The Blue Moon Theatre's Rocky Horror Show Toucha Toucha Toucha'd Our Nostalgic Hearts
by Kristine Bonaventura
At its core, The Rocky Horror Show is a cult classic, bringing together an audience of every age, background, and every type of social misfit imaginable for a night of absurdity and fun. I had the pleasure of seeing The Blue Moon Theatre’s production this Friday, and it surely lives up to that ideal. From the second you step onto the property, you’re immediately propelled to ‘Frankenstein’s Place’, as you’re greeted by Ushers costumed head to toe in their best Rocky Horror inspired garb. This was an early sign that we were in for a treat.
The story begins with an innocent couple seeking refuge after being stranded with a flat tire in a thunderstorm where they find Dr. Frank ‘N’ Furter’s castle. Little did they know their night would be filled with new friends from other planets, dancing, sex, a man brought to life by a crazed scientist and much more….you know, a classic fairytale! The Rocky Horror Show opened in London on June 19th, 1973 and still holds the same effect on audiences today as it did 50 years ago.
Siblings Magenta (Lisa Krier) and Riff Raff (Shabria Moore) have one mission: to get back home to Transylvania. These two work for Dr. Frank ‘N’ Furter as maid and butler respectively while visiting earth, and set the scene for the rest of the evening as they welcome Brad and Janet into the castle. You can immediately feel the confusing bond between the siblings. Lisa Krier and Shabria Moore expertly project the monotone creepiness of the characters making you wonder what is yet to come. Their chemistry was palpable.
Brad Majors (Nicholas Renna) and Janet Weiss (Aimee Ferenze), a fantastic duo on stage, start the show a bit uptight, reserved and virginal, but by the end of the night let go of every ideal in a sexual liberation one can only dream of. Although jealousy existed, they never stopped loving each other. Nicholas and Aimee had wonderful on stage chemistry and smoothly navigated their change in characters as they progressed further and further into the night. During “Once in a While” Nicholas touched hearts as he leapt into the house and interacted with audience members. Additionally he successfully choreographed the production with such a large cast in a small space. Not only did Aimee bring a fan favorite “Touch-a-Touch-a-Touch-a-Touch-Me” to life, but also skillfully music directed the cast.
Lori Thompson killed it as the Narrator. For most performers, having audience members shout things during a performance would throw them off, possibly make them break character and lose their place in a scene. Not Lori. If anything, it energized her. This made the Narrator, a character who can easily be overshadowed by the brashness of the surrounding characters, someone I constantly looked for on stage. She brought nuanced humor and skill to the Narrator and made us want to participate more and even improv’d when there was a sound hiccup which is always a risk during a live performance.
Dr. Frank ‘N’ Furter (Michael Aquilino), a mad scientist who is obsessed with the idea of bringing life to what he deems as the perfect sexual life partner. As the leader of the Transylvanians on earth, he walks through the castle as someone they worship and desire and with their help spark something in Brad and Janet. Michael Aquillino entered the stage through a sparkly fringe curtain to cheers from veteran audience members and gasps of excitement from the newest Rocky Horrors fans. Walking in heels better than I ever could, Michael gave us all an amazing performance. Kept us on the edge of our seats with antici—pation bouncing between lover, life creator, and murderer.
We certainly cannot forget the other colorful characters of Rocky (Jim Cook Jr), Columbia (Hannah Lee DeFrates) and Eddie/Dr. Scott (Brady Thompson). Each cultivated hilarious moments within the performance. Hannah brough such a joyous, quirky light to Columbia along with her remarkable tap dancing and complicated feelings for Frank ‘N’ Furter. We fell in love with Jim’s portrayal of the “perfect man” who is not the brightest bulb in the box but that certainly doesn’t stop us from falling for him. Brady did a wonderful job of hopping between Eddie and Dr. Scott. Switching from a “not all there” Eddie due to Dr. Frank ‘N’ Furter using half his brain to create Rocky to then Dr. Scott, Brad and Janet’s former science teacher with great comedic timing.
Rounding out this cast we have the Phantoms played by: Lauren LaScala, Yeshua Izrizarry, Sarah Dean and Jessi Meisel. This group created the atmosphere of this production and kept the whole show moving. Supporting Dr. Frank ‘N’ Furter, Magenta and Riff Raff, changing sets and even becoming set pieces as they comically and seamlessly portrayed Brad and Janet’s car in the thunderstorm. The Phantoms brought the fun to the stage while dancing and singing to fan favorites such as “Time Warp”, “Damn It Janet”, “Sweet Transvestite” and more.
Although this 75 seat house is small, it is also mighty. Through the direction of Mike Russell and Stacy Bachman, this cast of phenomenal characters used every inch of space on and off stage to bring this performance to life. We witnessed two well orchestrated chase scenes: one with Eddie and the other with Rocky. With performers jumping from seats in the audience to using exit doors and bathrooms as additional set pieces, we were hooked. The well designed sound, lights and set all by Mike Russell and Props by Cindy Russell, helped us believe this space to be a huge castle. Even with some minor sound mishaps and slightly longer than ideal set changes (that often occur on opening nights), we were transported into the show. Costumes by Mike Russell and Stacy Bachman included iconic pieces such as Columbia’s gold sequin jacket, Rocky’s gold tiny shorts and Frank ‘N’ Furter’s corset and makeup. Additionally, I enjoyed seeing the Phantoms costumes evolve from start to end getting brighter and bolder in color as it progressed. Unfortunately there were not enough playbills for all audience members and although the production team did create packets to assist in the audience participation for those who have never experienced a Rocky Horror performance before, there was only a small handful to distribute.
Overall, The Rocky Horror Show at Blue Moon Theatre in Woodstown is a show you’ll want to see this October. Running now till October 28, get your tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-rocky-horror-show-by-richard-obrien-tickets-686085358777
