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First appeared Nov. 11, 2002
If attendants of Friday’s production of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” were hoping for a quiet night at the theater, they were in for quite a shocking surprise.
The plot of the show alone is fairly simple. After a rather plain couple, Brad and Janet, become engaged, they decide to go on a journey to thank the man who brought them together. After they get a flat tire, however, they are forced to knock on the door of a creepy looking mansion in hopes of using the phone.
They soon realize the mansion is inhabited by out-of-this-world characters whose lives revolve around one thing – sex. They soon meet the man who is responsible for this massive orgy. Straight from Transsexual Transylvania, from the moment Frankenfurter shimmies in to Janet and Brad’s lives they are forever changed as they are introduced to their sexual selves.
This “sweet transvestite” goes by the name of Frankenfurter and is played by Joseph Ritsch. One look at this elaborately made-up creature and it is obvious that he is not a typical college student. In fact, Ritsch is not a college student at all, but the show’s choreographer. While this casting decision was questioned by some students, Director Sandra Hardy stood by her decision and is now reaping its benefits.
“I felt leadership [and] confidence in leading the group and controlling the audience might be problematic,” Hardy said. “A major role too soon might destroy an actor’s confidence forever. Were [the younger actors] disappointed? Of course.”
However, once the cast began to work with and get to know Ritsch, all feelings of resentment washed away.
“I would say that the cast, without exception, has bonded with Joe, learned from him and learned to love a very lovable man,” Hardy said.
His garish makeup and Wizard of Oz meets prostitute red platform shoes may have won the hearts of his cast members, but they left some audience members quite disturbed.
“Hypothetically, how much do psychiatrists charge per hour?” third-year student Jason Dionne said after his first glimpse of Frankenfurter.
If the wild costumes and explicit sex acts were not enough to shock the crowd, the audience members who actively participated in the show did the trick.
For those unfamiliar with the play, “Rocky Horror Picture Show” greatly encourages audience participation. The followers of this cult classic arrived decked out in everything from French maid uniforms to a lesbian couple ready for the prom.
Props also were available for audience members to use at the appropriate moments, though only these hard core fans seemed to know exactly when these moments were. They also added to the show’s dialogue, replacing innocent lyrics such as “I love you” with “I wanna screw,” as they did in the familiar song “Dammit Janet.”
Those who were not as well-versed with the show were often left in the dark.
“I want to know when to swear!” Dionne said after another seemingly random obscenity was shouted from the back row.
While such audience members were baffled by these outcries, the cast was well prepared.
“I have directed some shows which include interaction,” Hardy said. “This piece has a cult following and whether the audience becomes intrusive or not, it is the process that counts and this ensemble, cast and crew have come together and grown so much. I know they will handle it and learn by it.”
The second act opened by featuring the production’s live band. Dressed in drag and performing their own goofy choreography, these outstanding musicians went above and beyond the role of a typical pit band.
The plot and performance of this act, however, proved much weaker than the first. The show wrapped up much like a bad show on the sci-fi channel. After Frankenfurter and two of his servants are shot with a laser-like gun by his alien friend, an alien takes these creatures back to their home planet.
So ended was this very odd journey that it left its audience with a multitude of reactions as they wandered out of Hauck Auditorium feeling scared, confused, excited and maybe even strangely aroused.
