DC Theater Arts: “Give yourself over to absolute pleasure,” cries Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a role made famous by Tim Curry, a pioneer in cinematic queer expression and self-discovery who died earlier today. “Swim the warm waters of sins of the flesh / Erotic nightmares beyond any measure / And sensual daydreams to treasure forever / Can’t you just see it? Don’t dream it, be it.” Under the electric dreamscape of Venus Gulbranson’s lighting design, Frank’s lyrics capture the essence of Monumental Theatre Company’s The Rocky Horror Show: pleasure without shame.
2 comments:
I think its really cool that even though The Rocky Horror Show is currently playing on Broadway, there are still new regional productions continuing to reimagine and innovate the iconic production. As a fan of Rocky Horror, the Monumental Theatre Company’s production sounds amazing, but more than the casting or design choices, I think the fact that this version of Rocky Horror is fresh and new is incredible. This principle is a very important one as a designer, the ability to take something thats been done before and turn it into something that has never been done before. Even with shows that leave a lot of room for interpretation we can fall into ruts of what has been done before and what we know works, and this article reminded me of the importance of re-imagining productions, even productions that are currently playing on Broadway.
Surprisingly, I had never seen or even really known too much about Rocky Horror until Tim Curry passed away. Of course I understood its significance to queer culture and I had seen it referenced in all different forms of media, but I had never experienced it for myself. Then I found myself inspired by millions of people sharing how much it had meant to them, and I finally got around to watching the movie. Which is so great by the way. The fact that a story like that can have such a lasting legacy that it’s still finding new audiences is such a wonderful thing. And revivals like Monumental Theatre’s are proof that Rocky Horror can take on a new life and still draw people in such a powerful way. There are endless opinions about whether revivals should simply mimic the original or put an entirely new spin on a show, but it seems to me like this version of Rocky Horror is able to be different and new while still bringing the cult classic elements that longtime fans love.
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