Most of us who are familiar with The Rocky Horror Show know it from the 1975 film version (the Rocky Horror Picture Show), which is the quintessential cult movie — it became a long-running phenomenon playing at midnight, with audiences showing up in costume as the characters, barking memorized lines back at the screen, and throwing things like rice in the air.
But this glam-rock musical with book, music, and lyrics by British actor Richard O’Brien, a send-up and mash-up of ’30s horror movies (Frankenstein, Dracula, etc.) and Hollywood sci-fi (from Flash Gordon to ’50s alien invasion movies), actually originated on the London stage in 1973. It spawned a Los Angeles production that led to the making of the movie and a very brief (45 performances) Broadway run on the eve of the film’s release.
That’s ancient history. Rocky Horror has subsequently been produced all over the world, including a Broadway revival in 2000 with the likes of Joan Jett and Dick Cavett, which I was fortunate enough to see. And now, David Drake has brought it to the Provincetown Theater for most of the summer in a splashy, hugely entertaining local production, offering up its celebration of kinky pansexuality and Hollywood B-movie camp at a time when we all could use a playfully perverse distraction.
Scenic designer Ellen Rousseau and her team have once again completely re-imagined the Provincetown Theater space for Rocky Horror, creating a literal theater-in-the round — the circular center stage feels a bit like a circus ring, with horror-sci-fi adornments and added platforms at east and west for musical director John Thomas’s four-piece band and other attractions.
Resident lighting designer Stephen Petrilli has outdone himself. The stage and performers are bathed in a rainbow of dazzling colors, and it all looks spectacular — just as a spectacularly silly musical should. The costumes and props by Thom Markee and his team are a slick glam-rock, drag-queen fantasia, with retro wigs and fabulous makeup.
For those who are not familiar, here’s a quick recap of the story: Newly engaged Brad Majors and Janet Weiss go to visit their mentor, Dr. Scott, on a rainy night but get stuck. They show up at the castle of one Frank-N-Furter, a “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania” (Transylvania being an alien planet), where they encounter Frank’s butler, Riff Raff, a motorcyclist named Eddie, a maid named Magenta, a “groupie” named Columbia, and a gym-bodied Adonis named Rocky, whom the master has brought to life for his own pleasure.
Before long, Frank-N-Furter seduces both Janet and Brad, Janet has a fling with Rocky, Eddie gets chopped up and eaten by everybody, and the castle gets launched back into space. Drake has trimmed the show somewhat for Provincetown, so it has a running time of 90 minutes, including a 10-minute intermission.
Rocky Horror has been a catalyst for the sexual liberation of young adult fans for decades, though the older the show gets, the less outré it seems. The trans terms and jokey attitude toward coercion and violence are certainly dated, but it’s still a show about letting loose and taking a ray gun to repressive rules and attitudes. It’s far too ridiculous to be a political tract, which is probably one of the reasons it’s so beloved.
As Provincetown’s Frank-N-Furter, actor and recording artist Boy Radio is not as slyly villainous as Tim Curry (who made the role famous on stage and screen), but his towering, muscled physique and thoroughly elegant, graceful moves make him a persuasive seducer. The sidekicks Riff Raff, Magenta, and Columbia, played by Loren Lee, Hilarie Tamar, and Devon Whitney, respectively, bring enthusiasm and personality to their roles, as does Alex Sesenton in the dual part of Eddie and Dr. Scott.
Evan Montgomery is a touching Rocky, but the real standouts of this thoroughly synchronized ensemble are the corruptible innocents, Brad and Janet, played by a real-life couple, Zack Johnson and Madison Mayer. Both of them are a bit more zaftig than the Brads and Janets I’ve previously seen (such as Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon in the movie), but they make it work in their favor. They are veterans of the local theater scene — Mayer played Johanna in the Provincetown Theater’s production of Sweeney Todd — and Johnson, who is making his P’town debut, has a knockout of a voice.
Drake, as director, keeps the antics flowing like magic, and he gets a talented boost from choreographer Robert LaFosse (a former star of the New York City Ballet and American Dance Theatre) and his assistant, Jeffrey Koch. Musical director John Thomas makes the most of O’Brien’s pastiche of a score and even serves as the Narrator.
There’s a professional spirit to this production of Rocky Horror that makes it a worthwhile addition to the local theater scene. Drake knows that there ought to be a reason to bring a well-known musical confection to Provincetown for the summer, just as there was last year, with the gay update of The Fantasticks. Seeing Rocky Horror again is a subtle reminder of how far we’ve come in the culture wars — and how far we have to go.
Frank-N-Furter on a Roll
The event: The Rocky Horror Show, a stage musical by Richard O’Brien
The time: Through Sept. 5, Mondays through Thursdays at 7 p.m.
The place: Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford St.
The cost: $61.11–$81.30, including fees, at provincetowntheater.org or 508-487-7487
