The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Radio Show Live! // Theatre Royal, Norwich
“Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.”
The original radio show of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was first broadcast on Radio 4 in 1978. Since then we have been treated to versions in book, TV and film formats. Following the untimely death of creator Douglas Adams, the majority of the original radio cast have come together to bring it back to life, live, on stage around the country.
Tonight, the first of two nights in Norwich, is only the second performance in this run; they are having guest celebrities to be the Voice of the Book (ie narrator), and ours is the rather splendid John Culshaw, who does a mean impression of the original Voice of the Book, along with a few other impressions - Brian Cox being the best. He sits onstage in a leather chair, and watches the action progress, which begins with a recording of Douglas Adams discussing his cult literary work, followed by an extremely proficient performance of 'One of These Days' by Pink Floyd by the band on stage, who play damn well throughout the night.
The first half of the evening takes us through the original story of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy story, and it's just brilliant. The actors are clearly having such a great time, and are so pleased to be back together that it almost makes it better when they slip up just a couple of times and have to fill in - the audience is 100% behind them all the way.
Watching the sound effect team create their magic also adds to the special atmosphere in the theatre tonight, and the puppeteer operating the robot Marvin brings such great character and pathos to what is essentially a collection of radio parts.
Comedian Mitch Benn particularly shines as the two headed egomaniac Zaphod Beeblebrox. The second half of the performance is a kind of 'best of' of all the other Hitchhiker books, and also songs. It's very good, and as funny as the first half, although perhaps doesn't make as much sense for non-fans; but really, this show is designed for aficionados of Adams' work, which itself is the height of geek cult, so everyone in the audience would have understood.
Even if you found it impossible to follow the crazy, psychedelic, mad plot however, it would be impossible to not enjoy yourself at this show. It made us all laugh so much, was so interesting and fun to watch, and reminded us in a tender way how much Adams still had to give us when he died. His face being shown on a screen onstage as we left only reminded us of how much he would have enjoyed tonight himself. A really innovative and fun night.
