ROCKY HORROR SHOW – Music, Lyrics and Book by Richard O’Brien; Directed by Kelly McAllister. Produced by Stagedoor Theatre Company (25797 Conifer Road, Conifer) through October 26. Tickets available at stagedoortheatre.org.
Let’s be perfectly clear from the get-go: ROCKY HORROR SHOW is not my favorite show. In fact, it’s pretty high on the list of shows I’m not crazy about. But some shows seem to have a mystique about them that actors who have performed in them adore. Rocky seems to be one of them. Since its premiere in London in 1973, it has gained cult status with multiple productions across the country usually around Halloween. Its longevity and honored place in the catalog of shows every theatre MUST do at least once has moved it to the top of the mountain of cult favorites.
It was bold and ground-breaking in 1975 when the movie version was released. To the outsider, it is ridiculously campy, misrepresentational of transgender folk, outdated in its attempts at shock value, and hopelessly convoluted plot-wise. Before I go all crazy on the piece, let me state that I understand the social significance of works like Rocky. It was written 49 years ago in 1973 when outward gayness was rewarded with time in jail. When cross-dressing was a criminal perversion. When women wore aprons and men only wore dresses in the privacy of their bedroom. Rocky’s outrageous costumes (or almost lack thereof), language, sentiments, and sexual statements helped break the mold – open the door – for the community at that time. Even today, the freedom of self-expression, sexual freedom, fluid gender identities, and other-ness acceptance is an ongoing struggle. If Rocky speaks to teenagers and “others” who are slow in finding their place in the world, then more power to it.
To make a quick stumbling synopsis of the confusing story, two innocents – Janet and Brad – find themselves stranded on a dark and stormy night. They seek shelter in a dark and stormy mansion populated by a mixed set of aliens and sexually ambiguous creatures. The top dog is Frank-n-Furter who has created a perfect male robot named Rocky as his sex toy. But Rocky’s naivete and willingness to experiment with his new body gets him initiated into the pleasures of the flesh pretty quickly. Taking many of the other characters with him. Until they all fly off into space to return to their home planet.
The recent production at Conifer’s Stagedoor Theatre encourages – nay, almost demands – audience participation. This means the audience is taught the Time Warp dance before the show and encouraged to get up and dance in the aisles when it arrives. They also encourage bringing or buying prop bags that contain tools like glow sticks, confetti, toilet paper, playing cards, and other assorted items that could be hurled onto the stage on designated lines. There were call-and-response gambits throughout that were to be delivered by the audience on cue. For instance, every time Janet’s name was uttered, the whole audience responds by shouting “Slut!” and so on. This gave the audience a lot of fun, but even the actors admitted to me after the show that it was a little distracting to those on stage. Even when they knew it was coming. They felt like they had to wait for the audience’s response before they could move to their next line. It was also confusing for those members of the audience who were Rocky virgins and didn’t know the secret language. It made the evening feel choppy and disjointed. But that’s the way it’s supposed to be done, according to the Rocky rules.
Roger Ebert, a noted film critic, described the movie made from the original script in 1975 as “a horror-rock-transvestite-camp-omnisexual-musical parody.” That just about sums it up. Even the staid BBC asks in a review of the original play: “Will it appeal to everyone? Certainly not. But for those willing to experiment with something a little bit different, a little bit outré, The Rocky Horror Show has a lot to offer.”
So, if you are curious or determined to see one of the Rocky’s being performed on this 49th anniversary year, there’s plenty to choose from in this Denver Halloween theatre scene. The Conifer version is a lively, energetic, very sexy, compelling production that both the actors and audience seemed to enjoy sharing. Ignore the caution of an old lady.
A WOW factor of 8!!