SOME 25 years after Captain Tempest and his crew first journeyed into hyperspace – and 14 years after the last UK tour, Olivier Award-winning rock spectacular Return to the Forbidden Planet is back.

This exciting 25th anniversary production will be exploding onto stage in the new year with a run at Portsmouth’s King’s Theatre in April.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest and packed with rock n’ roll classics including Great Balls of Fire, This is a Man’s World, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, Who’s Sorry Now, Teenager in Love, Young Girl, Heard It Through the Grapevine, Johnny B Goode and Born To Be Wild, Return to the Forbidden Planet is hailed as ‘a musical of meteoric proportions that will be remembered for light years to come!’

With stunning special effects, a brilliant cast of actor-musicians, a mad scientist, a huge green-tentacled monster and a rock ’n’ roller-skating robot, your in-flight entertainment is guaranteed! So fasten your seatbelts, set your ray guns to stun and prepare for blast off!

Founding member of Queen and a world-renowned guitarist Brian May will appear via video projection as the Newscaster.

The cast features Steve Simmonds as Bosun, Sean Needham as Captain Tempest, Christine Holman as Science Officer, Greg Last as Navigation Officer, Mark Newnham as Cookie, Jonathan Markwood as Prospero, Frido Ruth as Ariel, Sarah Scowen as Miranda, Georgina Field as Anne Droid, Callum Hughes as Phil McCavity, Joseph Mann as Ewan Watami and Hannah Howcroft as Young Miranda.

Return to the Forbidden Planet opened at the West End’s Cambridge Theatre in September 1989, where it ran for over 1500 performances and won the 1990 Olivier Award for Best Musical.

The original design team return to recreate their award-winning original production, helmed by creator Bob Carton, who directed the West End production and now returns to direct this highly anticipated 25th anniversary tour, his final production as artistic director of the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch.

Bob Carlton said: “It was an incredible time when Return to the Forbidden Planet landed in West End, in what was a vintage year alongside shows such as Miss Saigon and Buddy.

"And it’s thanks to the audiences, who took it to their hearts and rocked out every night, that it became such a cult success.

“I can’t wait to bring it back 25 years later, to introduce it to a whole new generation and to reunite with original fans of the show.

“I’m thrilled to be able to return to the Forbidden Planet, along with the original design team, and get reacquainted with Captain Tempest and his crew once more.”

Return to the Forbidden Planet runs at Kings Theatre, Portsmouth, Monday, April 13, to Saturday, April 18, 2015.