 by Skip Kennon and Fred Landau, available at YouthPLAYS){kind=link}
About the Play
Musical comedy adventure. Book by Fred Landau, Music & Lyrics by Skip Kennon. Based on the screenplay by Jonathan Betuel. 60-65 minutes. 6 females, 6 males, 3-48 any gender (15-60+ performers possible). Suitable for middle school and older performers, and audiences of all ages.
Note about the score: A perusal copy of the score is included with the order of a Digital Perusal Script, but printed scripts only contain the book. A score that may be copied and used in performance comes with the order of a Production Copy License.
Special note about the limited video license: Because of encumbrances with the film rights, the limited video license includes permission to record ONLY the musical numbers. No non-musical scenes are included in the limited video license. In recognition of this limitation, the limited video license is available at a lower price than it would otherwise be.
Premiered at the Storm Theatre (New York, NY). Also available in an 85-95 minute version suitable for middle school and older audiences. Click here!
Synopsis
Teenager Alex Rogan lives a hard-working, unrewarded life. But when he breaks the record for the video game that sits in his trailer park, he discovers worlds he never knew existed—literally—and they are at war. With the evil Zur and his Ko-Dan Armada threatening to overrun the forces of good, the video game's inventor, alien huckster Centauri, enlists Alex to fight for the Star League, leaving Beta, a body double droid, in his place. As the Beta does his often comically inept best to be a good "Alex" to the teen's mother, brother, the residents of the trailer park and his beloved girlfriend Maggie—all the while thwarting shape-shifting assassins—Alex soars through space as the universe's last hope. He'll need to reach deep within himself to discover his true potential and save us all.
"A world where classic Broadway and space opera collide. A delicious array of aliens are suggested using no more than gloves, headgear and jumpsuits... And most of the songs by Skip Kennon can hold their own with anything playing around the corner on Broadway. An evening at the theater that gives 'star power' a whole new meaning. This one's a real crowd-pleaser." - William Shunn, critic for SciFi.com (SciFi Channel site), reviewing the Storm Theatre production
"The 1984 film may be a cult favorite, but the musical has potential to meet much more success." - Peter Filichia, theatre critic on Theatremania.com, reviewing the 2007 production at NY's Theater at St. Clements (NYMF production)
"One of the top ten cast albums of the year." - Rob Lester, Sound Advice critic at Talkin Broadway, naming the top albums of 2005
"I've been a fan of Skip Kennon's work for over twenty years, going back to our early days as students of Lehman Engel in the BMI Musical Theater Workshop. I've loved his scores to Feathertop and Herringbone and Time and Again. And it's wonderful to see him back on the board with The Last Starfighter contributing an evocative, exciting and emotionally moving score that's certain to add to his already well-deserved stature as an original and powerful voice in the American Musical Theater." - Alan Menken, eight-time Oscar-winning film and Tony-winning Broadway composer
"With The Last Starfighter, Skip Kennon has managed to create something that's not just zany sci-fi but also smart musical theatre. The score had me over the moon, pun intended." - Lynn Ahrens, Tony-winning lyricist of Ragtime; librettist/lyricist of Once On This Island, Lucky Stiff, Seussical
"I had the pleasure of seeing The Last Starfighter during its Storm Theatre run and had a great time. The story is based on a terrific 80's space movie I loved as a kid. Certainly not run-of-the-mill territory for musical adaptation! But the musical works even better than the movie. The score is full of craftsmanship, tunefulness, and humor, written by one of the best songwriting teachers I've ever had, Skip Kennon." - Robert Lopez, Oscar and Tony-winning co-composer/lyricist of Avenue Q, Book of Mormon, Disney's Frozen
"Skip Kennon has written a delightfully on-target score for this comic sci-fi adventure. It is witty, smart and full of comic adventure itself, with great spirit and charm." - Jack Viertel, Artistic Director of City Center Encores, Creative Director of Jujamcyn Theaters