The current state of Star Trek movies may be uncertain, but the sci-fi franchise is thriving on TV — and is soon to conquer the stage, thanks to Khan!!! The Musical! A Parody Trek-Tacular, which Gizmodo can exclusively announce is premiering at Off-Broadway at New York City’s Players Theatre in May.
Khan!!! The Musical! is co-written, composed by, and has lyrics by Brent Black; it was co-conceived by and features additional materials by Alina Morgan, and will be directed by John Lampe. You can tell all involved are devoted Trek fans with goofy senses of humour, because just look at this synopsis: “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!”
Tap. Dancing. Vulcans. “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,” Black explained in a press release provided to Gizmodo. “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.”
Black added, “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 in New York City, you can catch Khan!!! The Musical during its five-week run (May 4-June 4) at the Players Theatre; more information is available at www.khaniscoming.com, and the ticketing website is here.