Review: THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW IS HORRIFYINGLY DELICIOUS at DoodleHATCH Interactive Art Museum

Is it time to Time Warp? Why, yes, yes it is. If it’s October on the East Coast, you can bet your Hot Patootie that there will be an abundance of Sweet Transvestites in many locations who Can Make You A Man at The Rocky Horror Show.

Those who love The Rocky Horror Show really, REALLY love it. Because it’s such an esoteric, reference-packed show, it’s difficult to fully appreciate it unless you’ve already seen it two or three times. Tonight is my third time and I’m almost getting it.... I think. 

When Richard O’Brien, an unemployed actor, started writing the book, music and lyrics to a little project that became the behemoth Rocky Horror Show, he included then-subversive themes of awkwardness, gender fluidity, radical acceptance and outsider-ism in his mashup tribute to B- movie horror and science fiction.There’s so much going on in the script, some of which is difficult to stage well, that it’s treacherously possible for the show to devolve into a hot mess. Even when it does, people love it. LOVE it. It’s spectacularly relevant now, for different reasons than it originally was.

Stand Up For… Theatre’s Rocky Horror Show is hosted by DoodleHatch, an interactive art museum designed to inspire creativity in children and their families, which you can tour as you enter, at intermission or both. There’s art on every surface and it isn’t uncommon for first-time visitors to immediately become avid participants in the DoodleHatch world. Stand Up For… Theatre is the resident dramatic production company at DoodleHatch, and they do a couple of shows there each season. Their mission statement is the sort of mission one wants to support, especially in the current socio-political climate.

Rocky is jam-packed with hummable, catchy tunes. The lyrics are intricate and plot-relevant, so if you miss any of them, some of the action seems random. Fortunately, the mics are spot-on tonight, and I catch the lyrics of the opening song “Science Fiction/Double Feature” performed by the Usherette and an additional Usherette, both of whom have additional roles in the show, and who are stunning as both. This song is both a prologue and a bibliography, referencing many films with characters and themes that are obvious influences in the script, with some hints at the upcoming action. Musical Director William Zellhofer and Vocal Director Doug Lea reap deep, rich sound from the cast, and no one sounds faint or tentative.

Director Ed Higgins and Producer Grant Myers have assembled a cast that is uniform in nothing other than enthusiasm for the show. Inclusivity embraces different body types, gender expressions, ethnicities and ages. It also embraces different levels of experience. Some of the cast are veteran of the stage, some are just getting started and one is onstage for the first time ever. One might think this would lead to an uneven performance, and one would be wrong. As Columbia, Lucy Blumberg is less overtly sexual and confident than Magenta, played by Lorelei Kahn- as she’s supposed to be. Her surprise tap moves are terrific and support her Shirley Temple ethos. Khan is wonderful as Magenta, and her interactions with Riff Raff, played extra creepily by Ricky Vitanovec, are a hoot. As Narrator, Landi Rodriguez is stunning, though the role doesn't particularly showcase Landi's performance skill. The crown jewel of any RHS production is, of course, Frank-N-Furter, who is played once again by the lovely Bryan Brown, who played the part for the first time in 2022. He is all kinds of awesome in the role, with a smooth quickness of being comfortable onstage with a live audience that talks back sometimes. See all about the cast.

The ‘feature’ show opens with Brad Majors and Janet Weiss, played by (respectively) Sean Hogan, performing with SUF… T for the first time and Kristin Demers, who is a known crowd-pleaser, having been floppy and hilarious as the Scarecrow in SUF… T’s Wizard of Oz in 2023. There is undeniable chemistry between them, a brilliantly awkward chemistry displayed in their duet, “Dammit, Janet.” Phantoms, who had moments before done a clever stint as a car, are now doing backup vocals in “Over At The Frankenstein Place.” The Phantoms (who are the Ensemble in this show) each have a signature ‘look,’ one of whom is dressed as a housemaid, one who looks like a punk, and the one who looks like an adorable rag doll happens to be Lilou Von Kokoro, the show’s choreographer. Her work creates dynamic staging for the show’s most emblematic song, “Time Warp,” and all the other numbers. Her aesthetic can also be seen in the non-musical moments, as the actors present with clear, purposeful movement and well-timed stillness in service to the show as a whole. Costumes, by Producer Grant Myers, keep to the iconic look associated with the show, while allowing for some individual surprise touches. 

It’s a small performance space, despite the size of the venue, so the audience is intimate. Chairs are arranged on three sides of the stage. Beside/behind Center seating is the live band, with live musicians, who are terrific. Before the show begins, I am charmed by Darius Ray on tenor sax playing along with the pre-show music.

This production is very much the vision of Director Ed Higgins, including Set Design and Construction. Those of you who are old enough may recognize the aesthetic. The enthusiasm and exuberance of the cast is infectious, and if you've the slightest desire to see something fun with a high Q+ factor and low-level amounts of gore, DoodleHATCH and Stand Up For... Theatre's Rocky Horror Show are an excellent value, and family friendly- for quirky sorts of families with teens rather than littles- as the embedded positivity of radical acceptance is the sort of representation our youngsters need right now. 

Tickets are $20.00. At the venue, you may buy a themed cocktail and a little sack of throwaway props. You're not permitted to bring your own, for cast, crew and museum safety. Your program tells you what to do when, though if you're a newcomer, probably just watching is a good idea. If it's been awhile and you want to refresh your memory before the show, there's a synopsis under the 'About' Tab, but be warned: it contains spoilers. 

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW by Stand Up For.... Theatre plays at DoodleHATCH interactive art museum for two more performances. It runs approximately two hours, including one fifteen-minute (ish) intermission. Buy tickets online. 

Friday October 25th at 9:00 PM 

Saturday October 26th at 9:00 PM

DoodleHATCH, 8775 Cloudleap Court, Long Reach Village Center, Columbia, MD, 21405

Photo: Bryan Brown as Frank-N-Furter

Photo Credit: Lilou Von Kokoro

Final Factoid: You can read my review of Stand Up For… Theatre’s 2022 The Rocky Horror Show. 

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