THEATER REVIEW: 'The Rocky Horror Show'
You'd better get your tickets fast.
The stars align -- at least the ones involving Earth and a distant planet named Transsexual -- for the new production of "The Rocky Horror Show" at the Severance Building. With the limited number of performances and seating capacity, it's the kind of show that could become the hottest ticket in town and sell out an entire run. Boasting a gregarious spirit that captures much of the campy excess of the well-known movie, this live musical version from Artists' Repertory Theatre is innovatively staged, extremely well sung, strikingly choreographed and just salacious enough to provoke a shocked Fresno sermon or two.
And on top of all that, you get to throw toilet paper at the actors. What could top that?
A working knowledge of the "Rocky Horror" movie tradition, which spoofs numerous B-movie horror and sci-fi traditions, isn't absolutely essential to enjoy the stage version. Neither is a familiarity with the now hallowed audience-participation customs that have grown up alongside the 1975 movie, cementing its cult status. (News flash for eager "Rocky" fans: Throwing rice has been banned for safety reasons, alas.) But it certainly helps for an audience member to have some prior "Rocky Horror" background, whether it's comprehending the bizarre plot (which involves a stormy night, a fearsome castle, a towering transvestite, a muscle-bound relative of Frankenstein and the ever popular device of murderous space aliens) or knowing that "Time Warp" is pretty much the most addictive dance number in history.
Jeff White's clever set helps set the scene: first as the show's framing device, a dilapidated movie theater about to show a "Science Fiction Double Feature," the title of the first song (sung beautifully by usherettes Lilly Dale Murray and Debi Ruud), and then doubling as the setting for the mysterious house that Brad (White doing double duty) and Janet (an entrancing Alexis Garriott) find themselves stranded at during a rainstorm.
Using the unconventional space of the Severance Building, White and director Daniel Chavez Jr. have devised a sort of "basketball court" staging strategy with tiered seating on opposite sides, with the action unfolding the entire length of the court. With the live band at one end and the movie theater proscenium, which serves as a natural dramatic focus, at the other, the result is a dynamic use of space that shifts with White's clever floating set pieces.
Once out of the storm and inside the mansion, Brad and Janet meet some of its strange occupants, including the aptly named Riff Raff (S. Eric Day, as gruff as they make them) and sidekicks Magenta (a funny, shrill Jennifer Hurd-Peterson) and Columbia (the powerfully voiced and charismatic Katharine Dorian). After learning the Time Warp dance, the most anticipated character in the show -- the haughty transvestite Frank 'N' Furter (played with bruising conviction by a very talented Chavez) makes a grand entrance.
From there it's the good old-fashioned "Rocky Horror" fun familiar to fans of the movie: the unveiling of Rocky (played with an endearing goofiness by a seriously tan Jeremy Hitch); the introduction of the chaotic Eddie (the dramatically sturdy, if noticeably slimmer, M. Justin Red in the role played in the movie by Meatloaf); and other various outer-space shenanigans.
As an actor, Chavez is a wonderful Frank: seductive, surly, a little scary. With his tall, black corseted frame (just one of costume designer Martha Powell's impressive creations) and glittered curly hair (ditto to Lisa DeBenedicti's hair and makeup design), he lords over his domain both figuratively and literally.
As choreographer, Chavez gives us a fresh new version of the Time Warp and some terrific ensemble dances, such as "Hot Patootie," that suggest a 1950s sock hop meets a contemporary punk-rock concert.
If there's a weakness in the show, I'd say that it's in certain aspects of Chavez's direction. For "Rocky Horror" to succeed, it has to bristle with self-confidence, and there were times on opening night when the show seemed to lag a little -- not from lack of enthusiasm, but just in the sheer mechanics of shifting scenes and keeping the forward momentum going. Sometimes the choreography gets a little too fussy and perhaps a little too difficult, such as in the number "Once in a While," in which Brad gets awkwardly hoisted on the shoulders of the Phantoms. (At some point, as choreographer, you just have to cut a move like that if it's bogging down a number.)
Other issues: The role of the Narrator (played by Hal Bolen) gets swallowed up by the otherwise intriguing stage, and there's little chance for him to bond with the audience. (And even his prominently white costume, which made him look like a '70s accountant at a swingers party, seems something of a miscalculation.) The wonderful pit band and backup vocalists are a huge bonus for the show, but far too many lyrics were lost because of balance problems, particularly in the second act. The lighting design, by Ben Holly, has to account for a lot of complexities, but it could use some refinements in terms of lighting the central part of the stage. And while I love the idea of audience participation, I wish there could have been a little more coordinated encouragement for audience members. (After all, the traditions surrounding the movie took years to build up, and because of the natural hesitation people have not to break theater etiquette, we probably needed a little more guidance. Especially the folks who didn't pay extra for the goodie bags.)
But as the show settles into its run, I'm confident that it will become an even more cohesive force to be reckoned with. There are so many high points: the wonderful staging of Frank's visits to Brad and Janet's bedrooms; Janet's raw and vigorous "Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me"; the wonderful costumes; technical director Chris Campbell's ability to make magic out of very little; the lush vocalizations in O'Brien's score. (Ruud, the vocal director, helps make the experience an aural delight.) Most of all, "Rocky" is just a heck of a lot of fun. It stands out as one of Fresno's most distinctive theater experiences of the year.
Comments:
Wow! Thanks for your great feedback and encouragement Donald. We're pleased and excited that you (and everyone else we've heard from) has enjoyed the show as much as we've enjoyed putting it together. It's been a lot of work, but we have an amazing creative team that's gone many an extra mile to make it all happen.
A couple of mentions to be specific: Musical Director and pit band drummer John Koontz upholds the solid beating rhythmic heart of the accompaniment, assisted by musical genius Nate Butler, who along with the phenomenally talented (and yes, very tan) Jeremy Hitch, did the arranging of all the songs FROM SCRATCH. The printed music we received from Samuel French was woefully incomplete as a working score, and the quick work of these two brilliant musicians, along with a third (who's name I'm unfortuneately forgetting, I think It was James) basically saved our show from falling apart before it ever got going.
JulieAnn Keller, along with great support from Chris Powell, has done an awesome job of coordinating the stage crew which manages the sometimes tricky switches of Jeff's amazing set pieces. Her husband Chris Campbell has battled the beastly accoustics of the Severance building to a draw, and brought forth a (mostly) well balanced sonic tableaux.
Lastly, you're quite right about some (OK, maybe all) of your criticisms, and as we do have some room for improvement, we'll strive to keep making it even better and hope that you can find time in your busy schedule to come back and join us in the Time Warp again!
Michael and Jennifer Peterson
Posted by: Michael Peterson at November 3, 2008 8:42 PM
Nice review, Donald. I saw this at final dress... and kudos to ART for a fun and brassy production ... as well as (and more importantly) bringing more faces to the Fresno Stage.
Posted by: marcel at November 4, 2008 12:22 AM
I just had to add, John spent months in the garage working out the drums and music many months before even rehearsals started. The dedication everyone has shown is staggering.
I went Halloween night and loved it. It was a lot like being at a rock concert. I doubt Fresno has seen anything like this in a while and may not for some time.
Don't miss it! There's truly nothing else like it in local theater. I think folks will be talking about this one for a long time. Well done. Such fun!
Posted by: Cindy Wathen at November 4, 2008 10:35 AM
Haven't had this much fun at a live theatre show in Fresno in FOREVER.
Saw it last night. It's just rollicking fun, and Donald, you're dead-on with your actor and music comments. The girl playing Janet was a great new find (I didn't see her as Sandy in Grease). Heck, I can name all the names, and it wouldn't matter, cuz I liked them all!
Here's my nitpicks: Audience members need to get over the 'we're not s'posed to yell out at live theatre' thang. Thank GOODNESS there was one person there who knew what to yell out (shout out to Mitch), and I made some stuff up, but that was it, and I actually got asked at intermission to tone it down a bit, as this 'wasn't the movie.' Virgins...what to do with them...it was funny to see people digging in their goodie bags well AFTER time to use the items, so unfamiliar were they with the show. Lots of unused confetti and frankfurters in those bags.
There were oodles of sound troubles last night. Mics not on when they shoulda been, mics popping on when they shouldn't, causing feedback...ick.
The band was amazing. The voices moreso. Daniel is new to me, and he made me forget all about Tim Curry with his portrayal and dead-on singing. I do wish he could let go of being director/choreographer, cuz many times I did catch him clearly watching and worrying about the rest of the performers and show.
I don't want to repeat what you said Donald, but here's one last thing: THERE WERE EMPTY SEATS, Y'ALL!!
Don't listen to the hype of being sold out until you see it posted at the front door of the Severance. I had a bunch of friends who lamented that it was sold out last night, but there were oodles of seats left...they totally could have come. Donald's right, tho, you do NOT wanna miss this ball of great laughs and fun.
And for the love of Rocky, SHOUT YOUR LINES! (It's tough to transition from the movie to this live performance, cuz pauses are different and you don't/can't interrupt the music, but that's no reason to rowdy it up! The cast loves it, and so did the audience...except for those silly snooty RHS virgins!).
Go. You'll have a great time. I can't wait to see it again.
Posted by: Stephen at November 8, 2008 2:22 AM
Thank you for the great comments Stephan.
I do apologize for the sound the night you were there. Columbia and Rocky's mics both got muted somehow before their first solos--but they are all now set so that won't happen again. I tried to pick them up on others causing some feed back issues. Knock on wood, otherwise the sound and the balance is pretty well worked out I think. It is always hard with a live rock band but I talked to lots of audience tonight who were very pleased with the sound.
Look forward to seeing you again. Chris
Posted by: Chris Campbell at November 9, 2008 1:04 AM
**SQUEE**
My brother is coming down from the Bay Area to take me to the show for my BIRTHDAY on the 22nd!! I CAN'T WAIT! From the sound of it, it's gonna blow my years of attendance at the Berkeley theater out of the water!
Posted by: Beckie at November 10, 2008 10:49 PM
I saw the show last weekend and agree with most of what you had to say Mr. Munro, but I have to chime in regarding the sound. It was dreadful. We couldn't hear the singers or they didn't balance well with the band, I read Chris Campbell's defense in your comment section and I'm just not buying it. It can be difficult to balance sound with a band and singers, but he has good equipment and it's a small room. When we saw Urinetown at Fresno State, they managed it very well. And we have seen multiple bands perform locally with inferior equipment and they have better balance. Campbell also does the sound for Woodward Shakespeare and everyone knows how terrible that was this year. I'm not trying to say he doesn't know what he's doing, but is this just a coincidence?
Posted by: John Barnes at November 12, 2008 1:03 PM
I, too, agree with much of your review: the actors were great, the set very clever as you said, etc. Overall, I thought the show was very enjoyable.
However, I also have to agree with a prior poster's comments above about the sound. The sound was TERRIBLE the night I saw the show. (I didn't know that the same people responsible for the sound here are the ones at Woodward Shakespeare Festival, but that does explains a lot, as I thought the sound out at the park for WSF this summer was problematic too.)
But, like I said, aside from the distracting technical problems, I thought the performance was well done. I just felt badly for the performers: they were really giving it their all and did a tremendous job. To be let down as they were by the technical people is a shame.
Posted by: Jim Edwards at November 12, 2008 3:57 PM
The cast, band and crew of Rocky Horror Show are pleased to present one encore performance at 7:00pm on Sunday November 30. Thank you for your incredible support for our show.
Posted by: Chris Campbell at November 19, 2008 11:20 PM
Saw this show last night and was blown away. What great fun! All of the cast did a wonderful job of bringing the audience into their world.
Stage set, singing, acting, costumes, makeup, and yes, even the sound, were all well done. I would love to see more fun theater shows like this in Fresno. Fantastic job, ART!
Posted by: Tamie at November 22, 2008 9:25 AM
WOW! Saw it tonight, and it was great! Wonderful music, great acting, singing, and everything! Maybe some sound issues, but honestly, I was having such a good time, I didn't notice it at all!
Posted by: Spookygirl at November 23, 2008 12:32 AM
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