Don’t dream it. Be it! In the season of Rocky Horror Shows, picture or otherwise, Stand Up For… Theatre is it! Director Ed Higgins takes an overdone, yet annually anticipated show, and turns it on its head. In a theatre world of copycats Higgins brings a refreshing twist to a classic tale.
Set in the round, this version gives an intimate feel and, in my opinion, makes for better audience participation. It was nice to have the Phantoms bring people on stage for “The Time Warp”, and several times the actors joined and interacted with the audience. Higgins’ use of the elevated stage worked well with the four floor risers. The multiple elevations allowed for depth, clean staging and quick set changes for Stage Manager Kathy McCrory and her crew. Except for a major hiccup at the end of the show, this production was smooth as butter.
Of all the Rocky whatever’s I’ve seen over the years, this one wins the prize for costuming. Costumers Cathy Pritchard and Grant Myers took the advice of Advisor Lee Anderson and put together eye popping, colorful costumes for the cast. The different corsets for Magenta and Columbia worked very well against the look of the Phantoms. Additionally, Eddie/Dr. Scott was very well done, but the cherry on top has to be Frank’s robe.
Light Designer Andrew Vida and Sound Designer Charles Hirsch display their talents showing why they are some of the best in the area. Vida adds colors that match the scene and boost the value. Hirsch, who rarely mixes anymore, returns to his board and fits like a hand in a glove. Hirsch is arguably the best sound man in Maryland and his work in this production shows why. He just needs to be nudged every now and then by Vida to make sure he is still awake.
The musical team of Scratch Lei (Vocal Director) and William Zellhofer (Music Director) worked well together to produce clean, crisp vocals from their actors. Zellhofer also kept the pit orchestra, which played flawlessly, on point. I can see these two pairing up again for future endeavors. Or at least I hope they will.
In some productions the Phantoms seem to be secondary or an afterthought. It can be like, well they are in the script, how do I use them? Higgins again uses his actors to their fullest potential, and to further the story. This group made up of Lucy Blumberg, Landi Rodriguea, LiLou Altman, and Loreli Kahn are very talented. All of them have the vocal prowess to have played any lead role. Kahn also plays the role of Trixie, and her opening vocals are to die for. Proving that they just aren’t pretty faces and voices, Altman, who doubles as the Choreographer, does a nice job with the dance numbers. The small space could have presented a challenge, but it didn’t appear to bother Altman as her charges made the best of what was available.
Mea Holloway (Magenta) and Alex Clasing (Columbia) deliver amazing performances. Both are triple threats, and they are not afraid to show what they have. Their facial expressions and interaction with the audience are a positive addition. Both are so much in character, and they do not miss a single piece of the action. It’s as though they are eavesdropping on the show, and they have something to say about everything. Their interaction had me laughing several times.
Eddie/Dr. Scott, both played by Christopher Pence, and Rocky, played by Geoff Bowman, make sure that they are not upstaged by the ladies and deliver excellent performances. Pence struggles a bit keeping up with the pace of Eddie’s song, but he more than makes up for it with his portrayal of Scott. Perhaps the toughest role in the show is that of Rocky, and Bowman delivers a performance as though he has been playing the role for years. Bowman has the voice for the part and his vocal numbers were a pleasure, but his acting is not to be overlooked. In a show that is performed every year by many organizations, it’s easy to forget that Rocky is the title character; Bowman reclaims the title in a championship performance. He brings back, for lack of a better word, the human side of Rocky. Truly a heartfelt performance.
Mauryce Brumfield (Narrator) is simply a show within a show. No script can contain him. If he were cast as “third tree from the left” (and I think he was in Wizard of Oz), Brumfield has a natural ability to take any role and make it his own. I’m telling you that you could cast this man as a cardboard box and walk away from the show talking about his wonderful performance. Simply put, Brumfield owns the stage every time he is on it.
For me the most pleasant surprise was Richard “Ricky” A. Vitanovec as Riff Raff. Remember the Seinfeld episode with the basketball playing “Jimmy”? He referred to himself in the third person all the time. Vitanovec is the “Ricky”. While maybe not the only Ricky ever to grace the stage at DoodleHatch, his performance cements him as THE Ricky. Vitanovec gives a vocal performance to shred your face and his acting is equally on par. I don’t know where they found him, but he needs to travel to Columbia on a regular basis. We need more!
He’s a hot dog and he better not try and hurt her! No longer a “virgin” Bryan Brown returns as the iconic Frankenfurter. Brown builds upon last year’s performance and delivers a powerful performance. He brings back his mastered vocals and adds some more sass. Don’t be surprised to find him sitting next to you or even in your lap. You know when you are on top of your game when the audience cheers, “Yaaaas queen!” and begs for more. Brown is a hot dog, and we love him for it.
Despite being called Rocky Horror and the guy getting all the attention isn’t even from this planet, the show really is about the adventures of Brad Majors and Janet Weiss. Majors, played by David Vaderrama, I found to be flat. Vaderrama gives his all in a role that is hard to look at without a preconceived notion of how we’ve traditionally seen Brad. His comedy seemed forced, and he struggled with some of his vocals. On a high note, was his high note. In “Once in a While”, Vaderrama options to hold the last note beyond its requirement, and it works brilliantly. Unfortunately, in this performance, the only one to nail Brad was Frank.
Without a doubt the star the shines the brightest was Kristen Demers as Janet. From start to finish Demers is on her game. She takes the innocent, naive Janet and through the course of the show, allows her to mature and discover herself. Just listen to her docile tone in “Dammit Janet” and how it changes to an erotic belt in “Touch-a…”. Demers also delivers in her dance. Just watch her purposeful movement and how she uses her body from Act I to Act II. She has a full understanding of her character and delivers a performance to bring down the house.
As excellent of a production as this was, it would be amiss to overlook the dance break from hell. This was put in place to facilitate a costume change. Don’t misunderstand me, the choreography for the number was fine. The industrial music and dance were interesting, but after the second person got old quick. I kid you not, you could get up during the number, walk across the facility, use the restroom, and when you come back it is still going on. It is way too long and disrupts the flow of the show. On opening night the call backs were flying, the audience was tossing things from their prop bags, and everyone was really into the show. By the time “Floor Show” was ready they had lost the audience. It was just a different feeling. Maybe there will be a different solution next week.
All in all, this was one of the better performances I’ve seen. With so many to choose from, you won’t be disappointed you made the trip to Columbia.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours with one intermission
The Rocky Horror Show plays through Saturday October 28th 2023 with Stand Up For…Theatre at DoodleHATCH— 8775 Cloudleap Court in Columbia, MD. Tickets are available for purchase at the door or in advance online.
