[NEohioPAL] ROCKY HORROR is a HUGE HIT at CVLT! See it this weekend!

Fri Aug 12 07:50:27 PDT 2011

  Chagrin Valley Little Theatre

    /The Rocky Horror Show/
    by Richard O'Brien

*FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS at 8 PM
NOW through AUGUST 20*

*Call 440-247-8955 (Mon-Sat, 1-6 PM) or visit
http://www.cvlt.org/81stSeason/rockyhorror.php
*

*"*I loved it! It was an amazing performance! If I didn't live so far 
away, I probably would have gone a second time!*"*
~ Emily S.

*"We had a wonderful time and definitely intend to return in the 
future... cast and crew were great!"
~ Kelsie M.*

"We had an absolute BLAST! Kudos to the cast and crew; the performance 
was outstanding!"
~ Miriam E.

      'Rocky Horror' at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre bawdy, campy, fun

*MARJORIE PRESTON
SUN NEWS 
<http://www.cleveland.com/sun/all/index.ssf/2011/07/rocky_horror_at_chagrin_valley.html>*

The current Chagrin Valley Little Theatre production of the musical /The 
Rocky Horror Show/ with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien, is a 
sexually charged romp through the campy world of Dr. Frank-N-Furter's 
pleasure castle.

Soon-to-be-married upstanding citizens Brad Majors (Damian Henri) and 
Janet Weiss (Arianna Taxman) find themselves on a country drive on a 
rainy night when their car blows a tire. Brad rings the bell of a castle 
and the couple soon meets the cross-dressing scientist Dr. 
Frank-N-Furter (Steven R. Tiderman) and his many servants who live in a 
secluded castle.

Their bawdy lives, which Janet calls "unhealthy," are soon very apparent 
to the couple, and Brad and Janet must decide whether to stay or go.

Taxman as Janet is perfectly cast. She possesses a sweet, full, clear 
voice. She shines brightest dancing around in her bra and slip in the 
toe-tapping "Touch-A, Touch Me" that opens the second act. Henri as 
Brad, who may remind audiences of Justin Timberlake with his good looks 
and nerdy black-rimmed glasses, is equally well-cast. His best moment is 
the number that follows Janet's, the 50s-style ballad "Once in a While," 
where his competent voice is displayed.

Tiderman as Frank-N-Furter owns the show as he pleasantly overdoes 
overdone in his fishnets, high heels and red bustier. Everything he says 
is dramatic, important and breathless, and both his ballad "I'm Going 
Home" and his final moments on stage are dead on.

Rocky Horror (Ralph Diludovico), the strong man created by Dr. 
Frank-N-Furter, is physically perfect for the part (he did eight push 
ups on opening night).

Narrator Don Bernardo is especially fun as he breaks the rules of what a 
narrator should be, drinking a martini or teaching the audience a dance.

Director Greta Rothman managed to open /The Rocky Horror Show/ in 
conservative Chagrin Falls. Beyond that, she understands parody and camp 
and makes sure everything goes big -- big dance numbers, grand 
entrances, sexy costumes.

Choreographer Pamela LaForce ably wrangles 21 cast members through 
multiple high-energy, sweaty dance numbers with nearly flawless 
execution, especially in the first act.

Musical Director David Keith Stiver has kept the action moving with high 
energy numbers and musical underlays throughout. There is never a dull 
moment.

Costume Designer Brian Smith has an eye for modernizing the traditional 
trashy /Rocky Horror/ wardrobe to hit the right note of dramatic and 
debaucherous.

Set, sound and lighting are by Edmond Wolff, who has created a 
multi-media set with video screens, shadow projections and live action 
space in a grand castle. The production has used its surroundings to the 
fullest.

If you are ready to do the "Time Warp," let go and have some campy fun 
at /The Rocky Horror Show./

      CVLT boldly jumps to the left with 'Rocky Horror'

*BOB ABELMAN
NEWS-HERALD 
<http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2011/07/27/life/doc4e30a4684e6ca697513316.txt?viewmode=fullstory>*

Each time the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre strays from things safe and 
Seussical, it is a small step in the right direction.

Venturing into the realm of Richard O'Brien's /The Rocky Horror Show/-a 
science-fiction rock-n-roll sex comedy-is a giant leap. Well, more like 
a jump to the left and then a step to the right.

/Rocky Horror/ started out as a campy parody of the sci-fi and horror 
B-movies of the 1940s and 1950s. It premiered in London in 1973 to so 
much fanfare that it was turned into a film in 1975, which failed 
miserably as did the subsequent New York stage production. Picked up as 
a kitschy midnight flick at an artsy Greenwich Village movie house, the 
film developed a cult following and a penchant for rowdy and racy 
audience participation, which spread to theaters across the country.

The renewed popularity of the film resulted in renewed interest in the 
play that is currently on stage at the CVLT.

/Rocky Horror/ traces the one-night misadventure of straight-laced Brad 
and Janet, who seek assistance at an eerie old castle after their car 
breaks down. There they are introduced to Transylvanian transvestite 
Frank-N-Furter and his erotically clad clan of servants and ghoulish 
devotees. As it happens, the couple arrives on a special evening, for 
Frank-N-Furter will be giving life to his latest creation-a muscle-bound 
mate named Rocky.

Clearly the story is not this play's strongest suit. The dialogue is no 
great shakes either. In fact, it is the inanity of the dialogue that 
resulted in the counterpoint shout-outs, audience reenactments and other 
assorted forms of patron participation in the first place.

The true allure of /Rocky Horror/ is its actual performance. If 
performed with absolute abandon - that is, if the actors embrace all 
that is campy and over-the-top in this parody, and the audience 
wholeheartedly accepts what it is given - that the B-movie storyline and 
the mindless dialogue take a backseat to the sheer exhilaration of the 
storytelling.

This is precisely what occurs during the CVLT production under Greta 
Rothman's very creative direction. She pushes all the fun to the 
forefront and has put together a fine show.

It starts with the music, which doesn't so much accompany the play's 
sixteen musical numbers as showcase them. A phenomenal six piece band 
directed by David Keith Stiver rocks the rafters.

The same hard-driving energy in the music translates to the stage 
performances thanks in large part to a thoroughly dedicated Greek Chorus 
of phantoms, played by Patricia Welsh, Jen Ryan, Kelly Aker, Brie Arko, 
Nikolai Fedyszyn, Samantha Gebler, Alex LaForce, M.J. Mihalic, Laura 
Rightnour-Henri, Andrew Kondik and Scott Zolkowski. As omnipresent 
Frank-N-Furter fans, these creatures of the night are completely into 
this production and, during the many ensemble musical numbers, perform 
Pam LaForce's raucous and sexy choreography without a hint of hesitancy 
or inhibition.

The same can be said for the featured players, who pay homage to the 
iconic film versions of their characters but also add their own 
particular flair.

The charismatic Steven Tiderman plays lingerie-clad transvestite 
Frank-N-Furter to the hilt, owning the audience from the moment of his 
dramatic entrance to his melodramatic demise.

Damian Henri and Arianna Taxman as enthusiastic do-gooders Brad and 
Janet are as delightfully clueless as Brandon Hood, Leah Frires and 
Michelle Unger are demonic in the roles of the disgruntled servants Riff 
Raff, Magenta and Columbia, respectively.

The diminutive Ralph Diludovico, as Rocky, is more pumped up pull-toy 
than beefcake poster boy but his charm and fine voice are a winning 
combination. Chad Duwe as bad boy biker Eddie is wonderful in his short 
but rocking cameo number "Hot Patootie," while Eric Sofer as Dr. Scott 
and Don Bernardo as the play's narrator turn in serviceable performances 
in roles with less wiggle-room for originality.

Edmond Wolff's set and lighting design and Andrew Rothman's video 
effects offer just the right amount of macabre, technical bells and 
whistles, and bizarre artifacts to keep things visually interesting 
throughout the production.

For /Rocky Horror/ first-timers, the CVLT provides a guide to proper 
audience participation upon entering the theater.

During the performance, audience members are encouraged to partake in 
the "Time Warp" choreography. This, like the show as a whole, requires 
putting one's inhibitions aside, ignoring one's preconceptions of what 
theater ought to be, and taking a jump to the left.

      'Rocky Horror' offers shock value at CVLT

*HERB HAMMER
CHAGRIN VALLEY TIMES <http://www.chagrinvalleytimes.com>*

Greta Rothman has created something rare as a director. She has taken a 
raunchy, nearly plotless rock musical and turned it into a comic sensation.

Richard O'Brien's /The Rocky Horror Show/ was once a shocking attack on 
established morality. In the 1970s, the younger population waiting for 
this kind of weird sex-driven show, a show that was adapted to the 
screen and has become a classic cult film in the midnight-movie market.

The stage version, due mostly to Miss Rothman's remarkable creativity, 
while no longer a shock, could easily run through the rest of the year.

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre has thrown Chagrin Falls morality to the 
winds and has given Miss Rothman and her creative team free reign. The 
results are astonishing.

There is a plot of some sort for those who choose to pay close 
attention, but it's clearly not worth the effort.

Brad and Janet arrive at a very strange castle. While driving in a 
rainstorm, they have a flat tire. They need help from somewhere. Upon 
entering the castle, they find more weird than one could ever imagine. 
The phantoms (actually the chorus) have been waiting for them. After an 
enormous amount of singing and dancing, the master of the house, if you 
choose to call him that, appears.

Arriving from high up in the set, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a hilarious 
transvestite, greets our two ingénues and takes them to his laboratory. 
Here he brings to life a muscular fellow known as Rocky Horror.

The plot then proceeds to go haywire with sex of more kinds than you 
might want to know about. By the way, nobody takes their clothes off, 
not all of them anyway.

What makes this show memorable is the very talent of the large troupe. 
Choreographer Pamela LaForce has done her best work to date. She's 
helped by having a terrific, willing, working cast.

The dances are highly creative and often appear to be made up by the 
dancers as the show moves on.

Damian Henri is perfect as the naive Brad. Not to be outd 
style="border:1px solid #666" one, Arianna Taxman, as Janet, is a bright 
innocent teen who eventually goes wild.

Leading the way is the hilarious Steven Tiderman, as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. 
His every moment on stage is a laugh riot. Costume designer Brian Smith 
helps with his often hilarious creations.

Edmond Wolff's sets are his best ever with sound and lighting to match.

Though Mr. O'Brien's songs are pedestrian at best, the singers at CVLT 
are able to make them all winners.

Music director David Keith Stiver and his band keep the music exciting.

Those who have seen the midnight movie version known to everyone as /The 
Rocky Horror Picture Show/ will surely like the stage show. Unlike the 
movie, though, the stage play doesn't have as much audience 
participation, though it tries.

With special effects that raise the humor to more heights, /The Rocky 
Horror Show/ is more stage fun than CVLT has produced for some time. It 
is not meant for children.

FACEBOOK.com/ChagrinTheatre <http://www.Facebook.com/ChagrinTheatre> | 
TWITTER.com/ChagrinTheatre <http://www.Twitter.com/ChagrinTheatre>

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre is generously funded by Cuyahoga County 
residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. The Ohio Arts Council 
helped fund this program or organization with state tax dollars to 
encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural 
enrichment for all Ohioans.

  CVLT.org - 440.247.8955

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