Rocky Horror Review

 I see you shiver with antici….”SAY IT”...pation. 


Most times I try to go into shows with some background knowledge, but when it came to Rocky Horror, I knew almost nothing, and i am actually very happy with my choice, I was familiar with The Time Warp having seen it done on Glee. And I knew Tim Curry was in the movie adaptation. My local movie theater has hosted monthly midnight showings, but I never went to one. And as a musical theater fan, you’d think I'd be gobbling that opportunity up. 


Before I went, my mom mentioned that there is a culture of dressing up, and making callouts during showings, some people even throw things at the screen, people get up and dance, and it becomes quite the party. While I've seen people dress up for shows (and have done so myself a few times) I was not exactly itching to walk around New York City in fishnets and a corset in the cold, or while pregnant. As for the callouts, I wondered if they would even be a part of this production, due to atrocious audience behavior at other shows. Thankfully this production keeps them, and allows audience members to respectfully enjoy this aspect of the show (there are several reminders before the show, and an email is even sent out 48 hours before the performance)...The key word being respectfully. Thankfully I had a very enthusiastic but respectful audience at my performance. When people in line and around my seat found out that I was new to Rocky Horror, they didn’t believe me, but were kind enough to teach me some of the callouts so that I could participate in that part of the show. I never thought I would be so excited to yell out “SLUT…ASSHOLE…SAY IT!” 


For the uninitiated, or as fans lovingly call them “virgins”, Rocky Horror tells the story of a newly engaged couple, Brad and Janet. They get a flat tire one stormy night, and in their haste to find a telephone, they end up at the mansion of Dr FrankNFurter, a mad scientist from the planet of Transexual Transylvania. Along with FrankNFurter are a colorful collection of characters. Riff Raff the butler, Magenta the maid, Columbia the groupie, and Rocky, a handsome blonde man who FrankNFurter has designed to be the perfect male. 


I knew that Rocky Horror was a sexy show, and that director Sam Pinkleton has a reputation for being quite raunchy. But I was a little taken aback at just how sexual it really was, and how much they were able to show. And people said this iteration of the show was tame….i know there is an orgy in the movie, but of course, everyones not getting nude on stage. There is a lot of simulated sex though, and Luke Evans does show his naked butt (which got a very loud and unexpected “WHOA!” out of me) a few times


Luke Evans is deliciously sexy, charismatic, flamboyant, campy, and evil as our favorite sweet transvestite, Dr FrankNFurter, and man did he ROCK those seven inch heels. I knew of Evans from his film career, mainly his roles in The Hobbit franchise, and his equally charismatic and sinister portrayal of Gaston in the live action Beauty and the Beast. I knew Evans could sing, but Beauty and the Beast is a very different score from Rocky Horror. Evans has totally shed his Disney and Hobbit personas, in its place is a David Bowie esque glam rock experience. Evans completely embodies the character, paying tribute to the legendary Tim Curry, while having the herculean task of also making the role his own and pleasing the die hard fans. Evans is clearly having an absolute blast on stage, and loves interacting with his audiences, especially when we get overly enthusiastic with the callouts. At my performance in particular, he was eating up our reaction to his iconic line “I see you shiver with antici….pation” egging us on to get louder and more enthusiastic. I was close enough to see the ear to ear grin on his face, and even the twinkle in his eye, he was ecstatic. I was also to an extreme left, so some of his off stage scenes were only visible to me and my neighbor, which was very special, it was hard to concentrate when he was just a few feet away from me, but also thrilling to see these hidden scenes only for a select few eyes.     


Amber Gray (whom i recognized from Hadestown) was a gender swapped Riff Raff, her makeup was so heavy that i didn’t know it was her at first. Gray is the least sexual character in the cast, she is demented, creepy, and unsettling. Yet she still maintains her gorgeous vocals, you really are not expecting such an angelic voice to come out of that heavily made up, frankenstein esque face. Like everyone else on stage, she is clearly having the time of her life up there. I do wish we’d seen more of her, because she is wonderful. 


Andrew Durand (who I was bummed to miss in Dead Outlaw) plays Brad (ASSHOLE) Majors. Durrand has a very quirky face (perfect for over the top character roles and facial acting) to match his oddball quirky performance. But in this show, in this role, his quirkiness works beautifully, and it makes Brad’s sexual awakening in act two feel very authentic. I personally enjoyed his act one arc a little better, it was more fun and awkward, but in a cute way. And his chemistry with Stephanie Hsu is sweet, if a tad naive (it's implied that they are both virgins). I do wish he’d been able to sing solo more, he has a wonderful voice. 


Stephanie Hsu plays Janet (SLUT) Wiess. Her performance felt very bubbly, naive, more so than Durand’s, and Taylor Swift-esque, I just adored her wide eyed sweet smile. Like Durand’s Brad, Janet also experiences her own sexual awakening during act two with both Rocky and Dr FrankNFurter. I enjoyed her interactions with Rocky a tad more, they were sweet and passionate with sizzling sexual energy, her interactions with FrankNFurter were more intense and not as passionate, however, with Evans at the helm, that sizzling energy was still there, when he touched her thigh….i swooned and gasped

Josh Rivera (from the most recent West Side Story) plays Rocky, a creation of Dr FrankNFurter meant to resemble the perfect man. While Rivera is quite handsome, (i’d even say beautiful) he is by no means the perfect looking man, but he is more than close enough for my liking. I think everyone has their own ideas of what the perfect man looks like…mine just happens to be Jonathan Groff and my husband

Rachel Drach is the narrator, and she plays with our energy in a playful and fun way, of all the cast members, she seemed to be enjoying the callbacks the most. Some of the responses appeared to shock her, but she rolled with the punches like any good actor would. I don’t quite think her performance was Tony nomination material, but it was still a lot of fun. And her costume was just beautiful. 

Overall a fun and…interesting night at Studio 54, I gave myself over to absolute pleasure, and this is one science fiction double feature i plan to attend again and again.

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