SEATTLE -- It came to Seattle during the holiday season, when audiences tend to flock to more heartwarming and traditional fare. But right after Christmas, the audiences continued to build (with most performances selling out), and Plan 9 From Outer Space: The Musical, Presented by Seattle Theatre Project in association with Cloud 9, has now been extended through Feb. 1.

The Seattle critics have unanimously taken to the quirky musical, with the Seattle Times critic calling it "Terrifying stuff, if you can stop laughing" and The Stranger critic raving "Downright silly and enjoyable. Tons of fun." Plan 9 From Outer Space: The Musical is the creation of David g. Smith (yes, the lower case "g" is correct), who faithfully adapted the script of the Ed Wood, Jr., cult classic movie of the same name, legendary for its extremely cheap-looking special effects, incoherent script and hammy acting.

Doug Knoop , who plays Inspector Clay in the manner of larger-than-life Tor Johnson (from the film), admits to being padded to seem as gargantuan as Johnson, but the bald dome he sports is his own.

"I tried a bald cap for the production photos" says Knoop with a laugh, "but I realized I'd look better shaved, and besides, it's easier to maintain."

Lisa Ann Glomb, a driving force behind the late AHA! Theatre Company's late-night hit, Star Drek, directed the production, which also features Joe Hutchings, Basil Harris, Alyson Bedford, Denise Bleha, Christopher Guilmet and Bryan Kent Cooper. Cooper plays The Old Man, the role in which Bela Lugosi made his final screen appearance -- and in the spirit of the film (which Lugosi died before completing), he is replaced in several scenes by an anonymous and hardly identical stand-in. Plan 9-The Musical is performed Thu-Sat. at 8 PM and Sun. at 7 PM through Feb. 1 at The Ionic Room, 801 Pine St. For tickets, $10-$16, call (206) 706-7880.

--David-Edward Hughes
Seattle Correspondent