BC Footlighters' "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" Will Make You Want to 'Time Warp' to See it Again!
by Amber Kusching
“The Rocky Horror Show” is a risqué, interactive musical comedy with a twist of horror and plenty of surprises. Newly engaged, Brad (Vincent DeMeo) and Janet (Emily Griffith), stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Michael Aquilino), a mad scientist transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker and a creepy butler. Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named “Rocky” (Zach Marin). The book, music and lyrics are by Richard O’Brien and the original London version of the show was award-wining and critically acclaimed.
“The Rocky Horror Show” marks the first production in Burlington County Footlighters’ 2023-2024 season.
Before the show even starts, there are projections onto the stage of clips and trailers from vintage sci-fi and horror films, adding to the flavor of the show. The play has a strong connection to these genres as the play involves murder, creepy characters, zombies, aliens from outer space, and advanced technologies.
“The Rocky Horror Show” is a cult classic that has a long history of audience participation. Passed down from years of productions are “call outs”, lines that the audience adds to the show to enhance, and sometimes poke-fun of, the scripted dialogue. In this traditional spirit of “Rocky Horror”, Burlington County Footlighters’ production includes several opportunities for the audience to engage intimately with the show. There are call outs written into the playbill for the audience to follow along. And the theatre has prop bags for sale including such things as a newspaper for the rain scene, a glowstick for the light “Over at the Frankenstein Place”, and bubbles to blow during Frank-N-Further and Rocky’s wedding, among other trinkets. And warning, the audience even experiences a little sprinkle of rain while Brad and Janet brave the storm. The production team, without a doubt, kept the audience in mind while creating this show.
Something that particularly makes this production stand out is its live band. Having the band onstage playing the music in real time makes the show much more engaging and enjoyable than if it were to use a soundtrack. The band is staged above Jim Frazer’s smart set. Frazer’s scenic design is multi-functional, seamlessly transitioning with the assistance of the play’s Phantoms (Lisa Krier, Jessi Meisel, Riley Newman, Gina Petti, and Nick Renna). And many of the transitions happened without even being noticeable. The set is simple but effective.
Many of the performances from the cast stand out. DeMeo and Griffith’s portrayal of Brad and Janet is campy in the personality of the show. They play innocent but adventurous. Aimee Ferenz as the Usherette and Magenta (also serving as the production’s prop designer) serenades the audience with a voice smooth as silk. Riff Raff was played in the Sunday September 25th show by Yeshua Irizarry whose performance has the essence of creator and movie star O’Brien’s version of the role. Narrator Kori Rife brings a sultry smoothness to her commentary. And Brenda Kelly Bacon’s choreography perfectly highlights the Phantoms and excellently reflects the feeling of the iconic film version, especially in “The Time Warp”.
But who can forget the memorable performance of Michael Aquilino as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. With a confident swagger, Aquilino commands the stage. He perfectly portrays the iconic role and has the attitude of Tim Curry who originated the role both in the premier London production and the 1975 film.
“The Rocky Horror Show” director Christina Wick writes in a note to the audience in the playbill that the show “tackles themes such as sexual freedom, sexual identity, love, madness, and acceptance, but does so in such a fun way that you barely realize it. All of that while poking fun of and simultaneously paying homage to science fiction flicks of the Golden Age of film.” This production does just that. Wick’s direction is a tribute to the movie without being a copycat production. Wick writes “My production team and I kept with the spirit of the film but we were not aiming to create a copy. We have moments that pay homage to it, but we created our own piece of art.”
Rounding out the cast are Shaina Egan as Columbia, Christian Milazzo as Eddie, and Brian S. Rothman as Dr. Everett Scott.
This show is fun, boisterous and absurdly astounding. The audience is bound to dance along with the cast. “The Rocky Horror Show” plays now through September 30th, including one midnight showing on Saturday September 9th. For more information about the show and to purchase tickets, please visit https://tickets.bcfootlighters.com/show/rockyhorror
