[NEohioPAL]Berko review: ROCKY HORROR SHOW (CPT)

[Roy Berko]

‘ROCKY HORROR’ very rocky at CPT

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association, Dance
Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	

In 1973, while on a trip to England, I saw the ‘ROCKY
HORROR SHOW’ during its first week of production.  It
was a wild and wonderful experience.  The creativity,
vitality, and breaking down traditional theatre walls
(literally and figuratively) are forever etched in my
brain.

Many are surprised to know that the Richard O’Brien
script began as a play, not as a film.   O’Brien had a
life-long passion for schlocky horror movies.  He also
had a flare for writing.  While appearing in a
production of ‘JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR’ in London, he
produced a 3-chord rock musical entitled ‘THEY CAME
FROM DENTON HIGH’ in a small space above the theatre
where Superstar was playing.  Redubbed ‘THE ROCKY
HORROR SHOW,’ the play is based on a combination of
grade B Horror movies, Steve Reeve’s muscle flicks and
fifties rock 'n' roll.  It starred Tim Curry, who had
appeared with O’Brien in a production of ‘HAIR,’ as
Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a kinky scientist who creates
"Rocky Horror", his personal Adonis. 

The play, which opened as a six-week workshop project,
got fantastic reviews and packed houses.   It was
named Best Musical of 1973 in the London Evening
Standard's annual poll of drama critics.

But, all was not success.  A Broadway version of the
play flopped, running only forty five performances.  A
film, which had been made shortly before the New York
opening, also bombed except in New York and LA.  

But all was not lost.  A marketing director came up
with the idea of running it as a midnight movie.  The
film was reformatted, became a cult hit complete with
audience members showing up dressed like the film’s
characters and making sound effects and yelling out
lines and doing the film’s famous “Time Warp” dance as
the movie rolled.  The rest, including a 2000 Broadway
revival, is cult history.

Cleveland Public Theatre has decided to take on this
cult-rock musical.  Based on its past history of
staging edgy shows such as ‘HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY
ITCH,’ ‘VARLA JEAN,’ and ‘CONFESSIONS OF PUNCH AND
JUDY,’ it would seem CPT would be the logical place
for the staging.

Unfortunately, their production is off the mark. 
Though it seems like a romp, this is not an easy
script to stage.  The characters must be clearly
etched and done with exaggerated realism.  There has
to be a total over-the-top staging within a well
thought-out concept.  

The production has lots of gimmicks, many of which are
misguided (e.g., the gross yelling out by the band and
others off stage which, I assume, were intended to be
clever, but did little but distract from the on-stage
action.)  The performances go from good to bad.  The
poor sound system and the size of the venue makes for
difficult hearing and echos that mute the lyrics and
spoken dialogue.   But, mainly, the production lacks
focus.

Scott Plate is one of the area’s best actors and his
previous directing forays were excellent.  In spite of
his fine director’s comments in the program, he seemed
overwhelmed with this script.  He made several
questionable decisions, including deciding to gender
bend the casting.  This technique often works.  For
example, CPT’s ‘M4M’ did it with great success.  In
this case, however, it didn’t work and seemed like a
gimmick for gimmick’s sake.  Sometimes the gender
references in songs made for confusion when applied to
the “wrong” sex such as having Rocky, the supposedly
perfectly formed male specimen played by a woman.  In
other cases, the result was blatantly homoerotic which
rather than enhancing the decadence of the already
decadent piece, seemed forced.

Andrew Marikis and Liz Conway were excellent as the
naive, nerdy Brad and Janet.  They both sing well and
could be understood, a quality not present with some
of the other cast members.  Alison Garigan, who seems
to have been born with an edge, didn’t reek with her
usual sexuality.  If anything, she was too restrained.
 

Carlos Antonio Cruz and James Ronald Jones II as
Magenta and Riff Raff, were almost unintelligible. 
Very few of their lines or lyrics could be understood.
 Amy Bistok’s Narrator lacked character.  She often
sounded like she was reading blandly from a phone
book.  Amy Pawlukiewicz didn’t have the necessary
physical presence needed for the role of Rocky.  On
the other hand, Elizabeth Wood was Shirley Temple
adorable as Columbia.

The highlight of the production was The Phantoms, Brad
Wyner’s rock group.  I wish that these talented guys
had just played a concert of the show’s score.  That
would have been worth sitting through in the very
cold, cavernous, near-empty theatre.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  In my long history of theatre
commentary, I have never walked out of a show that I
have reviewed before it was over.    I left the CPT
production of ‘THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW’ at intermission.
 ‘Nuff said.

‘THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW’ runs through December 23 at
CPT’. For tickets call 216 631-2727.



Roy Berko's theatre blog, which includes his reviews of plays and dance programs from 2003 through 2006, can be found at http://royberkinfo.blogspot.com  
      Information regarding his consulting and publications and older theatre and dance reviews can be found at www.royberko.info.  
      Roy's theatre and dance reviews appear regularly on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.


 
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