Lost in Space @ Symphony Hall

Mar 8 2006 By Emma Cullwick, Birmingham Mail

IT'S not every day you see Darth Vader man-handling an acclaimed conductor such as Simon Wright off stage or an alien introducing the first song, but these were just some of the incredibly entertaining incidents of a fantastic show.

The hair on my arms stood on end as Symphony Hall was flooded with crashing bangs, dramatic sounds from trumpets, trombones and horns and glorious strings.

What made it even more a joy was watching the pleasure the music was bringing to the hundreds of children attending the event, specifically aimed at families.

Dressed as their favourite sci-fi legends, they wielded light-sabres in time to the rhythmic percussion as the orchestra took us on our very own outer space adventure, performing classic hits including the themes from Doctor Who, Star Trek, Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Not only was Lost in Space a production performed with perfection, it was an imaginative and much-needed way to make a genre of music - usually only accessible to the fortunate or affluent - come to life for youngsters who may otherwise have never realised its beauty.