The Rocky Horror Show
The most extraordinary thing about Cygnet’s production of Richard O’Brien’s sex-soaked sci-fi sendup The Rocky Horror Show is its casting of the huge and handsome Nathan Madden as the sweet transvestite from Transexual, Transylvania, Dr. Frank ‘n Furter. Frank has been “making a man with blond hair and a tan” up in his lab, the sort of fellow who doesn’t need dynamic tension to look good in a Speedo. But while it’s true that Josh Bradford’s Rocky is a marvel of definition, the good (bad) doctor dwarfs and outshines him — especially in heels and drag makeup.
It’s a bold move, one that works as well as it does mostly due to Madden’s manner: how can someone so substantial seem so…mercurial? But It lends a more sinister cast to the act of Rocky’s creation: this is not the work of a tortured little alien from an androgynous planet who is seeking to create a masculine ideal, a god whom he might worship even as it services him. No, this is a pretty plaything made for a monster of control — much prettier than the previous one, who gets carved up with a chainsaw when he breaks out of cold storage.
And that brings me to the second most extraordinary thing about the show: for all its famed on-stage naughtiness (the raciest bits are done in silhouette), it’s wildly straight about its morality. Rock and roll really does lead to sexual excess and ultimate destruction (poor Eddie). Alien dudes who dress in women’s clothing really are out to corrupt and destroy decent Americans (poor Brad and Janet). Using surgery to pursue perfection really does lead to a crisis of identity (poor Rocky). And you really can’t get by with the living-my-truth mantra of “Don’t dream it, be it” (poor Frank). But at least you can have campy comedy, catchy tunes and a killer floor show! Oh, and also the cheerful incorporation of the audience responses — though not the props — created for the musical’s film version. There are no telephones in castles!
When
Ongoing until Saturday, November 2, 2024
Hours
| Sundays, 2pm-4pm |
| Wednesdays, 7pm-9pm |
| Thursdays, 7pm-9pm |
| Fridays, 7pm-9pm |
| Saturdays, 2pm-4pm & 7pm-9pm |