Musical opens April 21 in Will Theatre
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| Aidan Costa and Olivia Humulock play the wholesome couple Brad Majors and Janet Weiss in “The Rocky Horror Show.” They are circled by phantoms Zoe Pepin, left, and Jenna Muldoon, right, with the play’s narrator, Justin Peters, in back. (URI photos by Jesse Dufault) |
The
University of Rhode Island Theatre Department is doing the “Time Warp” again,
returning to Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s spooky castle for “The Rocky Horror Show.”
Richard O’Brien’s gender-bending spoof of horror and science fiction B-movies
opens Thursday, April 21, in the Robert E. Will Theatre.
Approaching its 50th anniversary, “Rocky Horror” has reached cult classic status as both a play and film, exploring themes of sexuality and self-exploration to a rock-n-roll beat.
“The Rocky Horror Show” premiered on stage in London’s Royal Court Theatre in 1973 and made the leap to movie houses two years later with the release of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” starring Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter, Susan Sarandon as Janet Weiss, and Meat Loaf as Eddie.
Thanks to midnight screenings – where audience members, or “shadow casts,” would shout back to the screen or act out scenes – the movie has become one of the top grossing musicals of all time.
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| Brad and Janet, played by Aidan Costa and Olivia Humulock, look for a place to come in from the rain. |
“‘Rocky Horror’ is very unique and special because of its openness,” said director Erin Haas, who earned her bachelor of fine arts degree in directing from URI in 2021.
“It throws off binary gender roles and it has this very ‘be yourself no
matter what’ message. ‘Don’t dream it, be it’ is the main theme of the show.
“It has always attracted people who maybe feel a little bit left out,” she added.
“When the film got midnight movie status, all of the people who felt they
couldn’t go out dressed as they liked in the middle of the day could go out at
midnight and no one would judge them. You see these new generations that keep
finding the musical, and especially this generation that is just so lovely and
open with who they are. It speaks to them.”
The
play is the first URI mainstage musical since 1998 that is being directed by
someone other than Professor Paula McGlasson, who has worked on every URI musical
as choreographer or director since joining URI in 1985. She directed URI’s last
production of “Rocky Horror” 12 years ago.
“I
had great memories of directing ‘Rocky Horror’ in 2010 with [recent Tony Award
winner] Andrew Burnap in the lead role so I declined to direct it a second
time,” said McGlasson. “‘Rocky’ just happens to be one of Erin’s favorite
musicals so she was an excellent choice for director this year.”
Haas
has worked on many productions of the play along with performing in the “shadow
casts” at numerous screenings. She also suggested staging “Rocky Horror” to
close the Theatre Department’s season after the original choice, “The Wizard of
Oz,” didn’t work out.
Just
a year removed from URI as a student, Haas says her connections to the actors have
helped with the production. “It’s definitely helped that I know a lot of them.
At auditions, it was nice to know their background as actors having seen some
of their work in classes,” she said. “Because I came to URI as an older
student, I have a bit of a mom aesthetic with them. I’m old enough to be some
of their mothers.”
“Erin
is the best,” said Ben Pereira ’23, who worked with Haas last spring when she
directed the understudies on URI’s production of “Miss Nelson is Missing!” “I
think something that is so crucial for this process is having the director love
the show and it’s clear that Erin sees this as a dream project.”
Pereira,
a theater and public relations major from Danbury, Connecticut, is
tackling the big job of playing Frank-N-Furter, the face of “Rocky Horror.”
While acting in heels and a corset, Pereira is taking on the challenge of
making Frank more than a “narcissistic, insane scientist.”
“Despite
being this over-the-top character, he has so many real and human qualities and
motives,” he said. “I think that’s why so many people have attached themselves
to Frank and this show.”
Olivia
Humulock ’23, of Narragansett, wanted to be in “Rocky
Horror” because she felt the role of Janet, who goes from a frightened young
woman to embracing her power and sexuality, would push her out of her comfort
zone and help her grow as an actor. Her love for the music, especially Janet’s
songs, such as especially “Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me,” was another reason.
“Also,
it’s ‘Rocky Horror,’” she said. “It’s an iconic, out of this world show that’s
hilarious and embraces who you are as a person. Despite its insanity, the
messages are very important to me.”
Audience
members can look forward to a set, designed by Jake Richards-Hegnauer, that
mixes elements of the 2010 set with additions that pay homage to the earlier
production and has a homemade aesthetic similar to that of B-movie film legend
Ed Wood. The music, which includes classics such as “Time Warp,” “Sweet
Transvestite,” and “Damn It, Janet,” is directed by Emily Turtle ’19, and the
choreography is by long-time URI visiting artist Dante Sciarra.
“‘Rocky
Horror’ is a mix of lots of music genres, which is why the show is so appealing
to such a wide variety of audience members,” said Turtle, who won an award for best
music direction from Motif magazine for her work on “Rocky Horror” at OUT LOUD
theater in 2019. “There is rock-n-roll, moments of traditional storytelling
theatre, and ballads. Because it doesn’t stick to one genre of music, it keeps
audience members on their toes.”
“As
a kid growing up in the ‘70s and ‘80s, I was a fan of horror films and I was
pleasantly surprised to learn ‘Rocky Horror’ wasn’t a horror film at all. It’s
a really cool, fun and great movie musical,” said Sciarra. “Audiences can
expect a great night of fun, frivolity, surprises and entertainment.”
While
props won’t be provided, audience members are encouraged to call back to the
stage during the show, Haas said. “Hopefully, we’ll have audience members who
are into it. I’m sure we will. There’s a lot them. This show brings people out
of the woodwork.”
“The Rocky Horror Show” runs April 21-23 and April 28-30 at 7:30 p.m. and April 24 and May 1 at 2 p.m. in Will Theatre at the Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper College Road, Kingston Campus. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $18 for senior citizens and URI students, faculty and staff.
Tickets can be purchased online, or at the URI Theatre box office in the Fine Arts Center, or by calling (401) 874-5843. For more information on tickets and the University’s COVID-19 policy, go to the ticket website.
