“Conquest’ has nothing like the formal symmetry or coherence that Ludlam would bring to his later works...But it does reflect, almost blindingly, the central Ludlam tenet of creative line blurring—between classical and pop, beautiful and ugly, sacred and profane, male and female, professional and amateur...An exceptionally lavish production—or trash-lavish anyway...Even if you find your eyes glazing from the too-muchness of it all, the cast seems to be having a high old time.”
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“’Conquest of the Universe’ still packs an exhilaratingly off-the-wall wallop if you're able to get onto its deliriously campy wavelength...With bits of high-art eloquence coexisting with instances of low vulgarity...The show's anarchic spirit — the sense of liberation it exudes in breaking down barriers of style and taste — that makes it as enlivening as ever. There's a beauty to the madness...As this new production proves, such an experience has the power to transcend time and history.”
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"To watch Quinton engaged in his classic brand of silliness is just as fulfilling a cultural experience as watching a great tragedian immersed in a dramatic Shakespearean role...This is fine theatrical art that must be seen to be fully appreciated...Though delightfully silly, the production is not without its problems...But these are minor setbacks compared with the treat of seeing this type of theatre packaged by one of the artists who was so instrumental in developing it."
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"It's testament to Ludlam's writing that the play manages to still be subtle even as it wears all its themes on its prominent sleeve...It revels in the kind of sexuality that most mainstream works desperately try to evade (dildos and butts galore!), but in doing so it empowers the characters who embrace sexuality as an essential part of what makes them human...Showcases Theatre of the Absurd at the peak of its powers: it's entertaining, illuminating, and empowering.”
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“If the play is not quite the shocking marvel of audacious camp it was during its own time, it gives audiences a spectacular peek at a genre and a performance style that peaked and eventually paled...Subtlety is not in their melodramatic vocabulary...Some of this is indeed very funny...politicized soft-porn with a wink. I suspect that Ludlam's irrepressibly ridiculous play will likely continue to orbit in the outer limits of dramatic literature long after others in the genre have faded away.”
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“Played to perfection with an infectious joy by one and all, the entire cast also takes a deadly serious attitude towards their lines and their actions. Indeed Ludlam's ‘Conquest’ invokes ‘Hamlet’ in its final scene, when many of the characters die--even following a previous ‘gravedigger’ scene. And as staged by Quinton, the final ‘banquet’ scene also invokes Da Vinci's ‘The Last Supper.’ All I can say is, go and enjoy!”
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“‘Conquest’ does have some tragic moments but all are superseded by the cosmic comedy and the ribald 'ridiculousness' of the play...Ludlum throws in everything but the kitchen sink...Occasionally the humor fell flat but the cast’s manic energy kept the production alive. And the play did end with tragedy and death but not without a cogent, and funny delivery system that unabashedly embraced pan-sexual ferocity and provided pure distraction from the darkness of our times.”
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"A sci-fi parody of intergalactic conquest...It is comedy as broad as comedy gets, retelling (sort of) the story of 'Tamburlaine' in a wildly over-the-top, nothing-is-sacred style...This slick, strikingly theatrical production is too grand for its own good. The imposing set and the epic musical score are somewhat at odds with the insouciant nature of the script and the willfully amateurish performances of its cast.”
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