A high school production of the 1979 cult classic sci-fi horror film “Alien” so impressed audiences in its limited run last week that encore performances are now planned.
"Alien: The Play" by North Bergen High School students received such rave reviews and viral attention after its premiere on March 19, North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco has pledged money from his nonprofit foundation to fund more performances, according to NewJersey.com.
“All of North Bergen is proud of the incredibly creative and inventive play our students created, and it’s only right that they have the opportunity to perform it one more time now that it has gained such notoriety,” Sacco said in a statement. “I’m excited that our foundation can play a role in making this happen and I can’t wait to watch ‘Alien’ and see our students shine.”
Cheers to North Bergen High School's Drama Club for their stunning performance of "Alien: The Play." I hear it was out of this world! https://t.co/6tsiS0cTA5
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 24, 2019
I love that north bergen high school did alien last night as their school play, so I’m gonna keep tweeting about how great it is..everything was made from recycled materials .. so nuts amazing I’m so proud of my hometown pic.twitter.com/EEMEbankDz
— Andrew Fernandez (@bhsdrew) March 23, 2019
Students started working on the production last September and used any materials they could find to create the scary alien space set.
Drama teacher Perfecto Cuervo gave most of the credit to art teacher Steven Defendini, who he said was the mastermind behind the set design, NewJersey.com reported.
The show made a big splash on social media, including comments from Gov. Phil Murphy and the official “Alien’” Twitter account, among many others.
We are impressed! 40 years and still going strong... https://t.co/NJGJIZj2oq
— Alien (@AlienAnthology) March 23, 2019
I’ve never been more jealous of a high school’s theatre program before. WE COULD HAVE BEEN DOING ALIEN THIS WHOLE TIME?! https://t.co/Po55XDOSMb
— Matt Fox (@mattybabyfox) March 24, 2019
man, i would’ve killed to put on a stage version of “alien” in high school. the costumes alone are incredible. these kids deserve all the positive attention they’re getting! https://t.co/RbtgmrMLCb
— gary petty (@ohearn) March 24, 2019
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