A perfectly normal and newly engaged couple head out one night to visit an old professor.
But along the way the couple’s vehicle gets a flat tire and they seek help at a nearby castle, which is home to Dr. Frank ’N’ Furter, an insanely smart and crazed transvestite who possesses a wickedly strong libido.
As a result, the young couple get caught up in one of the doctor’s crazed experiments, which ultimately forces the couple to question everything.
That’s the basis for Schmooze Productions latest show, the Rocky Horror Show, which opens on Saturday (Oct. 29) at Harbour City Theatre.
Dean Chadwick, artistic producer of Schmooze Productions, said Halloween is the perfect time to stage the Rocky Horror Show.
“It is a cult classic,” he said. “It’s a story of adventure. It’s the story of two wholesome kids who get lost and find themselves in a completely different world filled with exciting, manic characters that lead them down paths that they would not have gone down had they not happened upon this castle.”
The production stars local actors Padraig Hogan, Samantha Cashmore, Mercedes Courtoreille, Jared Patterson, Wren Beckley and is narrated by Rick Meyers.
Chadwick said it was great working with the cast, adding that the script can be a challenge for actors.
“It’s kind of stepping outside of our own comfort zones so that we can live inside these characters that do not have the same morals and perceptions that we do,” he said. “That’s kind of the challenge for actors. It might not be normal behavior for what we do in the regular world, but it definitely is in their world.”
The production includes audience participation and as a result, Chadwick has written two usherettes, played by Kayla Layne Vickers and Jamie Jepson, into the production. They will provide audience members with participation kits that include everything from glow sticks to lipstick.
“We actually have usherettes that I’ve put in that actually will help with call out lines that work with the play,” Chadwick said. “They help to lead the audiences so if there are any Rocky Horror virgins out there they will make it gentle for them.”
The Rocky Horror Picture Show made its debut as a musical in 1973 when it premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London, England. In 1975, the stage production was made into a film called the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which starred Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Meat Loaf.
Chadwick said he wants the audience to walk away from his production remembering that there are all different types of people in the world who think and act in different ways.
“We have all sorts of interesting characters that live in our own world and accepting them and enjoying them is a good thing,” he said.
The Rocky Horror Show runs on Oct. 29, Nov. 3, 10, 12, 17 and 24 at 8 p.m. The Nov. 12 show starts at 11 p.m. Show is for audience members 18 plus. Tickets $25.
For more information or to purchase tickets please go to http://www.schmoozeproductions.com
reporter2@nanaimobulletin.com