Opinion: “The Rocky Horror Show” has good audience interaction, ‘night of fun’ music’

 This past weekend, I saw “The Rocky Horror Show” live for the first time at the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma. If you’ve never seen the staged version, you may have seen the film adaptation, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” that plays in the majority of movie theaters and living rooms every year around this time. Released just two years after the stage production in 1975, the film is known for its raunchy comedy and other-worldly characters.

The story begins when a newly engaged couple, “Brad” and “Janet,” seek help from the nearest house when their car breaks down. The house belongs to the “sweet transvestite” known as “Dr. Frank N. Furter,” who has created a physically perfect man, “Rocky,” in his laboratory. The night unfolds as Brad and Janet discover their sexuality with Dr. Frank N. Furter and his company of equally strange friends. 

To be honest, the show isn’t driven by much of a plot. The appeal of Rocky Horror is found in nostalgia and the ability to see the iconic film characters come to life in all their quirky and vulgar glory.

If you’re like me and hate scary movies, Rocky Horror is the perfect way to celebrate Halloween. The show’s content is rated R for sexually charged themes and profanity, but there aren’t any nightmare-inducing jump-scares. The scariest thing about the night was the time I went to bed after seeing a midnight showing.

Rocky Horror is the epitome of audience interaction. Audience members are encouraged to wear costumes inspired by the film, sing and dance along to the “Time Warp,” and bring specific props like newspapers to cover their heads in the “rain.” To respect the live actors, outside props are not allowed at Lyric’s production, but audience members can buy a box with all of the appropriate props they’ll need for $5 before the show.

The audience also has a speaking part in the show with callback lines that defy all traditional laws of audience etiquette. As an aspiring actor who has yet to make my professional debut, I’ll take any “callback” from an equity theater I can get! At the beginning of the show, the narrator explains the basic lines the audience calls out to the actors every time they say certain characters’ names (for the sake of decency, I won’t share them here, so you’ll have to go hear them yourself). For more experienced fans, there are unique and specific lines to call out that are just as funny as the script itself. I think it’s pretty impressive for actors to stay in character while being yelled at for a solid two hours. Since every audience is different, the actors get a chance to method act as they shiver with antici…

…pation. Another reason to see Rocky Horror is to support our OCU students and alumni working on and offstage! Music alumni Kat Metcalfe plays “Magenta” alongside fellow music alumni Janna Schmid who plays “Columbia.” Kylan Durant, music graduate, and music seniors Marcus Canada and Brooke Melton play phantoms in the ensemble. Claudia Campbell, design and production freshman, and Hannah Kimball, design and production junior, serve as assistant stage managers to alumna Laurena Sherrill, the production stage manager.

Overall, it was a night of fun music and innovative staging. I’d definitely recommend the show to college students as long as they know what they’re signing up for. The Rocky Horror Show runs through Nov. 5th, and tickets can be purchased at lyrictheatreokc.com, or students can volunteer to usher and see the show for free! Lyric Theatre produces this show every three years, so for many students it’s the only time to see their production.