Kaine Riggan as Brad Majors, James Ilsley as Frank ‘N’ Furter, and Sarah Winter as Janet Weiss. Photo by Curtis Brown.
“I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey.”
Raleigh Little Theatre’s latest production, Rocky Horror Show, opened to a sold-out and enthusiastic crowd last Friday night. As I sat in my seat before the show began I knew I was in for something different as I noticed bubbles floating past me and fellow audience members digging through their bags of random audience participation toys.
Having never seen the cult movie during one of it’s famous midnight interactive screenings, I was delighted to discover this fun twist of events and also pleased to see Raleigh Little Theatre embrace and invite this participation from its audience by selling participation packages that included a newspaper, rubber gloves, noisemakers, bubbles, a bell and playing cards alongside a guide for those of us who need an introduction to the interaction.
There’s not much to tell about the actual plot of the musical that most people don’t already know. It’s bizarre (time travel, aliens) and cheesy (burlesque dance numbers) and totally over the top. The real joy of the performance lies in the charisma of the actors and all of the on stage fun surrounding the sexy glam/punk musical numbers. The script is intentionally tongue-in cheek and plays off the old schlocky sci-fi and B movies.
The Raleigh Little Theatre’s cast brought a stage full of exuberant and campy energy to this production, giving it their all with an obvious love of the music and characters. Particular stand out performances were the sassy narrator role played with dry wit by Evelyn McCauley, Kaine Riggan’s nerdy fish-out-of-water Brad Majors, and the overly dramatic (but in a good way) emotional roller coaster Columbia played by Ann Davis.
The plot may be hard to follow for those who have not seen the movie version, but for fans of the cult classic, this performance is a really fun way to see and hear all of your favorite songs and moments from the film, live and on stage. I could tell who the obvious long time fans in the audience were as they knew all the interactive moments by heart and loved every second of it. For a casual fan of the movie such as myself, it was certainly a unique experience and I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the cultural phenomenon. I mean, how often do you get to go to the theatre and are encouraged to yell “slut” or “asshole” at the mention of certain characters?!
Definitely for mature audiences only, so leave the kids at home for this one. Performances at Raleigh Little Theatre (301 Pogue St., Raleigh – Cameron Park neighborhood) run now through September 2.
Love dressing up in wild costumes? Then don’t miss the special midnight performance on Friday August 24 that includes a Rocky Horror themed costume contest and a sure-to-be heightened interactive fun atmosphere. Purchase all tickets online. And major props to the cleaver marketing campaign the theatre is doing surrounding this show on their Twitter account @RLT1936, where the character Frank’N’Furter has “taken over” their account and is sending out his own personal tweets about the show. Be sure to use the hashtag #rockyrlt.
Remaining performances
- Thursday, Aug. 23, 8:00 PM
- Friday, Aug. 24, 8:00 PM
- Friday, Aug. 24, 11:59 PM – Special Midnight Benefit performance
- Sunday, Aug. 26, 3:00 PM
- Thursday, Aug. 30, 8:00 PM
- Friday, Aug. 31, 8:00 PM
- Saturday, Sept. 1, 8:00 PM
- Sunday, Sept. 2, 3:00 PM
Learn more about Raleigh Little Theatre’s upcoming season and shows here. And as always, support your local theatre!