wondering what a play parodying Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan might be like outside of everyone screaming left and right? The summary might surprise you:
It is 2366, and Data the Android presents his campy musical adaptation of The Wrath of Khan. In this sci-fi send-up, an older Captain Kirk is experiencing a “coming of middle age” story when his nemesis Khan escapes exile and vows revenge. The ensuing cat-and-mouse game sparks an adventure that includes Vulcan tap dancing, Kirk’s long-lost son (a William Shatner impersonator), and of course… mutant space chickens!
If that’s not unique I don’t know what is. Black explained via the press release how the concept came about and…it makes a lot of sense in-universe!
“Something about a Wrath of Khan musical kept nagging at me, eventually my friend Alina came up with the idea that the musical itself could be a simulation within the universe of Star Trek, which led to the concept of Data the Android presenting a ‘holographic’ musical that he programmed himself,” he said. “A lot of episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation feature storylines where Data has to learn something through trial and error, usually going a little too far or taking things a bit too literally; the idea that he would write a musical after studying classic Broadway shows of the past opened the concept of the show even wider to include sendups of classic musicals.”
KHAN!!! THE MUSICAL!: A Parody Trek-tacular was directed by John Lampe with choreography by Angel Reed and lighting design by Melissa Shawcross. And if you’re worried the creators are making fun of the sci-fi classic rather than having fun with it, fear not. Black understands the heart of Trek: “A big part of why I like Star Trek is how it imagines a future where humans set their differences aside and work together for the greater good. Star Trek has always been ahead of the curve in terms of inclusivity and representation, and it’s nice that this campy comedy show still maintains the spirit of that future Gene Roddenberry envisioned when he created the original TV show.”
If you’re looking to check out the show you should know it’s going to be a limited engagement in New York City at Off-Broadway’s Players Theatre starting Thursday, May 4 (funny enough, a Star Wars “holiday”). Shows will take place Thursdays through Sundays until June 4 and tickets are on sale now at www.khaniscoming.com. You can also check for updates on the musical’s official twitter page.