Rolicking Rocky at Randolph

Tonight I had the pleasure of taking in the Randolf Academy for the Performing Arts production of

Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show

.

First impressions first. Walking into the theatre, before any hint of a show begins, the set impresses with its simplicity and versatility. Three looming windows stand in front of a simple ramp, and completely set the mood and ambience.

The mood is set again when the narrators (yes, this role has been split and is delivered with precision by Genna Giampaolo and Courtney Lamanna) lay out the ground rules. This is a live show, we are told, so participate, but don't disrupt. And then we are launch right in.

This is a fast paced production, running a smart 2 hours, even with intermission. Cleanly executed and delivered with tremendous energy by its 27-member cast. My hat off to director Thomas Morgan Jones who manages the tremendously large ensemble with a deftness that keeps the images fresh, and never lets the stage become cluttered.

The overall look and feel of the production certainly pays homage to the movie, most notably in Frankn 'n' Furter's pearl necklace, and the staging of the Act II seduction scenes, which, like the movie, make use of silhouette. However, decisions such as the delivery of

Science Fiction Double Feature

as an ensemble piece, and the clever use of ensemble actors as living set pieces were notable departures from both the movie, and other productions I have seen. This production pays homage to the version most familiar to us, but doesn't follow slavishly.

For those who don't know, the story, such as it is, revolves around newly engaged couple Brad and Janet, played by Eitan Kersman and Cheyenne Scott, whose car breaks down on their way to tell old school teacher and friend Dr. Scott (Eric Lehmann) about their impending nuptials. Seeking shelter and help at a nearby castle they are witness to the animation of a muscle-man, the murder of a biker, and are each seduced by transvestite inventor Frank 'n' Furter... and then it gets weird.

But don't let the plot bother you. This show isn't about plot.

This show is about energy, and energy is there in abundance. Every person on stage in this production radiates energy and engages your attention.

Scott and Kerzman do a good turn as the awkward Brad and Janet, as do Ashleigh Kasaboski and Michele DesLauriers as servants Magenta and Columbia respectively. Jeffrey Bowers as Eddie comes on strong, but was a bit unable to maintain audience focus in the chaotic circumstances of his cameo. Lehmann as the scientist Dr. Scott was enjoyable, but also seemed to have trouble establishing himself. Paul Waliggo Kakeeto, playing the title role of Rocky, moves like water and is at his best when showing off his decidedly attractive body. However, his performance opening night felt a bit unfocused, as if he could not decide whether to tap the vibe of the wide-eyed innocent, or the burgeoning sex-machine.

Achoring this production are Rikki Browne as Riff Raff and Brandyn McKinson as Frank 'n' Furter.

Browne is inhabits Riff Raff and makes the character fully her own. Her steps, movements, intonations, and ticks are tremendous, and she is always in the moment, even when in the background of an ensemble number.

McKinson as Frank completely owns the stage as soon as he puts his high-heeled shoes to the ground. Despite the pearls and corset, he exudes a masculinity and power that commands attention and receives it. A performance with presence.

As I've mentioned, this production makes high energy choices, from a gospel chord at the end of

Sweet Transvestite

to its up-tempo arrangements of songs generally. It's a production about having fun, and making sure the audience comes along for the ride.

Interestingly, I commented to a friend at intermission that, despite corsets, underwear, and large packages stuffed into golden swim suits, this was probably the most unsexual production of the Rocky that I had seen. I think I mis-spoke, however. Certainly in ACT II, the bedroom seductions did not shy away from sex in every position, with Tab A being inserted... well, almost anywhere. However, I think that what was missing was a certain seediness and sensuality that I've come to associate with the show. The silhouette sex show was sort of Austin Powers in nature. Fresh and fun is not bad, and, to be frank, The Rocky Horror Show isn't known for plumbing the depths of the human condition, but there is a certain extent to which the moments of melancholy, loss, and disillusionment get missed.

When all is said and done, this production is a good one, and a welcome return to the Bathurst Street stage after 22 years. Not much was called out audience-participation-wise on opening night. I think the large number of parents in the audience might have had a bit to do with that. However, I am certainly looking forward to attending the midnight show at 11:59 this Friday night. Maybe I'll catch you there!

A rolick with Rocky at the Randolph. Worth the price of admission.

Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show

runs until July 30 at the Bathurst Street Theatre.

For more information, visit http://www.randolphacademy.com/

Fringe Day 2

Day 2 was another day that got better as it progressed. Here is the play by play.

First, Cellar Hotel, a musical in which God and her virtues run a hotel, and the Devil and hi 7 sins look after the bar. There is some real talent in the cast, but they are doing untalented things. The script is unfocused, the sound seemed off, the choreography was executed without precision, the ending comes out of nowhere, and the point is unclear.

Some good voices and some moments were present, but they did not buoy up the 75 minutes of run time. One of the best written numbers in the show, delivered by a drag-queen Gluttony (why a random act of drag was needed in this show is something I will never know), seemed to belong to a different production.

For a show of about heaven and hell, I felt like I was in purgatory.

Things immediately looked up with The Last Rock N’ Roll Show. In this show, a magazine music columnist, having tendered her resignation, reflects on her career choices, and the nature of criticism while writing her last review, a review on the very first rock concert she ever attended.

The reflections raise a few interesting points, but nothing too earth-shattering. All of this, after all, is just filler around what is essentially a 55 minute rock performance. But the music is pretty good, and the time goes past quickly. For what it is, it’s a good show, and it’s always refreshing to see all kinds of performance at the Fringe. In this case, that performance is purely musical. So if you’re not so much a theatre person, or if you just want a break from the theatre and some decent music, give this show a go.

Third show of the day was the Tiki Bikini Paradise Party A Go-Go.  This show put a smile on my face and kept it there for a full hour. Paying tribute to the Frankie and Annette Beach movie genre, this is pure fun and energy. The choreography was TIGHT, and every actor gave every moment their full commitment. What I loved most, though, was that it paid tribute to the cheesiness of the genre without setting itself above it. There was no sneering cynicism here; the show is celebration more than send-up. Just straight out celebration and good time. It’s fluff, and it’s really good fluff.

My 4^th show of the day was a production of La Duchesse de Langais, a short 1-man show by Michele Tremblay in which the aging drag-queen, La Duchesse, on holiday in Paris, gets drunk and recounts her rise to glory and snow, painful fall.

Done “straight” this is a classic character study. This production, however, takes a risk with the material, and it pays off. Rather than staging the show as a 1-man performance, this show uses three different actors, each playing one of three alter-egos of La Duchesse.

The script’s lines have been deftly assigned to each of the aspects of the character, at times turning monologue to chorus. And it works, making the subtleties of the text more visceral, but without hammering away the subtlety or depth of the character.

I closed off my day by taking in Operating Impervious, which was a fun ramp through gay stereotype, closeted celebrity, and corporate cults. The cast does their best in providing a committed delivery of a rambling and unfocused script. There are moments of excellent energy and timing, and some good silly laughs to be had. The laughs are at their best when three or four characters are having cross conversations, as all the performers are excellent at snappy banter.

Unfortunately, the writer seems to have lost control of the material and what should really have been 45 minutes of tight comedy turns into a 90 minute expanse in which moments of hilarity bubble up sporadically like bubbles from a bog. I got the real impression that the writer had become enamored of his own work, thinking “oh, and then I’ll have this happen” too often.  The momentum starts and stops and gags and jokes get repeated until they lose their original humour. I did have a number of good laughs here, but they were too sporadic.

If the material could be cut down to the 45 minutes, I feel this would have been a much more engaging show.

Fringe Day 1

Ok, not day one of the Fringe, but my first day. Six shows to sum up.

I started the day with a bit of disappointment. I had been looking forward to Get Happy! because I knew the male dancer in the piece. Also, because I love Lindy Hop. It's a dance that's tremendous to learn and do, and the male dancer in the piece, Phil Bourassa, is someone I know from the local dance scene and whom I enjoy watching on the dance floor.
Sadly, this piece was not a vehicle in which he, nor anyone else, shone, or even particularly performed. An unfortunate highlight occured when a young child in the 1st row exclaimed (at about the 35 minute mark) "Why is this so long?"
My answer after the fact is that the director didn't seem to have a sense of pacing, and the performers seemed to have lost any sense of connection with the audience, or even each other. It's a bit more painful when you know that the dancers are capable of much much more.
 Add to this melange painful reading of poetic filler by Nicholas Power and we are left with an hour that pretty much amounted to 60 minutes in a dark room.
My recommendation if you want to get a real feeling for swing dance is to skip this show and take in some live dancing at one of the many swing dance events in the city.

So, my second show of the evening was ab intra, a dance piece that left I and my companions bothered and bewildered, but in no way bewitched. While I do not deny the sheer physical talent of the performers, the choreography itself left me struggling to understand the point of 3 women -- in three separate pieces -- crawling on the floor of a drawing room.. Anything I have to say beyond this would just be catty without being constructive, so I will leave it there.

Finally, things began to look up with Chaotica, in which a woman finds herself trapped ina board game. This is no Jumanji however, this is a board game in which she is forced to explore and experience a concentrated version of the possibilities and reaities of her life.
If it sounds deep, don't let that scare you. This show had much that was light hearted, and even touching in it. The pacing dropped a bit midway, and I felt the end could use some tightening, but overall, I do recommend you see it. My guess from the sold out performance I attended, many people will take that advice.

My fourth show of the day was, unfortunately, not what I had hoped. Ostensibly about a 100 year-old Dorothy Parker who had failed in every attempt to kill herself, this show offered nothing to live up to my expectations. This old lady is more Edith Prickly than Dorothy Parker, but without vivacity of the former or depth of the latter. The show lacks focus; one note jokes tire quickly; the performance never connects.

Thankfully, things took a tremendous turn for the better with my 5th show of the day: Headscarf and the Angry Bitch, starring Zehra Fazal. In a series of "outreach lectures" Zed Headscarf , a woman who's dream is to make it big with her brand of Muslim Folk Rock, teaches us about Islam, being the child of Pakistani immigrants, and covers discussions of faith, family, dating, and love.
This show is a must see! From the opening moment through to the final Lady Gaga-inspired musical number, the smile did NOT leave my face, and the laughter flowed freely. This show really resonates with anyone who if from a diaspora, had to negotiate religeon in a moden context, or, frankly, ever had parents. Pure joy! See it!

The day was rounded out by a strong offering in the form of Living with Henry, a musical drama exploring "the fear, complications, and realities of living with HIV/AIDS." This is a 90-minute production, rare for a Fringe show, and it does manage to fill the time well. Some excellent voices on display in this show, and some very true moments. The show is a bit uneven, with a very real 1st act, but a strange descent into camp at the beginning of act two, from which, thankfully, the show recovers. The lyrics need a bit of tightening, and the show as a whole still needs some additional shape to it, but I can easily see this show making a reappearance in the near future. One issue that I did have in the show is the presentation of the character of Henry, the personification of HIV. My problem is not with having this character, which is actually a brilliant turn, but in presenting him consistently as a sort of aggressive punk. To really bring this show home, I'd offer up that Henry should shift costume and temperment through the show to reflect Michael's (the protagonist's) understanding of, and relationship to him. Still, all in all, this is a piece worth seeing.

Ok. Off to bed. Tomorrow I've got a lighter day... only 4 shows. :)

Cheers!