Richard O Brien's Rocky Horror Show

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Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show, as performed by Curtain Call Community Theater, had the crowd shivering with antici¬—SAY IT!—pation. After popping a tire in the middle of nowhere, the newly engaged Brad Majors and Janet Weiss decide to walk through the pouring rain to a nearby castle, or, as they describe it, the Frankenstein Place. All they want is to use the phone, but they end up getting more than they bargained for when they stumble upon the Transylvanian Convention. At the castle Brad and Janet meet Riff Raff and Magenta, the servants of the castle; Columbia, a groupie; Eddie, a delivery boy who botched his delivery; Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite mad scientist; and Rocky, Frank’s creation. A few musical numbers, sexual encounters, …show more content…

The plotline throws out societal norms and turns taboos into celebrations of subculture. It is astounding that Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a cross-dressing pansexual, is a main character in a musical that was written forty years ago. Even now there is not much representation of non-heteronormative people in most media sources. While highlighting a widely unaccepted lifestyle, O’Brien simultaneous satirizes the conventional way of life through Brad and Janet. Brad and Janet are almost sickeningly naïve, innocent, and orthodox. When compared to the epicurean Transylvanians, Brad and Janet’s conservatism before their characters develop seems out of place. The performance of the Rocky Horror Show was phenomenal; the cast truly brought the characters to life. Jacob Effinger made the perfect Frank-N-Furter because he looked strikingly similar to Tim Curry, the original Frank, and had a great voice too. The Rocky Horror Show is known for drawing heavily on audience partici—pation. The atmosphere of the show is completely unlike any other musical. Before the show the Phantoms, who were the background singers and dancers, came out and interacted with the crowd. After the virgin ritual, where the Phantoms embarrassed a few first-timers in front of the entire audience, the show started. Even during the performance, audience truly felt like part of the show. Audience members were shouting snide comments, puns, innuendos, and

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