Photo Flash: James Barbour to Star in ROCKY HORROR SHOW at Old Globe

The musical that became a movie and started a 35-year nonstop cultural phenomenon is back where it is meant to be seen - live on stage. When Brad and Janet, a clean-cut young couple from the suburbs, get caught with a flat in the middle of nowhere, they seek help from the devilishly charming transvestite Dr. Frank ‘N' Furter. What they discover in his mysterious laboratory is a time warp of sexual and scientific possibilities - and, perhaps, true love.

Veteran stage actor James Barbour stars as the famed transvestite from Transylvania, Frank ‘N' Furter. Barbour created the role of Sydney Carton in the recent musical adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities and starred in it on Broadway. His other Broadway credits include Carousel, Jane Eyre, Beauty and the Beast, Urinetown, Assassins and Cyrano: The Musical.

The cast of The Rocky Horror Show also includes Andrew Call (Eddie, Phantom), Jeanna de Waal (Janet), Sydney James Harcourt (Rocky), Nadine Isenegger (Columbia), Lauren Lim Jackson (Phantom), Kelsey Kurz (Brad), David Andrew Macdonald (Narrator, Dr. Scott), Anna Schnaitter (Phantom), Laura Shoop (Magenta), Kit Treece (Phantom) and Jason Wooten (Riff Raff).

The creative team also includes Donyale Werle (Scenic Design), Emily Rebholz (Costume Design), Rui Rita (Lighting Design), Kevin Kennedy (Sound Design), Aaron Rhyne (Projection Design) and Anjee Nero (Stage Manager).

Playwright and composer Richard O'Brien began his career as an actor, performing in the London productions of Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar in the 1970s. With the guidance of director Jim Sharman, O'Brien opened his musical The Rocky Horror Show at the Theatre Upstairs in 1973. Within weeks it became a cult theater hit and quickly led to an original cast album. Two years later O'Brien and Sharman adapted it into a film, retitled The Rocky Horror Picture Show, starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick. Though the material was highly provocative for its time, including depictions of gay and transgender culture, the movie gained a huge cult following and made stars of its leads. O'Brien himself appeared in the movie as Riff Raff. Still in limited release 35 years after its premiere, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the longest-running theatrical release in film history. O'Brien created a follow-up movie, Shock Treatment, and several more stage musicals in the ‘80s, and he continued to act in bit parts in cult films such as Flash Gordon, Dark City, Ever After and Dungeons & Dragons. In 1998 he released a CD, entitled Absolute O'Brien, of music from his one-man revue, Disgracefully Yours. He served as the host of the popular British game show "The Crystal Maze" and appeared on the West End in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He also occasionally does cabaret-style music and comedy performances on stages around the world, singing songs from Rocky Horror, among others.

Director Oanh Nguyen recently directed the acclaimed Chance Theater Productions of The Who's Tommy (recently remounted at Segerstrom Center for the Arts; five Ovation Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Musical, three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC) Award nominations and two Back Stage Garland Awards) and Hair (five Ovation Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Musical, and six LADCC Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Revival). He co-founded Chance Theater in 1999, where he is currently Artistic Director. He also serves as the Producing Associate at South Coast Repertory as part of Theatre Communications Group's New Generations Program. Nguyen was awarded the Outstanding Artist Award by Arts Orange County and is a recipient of the TCG Nathan Cummings Young Leaders of Color fellowship. Nguyen recently directed the West Coast premiere of Po Boy Tango by Kenneth Lin at East West Players. He was also the Associate Director of the world premiere of The Happy Ones by Julie Marie Myatt at South Coast Repertory (nominated for two LADCC Awards, including Best Production). His other directing credits include the world premiere of The Girl, the Grouch and the Goat by Tony Award winner Mark Hollmann, Three Days of Rain, Bash, Lee Miller: The Angel and The Fiend, Goodnight Children Everywhere, Tape, Closer Than Ever, Porcelain, Cabaret, Into the Woods, The Laramie Project, Jesus Hates Me (remounted at South Coast Repertory), Inventing Van Gogh, Frozen, The Last Five Years, Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Rabbit Hole, Merrily We Roll Along and Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter.

Choreographer JT Horenstein recently premiered his work at Broadway's DanceBreak at the Alvin Ailey Theatre. He also filmed a Volkswagen Jetta commercial and is the dancer behind Gene Kelly's face. Horenstein can also be seen in the film Fame as the jazz dance teacher opposite Bebe Neuwirth and will next be featured in The Muppets. Horenstein has choreographed, coached and performed in concert appearances, music videos, arena tours, films and on television, where he has created choreography and performed for hit shows and commercials. He has performed in over 15 Broadway shows, national and international companies and tours including Tommy Tune's Grease on Broadway with Rosie O'Donnell, The Who's Tommy, White Christmas at the Pantages Theatre and Michael Jackson's European Sisterella Tour. He is currently developing three new dance and theater pieces that he has created: The Question (premiered at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre on March 9, 2009); A Day in the Life of America, a collection of short stories told entirely through song, dance and multimedia with a classic rock score that takes place across five U.S. cities in one 24 hour period; and an opera/avant-garde performance dance piece called Witness.

Music Director Mike Wilkins holds a B.A. in Music Theory and Composition from Azusa Pacific University and a Master's degree in Choral Conducting. He is proud to be an Associate Member at Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills. His Chance Theater projects include Merrily We Roll Along, Little Women, The Who's Tommy (nominated for four Ovation Awards, including Best Musical), The Secret Garden and the world premiere of The Boy in the Bathroom. He is currently working on Chance Theater's production of the Southern California Premiere of Jerry Springer: The Opera. He has worked on numerous productions as a musical director and accompanist, including The Wild Party, Guys and Dolls, Footloose, Anything Goes and Godspell.

TICKETS to Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.

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