Confession time: on October 17, 2018, I lost my virginity. My Rocky Horror virginity, that is. On a night I shan’t soon forget, I swapped my Rocky Horror v-card for an evening of ecstasy with Atomic Vaudeville. From the moment the band came out in corsets and rubber suits, I knew I was in for a ride. And I wasn’t disappointed.
The soft opening (you can’t make this stuff up) of Atomic Vaudeville’s The Rocky Horror Show came complete with prop bags ($5 cash, and totally worth it) and enough (totally optional) audience participation to provide a satisfying night for all. As someone who dreads audience participation, I was a little nervous to find out the show was full of it, but as our MC and narrator J. McLaughlin was quick to remind us, consent is required in 2018, giving everyone a choice as to how much they engaged. This disclaimer was greatly appreciated and allowed the audience to be in on the somewhat dated concepts of sexuality in Rocky Horror.
The show itself was not without the occasional technical difficulty or missed cue, but the actors handled them like champs and were able to laugh with the audience in a wink-wink kind of way.
Those few moments were easily forgiven thanks to the stellar job by the entire cast. It’s rare to not have a weak player in an ensemble piece of this size, but everyone rose to the demands of their roles.
A particular shout-out needs to be given to Jana Morrison, a gender-bending Riff Raff, who brought the house to rousing cheers within the first few bars of her bangarang singing. And while audience members may live in fear of a weak Frank N’ Furter, there is no need to worry with Griffin Leonard Lea at the helm. Lea is breathtaking and brave in this iconic role, commanding the stage from the second he enters, baring his soul (and a little more) for the audience.
There really weren’t any flaws in this show—it lives up to the raunchy, campy hype people expect from The Rocky Horror Show and should be commended for its solid delivery of this iconic musical.
The Rocky Horror Show
Various times, until Sunday, October 28
$34, Metro Studio Theatre
atomicvaudeville.com