Good Old Rocky Horror, Rocky in Tennessee, Horror in Tennesseeee!
play: The Rocky Horror Showdirector: to be announced (I don't have the pamphlet with me...program--rather)
when: Well, damnit, it wouldn't be a review by me if it weren't already OVER
where: The Fairbanks (everyone go to the Fairbanks! Everyone! Right now! Well, maybe not right now. Depending on the time you're reading this...)
cost: 20 bucks at the door or KnoxTix.blahblahblahinternet.
about: If you saw this play I hope that you saw the movie first. Especially if you were sitting down from a woman who knew every single blasted catcall in the entire movie! If you're sitting there, now, thinking, "What does she mean, these catcalls? Perhaps I should have seen it..." you are good to have not. Or, perhaps, you should've. Bad on you.
Anyway, The Rocky Horror Show is about a couple, Brad and Janet, and this extraterrestrial transvestite, Frank N Furter (from Transsexual, Transylvania, post code:696969...okay, I just added that last bit.) Brad and Janet have just come from a wedding (not theirs, though he does ask her hand in marraige) and Brad's stubborn nature of not admitting when he's lost coupled with the sudden flat tire as they hit something in the road, including the rain that's coming down in sheets around them, makes for a rather unsavory situation.
Rushing into an old spooky house "There's a light, over at the Frankenstein place..." both Brad and Janet are suddenly caught in the middle of this insane, fantastically inappropriate romp. Met by the butler and the maid (suitably creepy and deliciously sexual) they go into a "Time Warp," "Sweet Transvestite," add a side of generic Meatloaf and there you've got the play. Honestly? If you haven't seen the movie or know the plot see it. It'll take up two internet pages just trying to describe the crutch in the crotch of Roane State faculty and Bible Belt people everywhere.
review: Where do I begin?
I'll get the names of the actors I don't know later because, as I said, I don't have the pamphgram with me, right now.
First of all. The Fairbanks was the absolute perfect place for this to take place. Alcohol consumption and dim lighting made for even the shyest people to take off copious amounts of clothing and dance. The show started off with the M.C. Mr. Say My Profane Nickname. He invited the Rocky Horror Show Virgins (those who have neither seen the live show nor a showing of the movie) to give fake orgasms as an initiation. (Before that was a costume contest. People won stuff.) I was a virgin, but forwent the opportunity to embarass the hell out of myself.
After the initiation was complete, and startlingly accurate *shiver*, we got on with the show, eventually.
From the aspect of an audience member and not with knowledge of a technician all I knew was when one of the most popular songs was sung "Sweet Transvestite" I couldn't hear half the lyrics. The microphone proferred suavely to Frank N Furter didn't do much better than the personal microphone. But future problems were at a minimum and Frank was heard through the rest of the show in booming clarity. The actor never skipped a beat and, actually, the microphone was accurately phallic during the song. If it had worked it would have been perfect.
Now, to the performance:
Brad--Oh good God. Who is this man? Where has he been? Is he staying? Can I keep him? I'll feed him. I'll clean his cage. We're keeping him, right? He conveyed this bumbling, controlling, sexually repressed man nearly better than Barry Bostwick did! Bravo, Mr I'll Find Your Name On The Program When I Get Home! A double bravo to Mr. Cameron Watkins!
Janet--Jodie Manross (seems unfair that I know her name and not nearly everyone elses). She was made for this character. She has this sweet disposition about her that just lends her to this role. This tentative attitude even in her every day life. "I'll just--ooh, maybe I shouldn't--oh, but I want to!!" Virginal Janet. Planet Janet orbiting around temptation and naughty desire.
Riff Raff--a.k.a Jacques Durand. Manic, angry, unloved as a child, Riff-Raff. The actor was...*drumroll please*...FANTAAAASTIC! I love when he explodes in the end. Can you channel an actor who's not yet dead? Because there was definitely some Richard O'Brien present. At the same time, though, the same way that the other actors made these characters their own, he did too. But you're not allowed to deviate too much because you'll get hella backlash from devoted fans.
Magenta--a.k.a Sara Schwabe. I'd do her. I'd do her twice. But that's not a review of her acting. And singing. And boobs, I mean lung capacity. She was fantastic! She had the pipes! She was the perfect compliment to Riff-Raff. And I'm certain Roane State appreciated her talent.
Columbia--a.k.a Tiffany Tallent. Mic her more! She had the voice, I just couldn't hear it very well... But honestly, from a layperson's view, she could have been more dramatic. Not that she didn't do a fantastic job (all of them did) but maybe the movie just pampered me. Regardless of uneducated criticism, nearly everyone in that show was very near perfect for the part they took on.
Dr. Everett Von Scott--a.k.a. Joe Casterline. Great Scott! No, really, he had the doctor down. Perfect accent. Just the right amount of lunacy. In the costume contest there was a Scott. His costume was spectacular. I quite liked his better than the character in the play.
The Criminologist/Narrator--a.k.a. Dennis Bussell. Oh my God! Oh my mother loving God. Where did he come from? He was so...good! That's all I can say. Good! Great! Knew nearly all of the cat calls. Heckled as much as he got. Couldn't have picked it better.
Eddie--a.k.a. Phil Pollard. Meatloaf reincarnated. I swear. No, really, I swear. A little off in the tune of his song, but that was Meatloaf. As I'm sitting here today. Oh, wait. Meatloaf is still alive...
Rocky Horror--a.k.a. James Harrison. Oh cute. I want him too. He had the right attitude. That "What the hell is this?" face. A little dopey but, at the same time, obvious of his lot in life and his attractive self. He had a mohawk! I would've done him. I don't even know what "done him" means. He could moooove. Boy he was flexible and definitely a dancer. Oh, and he was fabulous in little red heels.
Lessee...who'm I missing? Hmmmm. Oh, there is someone I didn't cover but I can't think--oh yeah!
The Transylvanians!
A.K.A.
Ashley Austin, Abbey Austin, Hannah Baker, Elizabeth DAvis, Renee Hickman, Andrew Macdonald, Matthew Melton, Jennifer Osborn, Kelly Owen, Wes Wyrick, Valerie Solomon, Samantha Strader, Heather Taylor, Robyn Vanleigh.
They were fantastic. I actually had a friend in there from highschool back when he was a good Catholic boy. I must say, I like him better on stage with glowing sunglasses and shiny shirt than in a button down shirt and ironed khakis.
Okay. Now for it. Alright, here we go.
Frank N Furter--Joe "Mona Lisa" Beuerlein. (not his official nickname, nor one to be used except in my head)
I get the most inspiration from talking to my mom and listening to her opinions. I know that sounds a bit dorky, but it's true. And I never denied my dorkiness.
I want to preface this with the statement that in every single performance (all three) thing I've seen Mona in, he's been fantastic. And the only reason I'm writing what I'm about to write is because he is genuinly a good actor. It seems to my inadequate figurings, that Joe is constantly pushing himself into these very hard to play characters. Complex characters. So it gives me so much joy that Joe played Frank N Furter especially after Hedwig. He nailed Hedwig. He nailed his character in The Unidentified *mumble mumble* True Nature of Love.
But after serious consideration supported from my mom's comments I realized that despite getting everything right, despite putting loads of passion into the performance (and probably taking in account exhaustion and painful shoes) Mr. B did not (in my very humbled opinion) quite nail Frank N. Furter. (Though me might've "nailed" him--badumpcha)
I normally wouldn't go into this much depth but anyone who's seen Mr. B in a performance knows that he is probably one of the most talented actors in Knoxville. Which is why, when he doesn't nail a role (again, opinion here) I want to explore why. For my own personal content. Not for anyone else's.
Joe seems confident. He's harsh. He's passionate. He builds up the hardness of a character only to break it down in the end leaving you whimpering silently to yourself. Frank N. Furter isn't confident. He's squishy. He's innocent. He's emotional. He wants everything. He's a whiney baby. He isn't stoic. He isn't really in charge. He's manic depressive. He's complex because while he seems to have everything at his fingertips at one moment, it's obvious that he's unstable and about to crack the next. He's trying to seem confident, but he isn't really. It's obvious that he isn't.
Joe plays harsh characters and Frank N. Furter isn't harsh. He's outlandish and shocking, but he isn't harsh. At least, the version of him that I've seen and loved. Tim Curry is a lot to be compared to. But you know how you'll give an A to a student who's improved but give a B to a student who's written a paper loads better, but it isn't quite his best work? Mr. B is worth the critique. He did everything right, but it wasn't quite.
Luckily no one really reads this blog. I wouldn't mind the backlash though.
Oh, and if there is anyone who does read this review blog, don't feel scared to critique me or disagree with me. There are more experienced writers out there and I'm certainly not at my peek of writing. But, gosh, I genuinly love to do it.
E.M.Green approved
posted by Green @ 6:33 AM
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