Alicyn Packard - News

So the "LA Times" reviewed "Earth Sucks" today and had some great things to say! From reviewer Charlotte Stoudt and published in today's paper (10/10).

Diversion from a crummy planet

Every era of global crisis needs its extraterrestrial epic, a way to gain intergalactic perspective on human folly. Now Joel Farkas, Rick Ross and Citizens of Earth Productions present "Earth Sucks," Jonas Oppenheim's sweet, infectious rock musical at the Art/Works Theatre in Hollywood.

Meet one Earth girl who isn't easy: Echo Bell (Emily Stern, daughter of Howard) suffers from the classic plagues of any decent underage protagonist. She has one dead parent -- Mom was killed at SeaWorld -- and an emotionally distant one (Christopher Fairbanks). School bores, her iPod's played out and she's just dumped her "real aspiring session musician" boyfriend (Rawn Erickson II). But when an alien rock band takes refuge in Echo's Texas town, they need Echo's help to vanquish a nefarious pop diva (Nakia Syvonne) who is one song away from controlling the universe.

Oppenheim, who also directs, has a gleeful trash-and-vaudeville aesthetic: Mel Horan's set consists of cheap painted flats, and Arianna Pistilli's costumes feature plenty of Lycra and Lurex, and choreographers Reed Farley and Gustine Fudickar give the musical numbers a spacey, absurdist physicality.

The plot wobbles, but what keeps "Earth" spinning is its engaging score (vehemently delivered by the onstage band, whose members also play aliens), droll script and the light touch of the principal performers: Stern has a lovely nonchalant innocence; as lead singer Fluhbluhbluh, Lucas Revolution almost manages to sell you on his sock puppet; Syvonne's dry scream of wounded narcissism should be patented; and Fairbanks manages to imbue the proceedings with emotional stakes. Daffy, smart, energized -- Oppenheim's "Earth" might be fun as an after-hours show, with audience participation and more numbers with budding talent Stern.
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"Variety" not so much, however they did called Jen Fenton & I "comely". Which I had to look up, and was happy it did not mean the same as "Homely." Also, they mentioned that one of the songs we perform with Scott Palmanson, "Insecurities" is a highlight of the show. and state that "Also laudable is the cutesy Jenn & Jen outing on "Report on Pluto."

Visit: www.earthsucksmusical.com to get tickets.