Amid the haunted tours in Marquette, the masquerades on campus and the celebration of Halloween itself, Negaunee’s own Vista Theatre is presenting this year’s rendition of Richard O’Brien’s “The Rocky Horror Show.”
Directed by Andy Kulie, this year marks “The Rocky Horror Show’s” 10th year at the Vista Theatre.
“This is not your typical play,” assistant director Al Keefer said. “The cast is made up of new people along with savvy veterans. This isn’t like any play you would normally go to. You aren’t just sitting in the audience watching the cast, you are also interacting with them and the crowd around you.”
“The Rocky Horror Show” begins as the newly engaged couple, Brad and Janet, played by Jordayn Fisher and Kelsey Dillon, is traveling when they get lost and are left with a flat tire. They venture to a nearby castle to ask for help where they meet with many other characters including “Rocky,” the play’s modern day Frankenstein played by crowd favorite Bobby Glenn Brown. Brad and Janet are later thought to be spies for the government as the plot thickens and are pursued accordingly.
“The Rocky Horror Show” makes the audience more than just a crowd with their eyes drawn, turning this into a different experience from typical plays. The audience is invited to come dressed in costume, and before the start of each play there are different contests and prizes, one of which is a costume contest. The crowd interacts with the cast as they are allowed to bring rice, bread, hotdogs and other such items to throw during the performance.
“The last midnight show we had, the crowd was interacting so well with the cast that the cast and I were there cleaning until around 4 a.m. During the show the cast was laughing just as much as the audience and stayed long after the play to talk with them,” Keefer said.
Normally, having the same show around the same time every year done the same way would grow tiresome with any audience. Kulie assures that, though this is his first time directing the show, he wants to really take it back to its roots, but with a few tricks up his sleeve to keep it from becoming a rerun on stage.
“There are a lot of little surprises throughout the play. In previous shows, there have been a lot of spins off of the original ‘Rocky Horror Show,’ but I really want to keep this close to the show’s roots, and add in a few surprises that the audience will love,” Kulie says.
Show times are at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 21-23 and 28-30. There are two additional midnight performances on the Oct. 23 and 30. Regular shows are $12, while the midnight shows are $15. There will be a bus leaving at 6:30 p.m. from the LRC for students on campus to take to the show. It is $3 to get to the theater, and another $3 for a ride back.
