Starmites
Reviewed by Socks Whitmore
Open Fist Theatre Company @ Atwater Village Theatre
Through July 8
RECOMMENDED
In 2023, the demand for nostalgia is higher than ever, Over at the Atwater Village Theatre, the 80s are calling — Open Fist Theatre Company’s production of Starmites, the Tony-nominated musical billed as “a comic book come to life,” has taken the stage with a rock-and-roll-infused sci-fi adventure.
The year is 1989 and Eleanor is your average relatable dorky protagonist who loves comic books and yearns for the fantastical life of a super-hero girl. She gets her wish when she finds herself face to face with her favorite characters: Space Punk and the Starmites, guardians of Inner Space who believe that Eleanor is the long-awaited Milady of an ancient prophecy, which has foretold that she will defeat the evil Shak Graa. After meeting a lizard man named Trinkulus who can guide them, the Sharks and the Jets get a space age makeover when the Starmites clash against the Banshees: strange women with dangerous hairdos led by the fabulously powerful Diva, who has her own plans for fulfilling the prophecy.
True to its billing, Starmites is a comic book in theatrical form, from flashing colored lights and cartoonish sound effects to wildly styled hair and fully animated backdrops. Comic nerds may be reminded of their days poring over issues of Masters of the Universe, Guardians of the Galaxy, or Challengers of the Unknown. Though it can sometimes be hard to identify a scene’s location from the images, the video backgrounds are essential to transporting audiences back in space and time, including classic warp speed travel sequences and Street Fighter-esque callouts like “Fight!” and “Game Over.” The book of this Flash Gordon-flavored caper is rich with pop culture references that have ripened with age, gaining new life in the 21st century as almost a parody of whimsical (and campy) 80s tropes. Scott Peterman’s direction introduces an additional layer of nostalgia through the use of 90s boy band-esque poses, choreography, and improvised falsetto vocals. Eye-catching Banshee make-up and crafty costuming by Linda Muggeridge complete the transformation of a cozy theater into a zany Inner Space escapade.
Beyond the starcraft structures and 2D backgrounds, the set is fairly simple and leaves much to the imagination. The live band is creatively framed, visible through spaceship windows on either side of the stage. The versatile vocalists do well balancing the smartly-written music with a satirical acting style: Cat Davis delivers a stand out comedic performance as the radiant Diva, and the Starmites (Bradley Sharper, Rieves Bowers, Alex Hogy, and Jasper Wong) make for a stellar ensemble of stalwart space rangers who have a hilarious habit of speaking in unison. A nod also goes to Talia Gloster for pulling impressive double duty (and juggling numerous quick changes) as Eleanor and Bizarbara.
The show is a blast from start to finish, though the high caliber of the writing and direction makes certain failings a little more noticeable. The show’s sound design is highly complex and packed with cues, but over opening weekend the audio still had some kinks to hammer out — the audience could hear band members counting aloud, some under-rehearsed cues were glaringly missed, and lyrics sung by the masked Shak Graa were sometimes garbled by his microphone’s vocoder effect. The characters of Trinkulus and the Robot are also regrettably underused in the early parts of the show, and some of the fight scenes can get overly chaotic. But ultimately, these little hiccups don’t take away from the magic of Eleanor’s fantastical escape into Inner Space or the surprising way the story ends.
Open Fist’s Starmites will likely appeal to folks who have caught other sci-fi shows in LA’s 2023 theatre season like Come Get Maggie and For the Love of a Glove — not to mention anyone who has ever loved comic books or old cartoons. This is ambitious indie theater at its max, in which aiming for the stars has paid off. Once snubbed at the Tonys, perhaps the 21st century will offer this nostalgic hidden gem a new chance to shine.
Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 3 pm. except Sat., June 24, 3 pm & Sun. June 11, 7 pm; thru July 8. https://openfist.org/ Running time: two hours with one intermission
