A pink haired special agent singing covers of Jefferson Airplane, Beyoncé, and Four Non Blondes aboard her spaceship in the midst of intergalactic civil war. I can’t make this up. This is the premise for the fun and exciting show A Romp Around Uranus with Special Agent Galactica, currently being performed in the upstairs theatre at the Logan Fringe Arts Space.
Jeffrey Johnson wrote, directed, and starred as Special Agent Galactica. Caught in the midst of intergalactic turmoil (but bound by contractual obligations), she performs for the DC Capital Fringe festival as a bio-hologram (a hologram you can touch) while aboard the Timeship Aurora. She is joined by the captain of the ship Satellite (Peter Fields) on guitar, and also features Aurora herself (voiced by Fred Schneider of the B-52’s).
The show, in many ways, reminded me of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It’s presented as a concert, but there is a narrative. We learn of Galactica’s story of how she became an agent and of her many adventures, such as her relationship with Thomas Beckett and hanging out with Jefferson Airplane. I wished that the story might have been a little more fleshed out, a little more character driven. I also felt the show could have used some trimming; it did drag a bit. But Johnson has much energy and was great fun as Galactica, while Fields played a mean guitar. I also got a kick out of hearing Fred Schneider’s signature voice as the ship.
The songs in the show are mostly covers, except for three original songs written by Johnson. The opening song marks his grand entrance in the cool and sexy “The Girl with the Deadly Gun.” “Delilah” is sung towards the end, and while it’s a fun song, it did feel a little out of place in the show. The highlight was definitely the title song “A Romp Around Uranus,” with its catchy beat and double entendre lyrics that had this reviewer smiling the whole time.
The show has a good amount of camp. When Johnson steps out as Galactica in her white space suit and lace up boots, you can’t help but smile at how outlandish it all is. Think Hedwig and the Angry Inch but in Outer Space! Climb aboard the Timeship Aurora and see A Romp Around Uranus with Special Agent Galactica.
Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.
A Romp Around Uranus with Special Agent Galactica plays through July 24, 2016 at the Logan Fringe Arts Space: Upstairs – 1358 Florida Ave NE in Washington, DC. For tickets, call (866) 811-4111, or purchase them online.
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Check other reviews and show previews on DCMetroTheaterArts’ 2016 Capital Fringe Page.
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