They come in peace, but do they really? Aaron McIlroy and Lisa Bobbert hit the stage running with Defending The Planet # 2, a revisit of an old hit comedy, which promises new characters and increase on the crazy front…
THINGS are about to get weird in Durban as alien abductions take centre stage when Defending The Planet # 2 begins tomorrow.
Comedic duo Aaron McIlroy and Lisa Bobbert revisit one of their greatest hit shows, written by Susan Monteregge and directed by Darren King.
Defending the Planet returns after eight years, promising to be “radically revised and as whacky as ever” as the story looks at a self-help group of victims of alien abductions who examine close encounters.
Tonight caught up with King to find out more about these abductions, which, he assures, may be more real to most of us than we think.
“I don’t feel like I have ever been abducted by aliens, but I do spend most of my life feeling like I am surrounded by them. You come in contact with them most often working in banks, customer care departments and most government departments.
“The most obvious clues to knowing you have experienced an abduction are feelings of extreme frustration usually preceded by either a period of waiting in a queue or being placed on hold. If you have ever lost a large period of time in the middle of the day without having achieved a satisfactory result, you have probably experienced an alien abduction,” he explained.
But jokes aside, we asked King what attracted him to the script: “I always feel that one of the most important things with any script is that it be entertaining. Even when faced with a play of a more dramatic nature, it must ultimately hold the audience’s attention in an entertaining way. Defending the Planet #2 certainly ticks this box. When I first read it I laughed out loud.”
He said he thinks the key to McIlroy and Bobbert’s great synergy on stage is because of how they’ve cultivated their working relationship over the years. “I think Lisa and Aaron’s working relationship is so successful because of the enormous respect they have for each other’s talent and artistic integrity. Who knows your strengths and weaknesses better than your spouse?
“Directing for Aaron and Lisa has been wonderful. I have worked with Lisa often so I had a good idea of how Lisa likes to work, Aaron has been great and really willing to trust me when making suggestions or throwing in new ideas. We are creating some completely new characters in this show so working together to get them just right has been great,” he added.
• Defending the Planet # 2, ends March 15 at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7.30pm and Sundays at 3pm. R150, students and pensioners R120 at Computicket. For block bookings at discounted rates, call 031 201 2831 or 083 250 2690.