Rocky Horror Picture Show ‘eye-opening’ experience

It’s the show where incest is strangely embedded, aliens fill the stage and a separation between the audience and performers is nonexistent.   

It’s the show that had crowds lined up the block from Walnut Street to Kirkwood Avenue five years ago.

It’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” and it’s back at the John Waldron Arts Center in Bloomington, hosted by the Starrynight Productions from Oct. 15 through 30 on various dates.

For those unfamiliar with Richard O’Brien’s 1975 science-fiction-based production, the show consists of newlyweds Janet Weiss (sophomore Alana Cheshire) and Brad Majors (freshman Hayden Moore) who end up at the castle of a transvestite, Dr. Frank-N-Furter (senior Ryan Wells), after their car breaks down, heading from Denton, Ohio. The couple is offered a place to stay as the owner hosts an annual convention with guests from the planet “Transsexual,” and builds his own man, named Rocky Horror.  

Mysteries unfold throughout the story as characters like “Magenta the maid” (sophomore Danielle Sacks) and “Riff-Raff the butler” (Bloomington resident Daniel J. Petrie) get involved. The characters adapt to the nature of the bizarre creatures and learn more about their own intentions in this exotic environment. Fans of the movie might be surprised with a few changes in the script, including a duet that was not featured in the movie called, “Once in a While,” with Brad and Frank-N-Furter.

A new character has also been added to the script. “Don Chaney” or “Wolfman,” (Bloomington performer Derrick Krober) is the werewolf movie host. Wolfman interacts with the audience to bridge the gap between the performers and members of the audience.  

“I want them to feel like they’ve been a part of it,” said Artistic Director Russell McGee, as he described the show as a cult comedic warp of interactive bliss.

Bridging the gap even further, McGee said he encourages audience participation, including dressing up in chaotic costumes, shouting at the performers and using specified props when directed. For those who are not aware of what to do, there will be three hecklers, who are members of the cast placed in the center of the auditorium promoting audience involvement.

But how did the actors come to take on their characters with such a bizarre script?
After practicing for three hours, five days a week and then just one and a half weeks of technical rehearsals, the actors were able to come to terms with their peculiar roles.

Some of the cast members developed their character right away, and others took more time to craft their roles, McGee said.

Sacks, who plays Magenta, said her character’s goal is to gain ultimate power through manipulation, while Wells, who plays Dr. Frank-n-furter, said wearing high heels has been the biggest challenge.

However, Petrie said the show could go numerous ways depending on the audience participation, creating a completely different show each night.

“There’s no telling what’s going to happen when we actually get in front of an audience,” Petrie said.

Claiming it’s like Halloween on stage, Petrie said the show is overall completely chaotic, irreverent and a bit perverted.

Although the performance will be comedic, McGee said he hopes the audience will leave with an understanding of the thematic push of tolerance. The show can potentially open people’s eyes to different views and people, McGee said.

“Come to have fun, because we’ll be having fun on stage, so you might as well join,” Sacks said.