SHAKESPEARE'S forgotten rock and roll masterpiece is soon to crash land in Suffolk but a desperate appeal is first being made to find the musicians needed to complete the cast.

SHAKESPEARE'S forgotten rock and roll masterpiece is soon to crash land in Suffolk but a desperate appeal is first being made to find the musicians needed to complete the cast.

In February next year Brantham Amateur Theatrical Society (BATS) are set to give a rousing performance of the cult West End show Return To The Forbidden Planet.

But although they have begun rehearsals for the musical production they are still without a vital few brass players to guarantee the best performance they can give.

"We're still looking for brass players for the show – people who play the trumpet, trombone and saxophone and probably one of each," explained director and co-producer Mark Wilson. "We need people to be part of the crew. They won't have speaking parts but they will be part of the action."

Mr Wilson is keen to stress that being a part of Return To The Forbidden Planet is not the same as playing the music for other productions. There is no band pit and all the musicians are directly involved in the show on stage.

He said: "The whole point of the show is that the cast have to play all the music. Amateurs rarely take it on as it's unusual to find an amateur company with a cast that can play instruments.

"We're only a village hall company but we've got a lot of musicians. We've also brought in a few people from outside and now all we need is a few more."

"We've found trumpet players willing to sit in a band pit and play but they won't get on stage," he added of the trouble BATS has had completing its cast line-up. "All the musicians are on stage though reacting to what's going on and picking up their instruments at the appropriate moment.

"We're hoping someone like an A level student would be willing to join us and preferably someone younger as it's a relatively young cast. We've been trying school bands and have got one saxophone player. But we still need more."

Return To The Forbidden Planet has become a cult show since it first took to the stage in the West End. Securing the rights of the show was a coup for BATS, who are also celebrating winning best pantomime for their production of The Elves and the Shoemakers at the recent North East Essex Theatre Guild awards.

And they are looking forward to bringing the show to life in their own village.

"It's a cross between Shakespeare, 1950s rock and roll and a sci-fi movie," explained Mr Wilson, whose co-producer is Keith Nixon.

"It pretty much follows the story of the Tempest. It's a hilarious show, a tongue-in-cheek mickey take of films like Lost In Space.

"And its got about 30 pieces of music in it, all rock and roll type stuff."

n Trumpet, trombone and saxophone players wanting the chance to star in this amateur production of the cult show will be required to attend two rehearsals a week. Anyone interested is asked to contact Mark Wilson on 01449 770525.

Weblink: www.returntotheforbiddenplanet.co.uk