New ‘Rocky Horror’ Trades Glam For Leather

Speaker 1: 00:00 The Rocky horror picture show is a mainstay at midnight movies some four decades after it came out. But before it was a cold film, it was a stage musical called the Rocky horror show. OB Playhouse had such success selling out the show last year than it is bringing it back. KPBS arts reporter Beth OCHA, Mondo speaks with director, choreographer, Michael, ms Ronnie and actor Hunter Brown about remounting the show. Speaker 2: 00:25 Michael, you've previously staged the Rocky horror show at OB play house and you are staging it again. Why are you bringing it back? Was it the popularity? Speaker 3: 00:34 It was popular. It sold out every night, so they thought, Hey, it's all every night and we made some money, so let's do it again. Which is sort of smart. Yeah. So yeah, we just opened this weekend Speaker 2: 00:44 and returning to a show like that, are you changing anything up? Speaker 3: 00:49 Well, I didn't change any of the staging or the dances, but I'm half the cast is new. So in that aspect it's a different show because they bring different elements and talents. So, yeah, it's, I would say it's the same show structurally, but how it works on stage is different Speaker 2: 01:02 and you've changed the look of it a bit. Speaker 3: 01:05 Um, usually it's done in a glam rock style and, and there's part of that in there, but we went more like SM leather aspect of it. So it's very much about the leather and the bras and the jock straps and the thongs and the chain skirts and the riding crop and the floggers. So it's much, you know, more of that is, um, in the production Speaker 2: 01:23 and Hunter you are playing Brad, who is the quote unquote square character who gets brought into this world. What's that like? It's a, it's, it's a fun experience. Most of the show, um, like the first act, I'm Janet and I have a couple of songs and then it's us just kind of standing and watching and it's, it's really fun to just kinda, you know, get in that mindset of being from just like regular small town Americana and then being drawn into this world of just insanity and craziness. It's really cool. Speaker 3: 01:51 And, um, as they watch that, they do slowly get drawn in. To me the Timewarp is like, um, initiation. So they do it like, like they do it like four times, like let's do the time warp and slowly Brad and Janet get pulled in until Columbia grabs them and makes them do it. And so their initiation is complete by then and the very next scene scene, a friggin further walks and you're like, okay, here it comes. Speaker 2: 02:12 Just throughout the show, Janet and I both like different things start happening to us and I feel like both of the characters start getting more and more comfortable with everything as it goes on. Just kinda getting pulled into everything. Speaker 3: 02:23 Yeah. And they're finding out things about themselves they didn't know or were repressed like, Oh, I sort of like this, Oh maybe, you know, I like Toby with him and not her. And so they sort of start to change how they look at themselves and their sexuality. Speaker 2: 02:37 You brought up the time warp, so this is a very iconic part of Rocky horror. How as a choreographer, do you approach something that on a certain level feels very familiar to people because of what they've already seen in the film? Speaker 3: 02:55 Well, if anyone knows me, I usually don't do just what they did, the film. There are aspects of that, but it's more complex. It is on stage and it is, and you're watching it and needs to be interesting to watch because they do it four times. So I can't just have them do the same thing over and over and over again four times. Um, so it's a little bit more intricate, a little bit more complex than normal, but all the aspects of, you know, jump to the left, you have to jump to the left because the lyrics say you have to jump to the left. Speaker 4: 03:41 [inaudible] Speaker 2: 03:42 Brad and doing that kind of transformation. Cause it seems like you have to kind of change your whole physicality. Yeah. Yeah. Um, no, it's really interesting because kind of like Michael was saying earlier, it's more of a, I feel, I mean like, yeah, it's Brad, you know, being pulled into this lifestyle, but more so it's just about, it's not about him changing into something he wasn't, it's, it's about all of these walls that he's had come down. So it's, it's really kind of like Michael said, just about becoming more free. And that really, that's, it kind of goes down to that. And in my physicality, I just feel like Brad gets a little more loose. Speaker 3: 04:16 I remember going to see the movie the first time and I'm watching it and I'm like, okay, okay. You know, I started talking to you. I'm like, Oh, okay. And then I'm, when Brad and Frank hook up and people are cheering, I'm like, Oh, it's okay. It's, I'm like, it's okay. It's okay to actually be be gay and people aren't going to judge you about it. And well, and you know, I was raised a Catholic in the Catholic school and I, and I was just taught, no, no, no. But then you're like other people like, Oh, like outside world it's okay. It's okay. Speaker 2: 04:46 For people who have only seen the film, what would you say the musical does different, or what should they expect? Different? The movies a lot slower. Speaker 3: 04:54 It's a lot slower. Slower. Yeah. I tend to keep the pace up of this and um, just because people are live in front of you, some of the aspects of the movie where it's, it's like on the screen and you're far away and they're not real. You're like, Oh, okay. But, but witness right in front of you when the sexuality of it is right on stage in front of you, it's a little bit of a different experience. And also the call outs, we were up doing call-outs. Yeah. So when you're in the audience and you're doing call outs in the actor, shout back at you like, Oh, that's not in the movie. It definitely is in the movie, but I'm at OB. If you call out, you never know. They might yell back at you. So be prepared if you do that. So this will be interactive to a degree. Speaker 3: 05:32 Yeah. Um, yeah, we won't pull anyone up on stage obviously, but yet people are calling off things and basically the most, um, the show itself is probably, uh, um, a soft Dar. But because of the call outs, it's probably a hard art. They get, I get shocked in, it's hard to shock me. I'm like, what did they just say? Yeah, there's been some pretty bad ones. I'm pretty bad. Bad as in, Oh you didn't like funny, but there's gas first and then you laugh. Yeah. Those sort of call outs. Yeah. So, so be prepared for a campy and carnal ride, man. It is. There's a lot of fun though. It's really funny and a lot of [inaudible]. Speaker 2: 06:07 And what do you think gives Rocky horror? Its longevity cause it's been around for decades and it's still gets screened at midnights, at a lot of movie theaters around the country. Um, what's its appeal do you think? Speaker 3: 06:19 I think the appeal is that, um, the issues haven't gone away. The, um, issues of sexuality, of accepting yourself as you are of, um, body image. Our cast is shapes and sizes and they're all beautiful. You know, I don't go, Oh, you know, I'm going to cover up anyone. I'm not going to do that. We're all all beautiful and we're all different. Um, and I, and I think those aspects still still resonate. I think people are still still struggling with, um, um, identity. And so when they go and see this, they see it's all right. It's all right. Speaker 2: 06:50 Well, and it's for somebody younger. I, you, you came to the play, um, not having really liked the film that much, but so does the place speak to you? Yeah, no, definitely. I think it's a, it's just a good blend of just like crazy spectacle and just like, you know, an hour, 45 minutes of just like good time. But then also it's, um, it's like the show itself isn't that deep, but it's just, it's cool to see all these different people just being free onstage and just like the, the message of don't dream it, be it. I just think it's such a powerful, Speaker 3: 07:22 that's actually a better answer because that's the song. Don't, don't have dream it, be it. Be yourself. Embrace who you are, your irreverence. And uniqueness. I mean, if that's the message of it, it's, it's right there when Frank says, don't dream it, be it, be whoever you you want to be and there's nothing wrong with it. Yeah. Use that. That's better. Speaker 2: 07:42 The mine, that was Beth OCHA, Mondo speaking with Michael, ms Ronnie and Hunter Brown about the Rocky horror show that runs through March 1st at OB Playhouse.