Raise your hand if you’re a virgin!
Kidding – but if you are a Rocky Horror virgin, stop reading! I don’t want to spoil the fun of experiencing your first show. The Rocky Horror Picture Show this year was endlessly sexy, fun, interactive, and an absolute blast to watch this Halloweekend.
This cult classic was performed through lip-synching, with the 1975 original movie playing on the screen in the background. The pre-show started off with a vote of the sexiest audience outfit, which was (rightfully) won by a guy in a see-through shimmer dress and “slag” written in lipstick on his chest. Lauryn Perkins-Monney, the director this year, then played matchmaker between a Rocky fan and a Rocky virgin, asking questions (including asking them to imitate their favourite moan) in order to whittle down the contestants until the happy couple was “married” onstage. Head choreographer Amelia Thompson then taught the audience how to do the classic “Time Warp” dance.
The cast did a fabulous job of interacting with the crowd and had started strong as the ensemble and the Usherette, played by Kylie Lam, serenaded the audience with “Science Fiction/Double Feature” before the acting began. The storyline follows newlyweds Janet and Brad, a traditional and straight-cut young couple played by Ainsley Macfarlane and Caroline Daley. They want to celebrate their engagement with their friend Dr. Scott (played by Thomas Scott), but get a flat tyre along the way, forcing them to take refuge in a spooky mansion. This mansion is owned by Dr. Frank-N-Furter and their eccentric friends who are celebrating the birth of muscular boy-toy Rocky, (played by Charlie Macbeth) whom Frank-N-Furter created for their sexual gratification. The couple lose themselves in the psycho-sexual night and question their devotion both to each other and to social norms. Dr. Frank-N-Furter was played by Dylan Swain, who did a killer job with audience interaction and overall had a fantastic stage presence. I for one was absolutely quivering with antici…pation when his arrival was announced.
Janet and Brad had the perfect amount of awkward chemistry that I expected from a white-picket fence couple experiencing a queer outer-space utopia, and Janet’s super slutty switch to dancing with Rocky was fabulous. My personal favourite part of the show was when the criminologist, played by Marcus Judd, read his narration from a book about pleasuring women. A very close second favourite part of the show would have to be Olivia Mcgrath’s portrayal of the butler, Riff Raff. She did an incredible job with the walk and the talk, it genuinely freaked me out a little bit. She also had excellent chemistry with the maid, Magenta (played by Anna Murray). They were both truly made for these roles, I really think their acting was better than the professional actors in the movie. The ensemble also did a wonderful job of getting the crowd into the spirit of shouting obscenities at the actors, and everyone was dancing and singing along by the end of the show.
This isn’t the kind of show that needs much stage setup, but everything was very tastefully done; they even got a real bathtub this year instead of the makeshift wood one from last year! The costumes were also a huge improvement and I found myself trying to find dupes of a couple of their outfits on vinted after the show. In general, the acting, Lauryn’s directing, and Amelia’s choreography pulled together a wonderful show that was every bit as exciting, funny, and sexy as I hoped. If you missed it this year, you should absolutely mark your calendars a year in advance, this is a must-see St. Andrews production.
