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`The Rocky Horror Show' Returns
from: The Associated Press
by MICHAEL KUCHWARA
NEW YORK (AP) - Pass the glitter, rice, confetti, fishnet stockings and spiky high heels, size 10 1/2 EEE.
"The Rocky Horror Show,'' the world's favorite sci-fi, transvestite rock musical, is back in town. No, not the movie. The OTHER "Rocky Horror Show'' - the one nobody knows.
Bear with me, folks. This will take some explaining. We are talking about the stage version, the live-action model that was a London hit in 1973, a flop in New York two years later and is now being revived at Broadway's Circle in the Square.
The film developed a fanatic following in the 1970s at midnight screenings - first among gay moviegoers and then among young straight audiences trying to be out there. They started talking back to the screen, reciting dialogue, dressing up as their favorite characters and committing general mayhem.
How to explain the popularity of those late-night unspoolings? Think of them as the late 20th century equivalent of flagpole-sitting, goldfish-swallowing, marathon dancing or telephone booth-stuffing. Sitting through "The Rocky Horror Show'' - on stage or at the movies - requires a certain abdication of sensibility, not to mention sensitivity. Lack of taste has everything to do with "The Rocky Horror Show.''
Still, you have to give credit to Christopher Ashley, director of the current revival, and his mostly spirited cast. You can't keep a cult musical down, particularly when it is so buoyantly cheeky - and we mean that in the literal sense of the word as well.
Creator Richard O'Brien, who wrote the book, music and lyrics, is at his best when deflating the pretensions of all those oh-so-serious horror flicks. But don't ask for an explanation of the plot. "Rocky Horror'' doesn't have much of one.
The story is narrated in mock-ominous tones by talk-show guru Dick Cavett, not exactly Vincent Price, but he will do. Cavett opens both acts, getting off a string of jokes that sound as if they would fit nicely as the opening monologue of a current late-night television show. The presidential election recount in Florida gets quite a workout.
Our hero Brad and his nubile fiance Janet find themselves stranded in a spooky castle and at the mercy of Frank 'N' Furter, a bisexual transvestite, who has created the perfect - physically at least - man (an awesome Sebastian LaCause).
In the film and the original Broadway production, the role of Frank was played by Tim Curry, all pouty, bee-stung lips and a mop of dark hair. Thanks to the miracle of peroxide, Frank 'N' Furter is now a blond and impersonated to haughty perfection by Tom Hewitt. The actor is a big guy with the longest legs this side of Cyd Charisse. He's also quite a hoot, a natural comic with a rock 'n' roll voice. He's also a drag artist of some distinction, a performer who can play outraged, over-the-top diva with the best of them.
Equally appealing are the two not-so-innocent lovers. Jarrod Emick, with his Dick Tracy jaw and Boy Scout demeanor, makes a terrific, four-square Brad, while Alice Ripley is funny and sexy at the same time, not an easy accomplishment. Both show their considerable musical-comedy training, delivering their numbers with a skill that far outshines the material.
As for the score, O'Brien's music has a certain bouncy, hypnotic appeal, especially the opening and closing number called "Science Fiction Double Feature.'' As for his lyrics, well, you don't want to analyze too closely songs with such titles as "Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch Me'' and "Planet Schmanet - Wise Up Janet Weiss.''
The production's sound system is deafening, which doesn't guarantee all the lyrics will be heard. The system stymies such usually accomplished performers as Daphne Rubin-Vega (Magenta), Lea DeLaria (as both Eddie and Dr. Scott) and even hard-rocker JOAN JETT (Columbia), who gets to play her guitar.
Designer David Rockwell has not spared any expense in recreating the castle, which extends out of the auditorium itself and into the theater's lobby. The audience has been encouraged to interact with the production, joining in as if they were at the movie.
Whether the film's fanatic fans will be willing to pay $79.50 a ticket (the price at all performances) for what is not an exact replica of the movie is still to be determined. But if the show is a success, what can we expect next? A stage version of "The Sing-Along Sound of Music,'' perhaps? Now that's scary.
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