Visit to a Small Planet at Anchorage Community Theatre

Gore Vidal wrote this comic satire (originally a live television drama) to lampoon the Cold War and humanity’s self-destructive preoccupation with world domination. In an ill-conceived solo alien invasion, the extra-terrestrial Kreton lands his space ship in the middle of a suburban rose garden, and innocently announces his intention to conquer the world. Vidal’s play is a comedy with keen and witty observations about American and human foibles, and the playwright was bitterly disappointed when Hollywood turned it into a Jerry Lewis movie. It is remarkable, and a little discouraging, how relevant the comedy seems today, but it is still as funny as ever.