Lyric Stage presents The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
Music, Lyrics, and Book by Richard O’Brien
Directed by Brandon Mason
Choreographed by Brandon Mason and Kelly McCain
Music Director Hans Grim
Music Supervisor Bruce Greer
Set and Prop Coordination by Spencer Meador
Costume Design by D’Mariel Jones assisted by Catherine Carpenter-Cox
Lighting Design and Technical Direction by Scott Guenther
Intimacy Choreography by Ashley H. White
Piano/Conductor Hans Grim
Synthesizer Brittany Haywood
Bb Tenor Saxophone Susan Ishii
Guitar Sam Walker
Bass Guitar Canyon Kafer
Drums Wes Griffin
My thoughts on The Rocky Horror Show or…absolute forbidden pleasure
There’s a party going on at the Majestic Theatre in Dallas and whether you are dressed for it or not, you are going to have one helluva good time. All those wonderfully weird Rocky Horror characters are live and in person and not wearing a whole lot.
Any show that starts with Tiana Shuntae Alexander singing the opening number is heading in the right direction. Tiana, who plays Magenta, fills the Majestic with a voice that goes right through you and can probably be heard somewhere down around Neiman Marcus. She also gets to showcase her considerable dancing and some naughty acting skills here.
Jeff Swearingen, who in reality has a very nice neck, plays the narrator. Jeff keeps a dead pan expression as the audience hurls insults at him and brings just the right touch of comedy to the show. He also knows how to handle the heckles expertly.
Ryan Michael Friedman as Brad and Anna Pena as Janet are perfection as the lost couple who stumble upon the castle of Frank ‘N’ Furter, looking for a telephone and find other worldly weirdness and sexual awakening instead. Ryan brings an amusing geekiness to Brad singing “Damnit, Janet” and Anna is great fun to watch transform from demure virgin to sex hungry wanton in her “Touch-a Touch Me” number.
Alena Cardenez is a singing, tap dancing whiz as Columbia. Cardenez, almost unrecognizable in the short wig, makes Columbia a squeaky voiced charmer who can fill the stage with her presence.
As Rocky, J. T. Snyder can not only work a gold speedo but is also a top-notch singer as his “Sword of Damocles.” shows. I also admired J. T.’s acting skills. His Rocky is not just a beautiful physical creation, but a living, thinking being.
Jose Ruiz-Gonzalez inhabits the dual role of Dr. Scott and the doomed Eddie. Jose is the quintessential professor with a slightly kinky side beneath his blanket as Dr. Scott and he rocks the stage with “Hot Patootie” as Eddie. He is so good it made me wish he had another song.
Ethan Rodriguez-Mullins was the surprise of the night for me and made Riff Raff my favorite character. I knew Ethan was an incredible singer from past performances, but I have never seen him rule the stage as he does in this production. He opens Act II with a suggestive dance that spills out into the audience making the entire audience react wildly. Ethan has the special power to mesmerize with his singing, dancing, and acting. And seeing him in those silver Flash Gordon shorts alone is worth the price of admission.
Jeff Wells was born to play the part of Frank ‘N’ Furter. Everything is right from the voice to the appearance to the acting to the dancing. Jeff has a commanding stage presence and makes Frank over the top funny but is also able to bring out the character’s vulnerability. I enjoyed watching his facial expressions as he delivered his lines as he sometimes seemed to be channeling Faye Dunaway in “Mommie Dearest.” Bravo Jeff.
Then there are all those amazing intergalactic dancing and singing wild and untamed things known as Transylvanians who perform Brandon Mason and Kelly McCain’s wickedly fierce choreography with sweaty abandon. These tremendously talented Transylvanians include Kyleigh Freeman, Antavius Draughn, Haley Conrad Meyer, Octavian Lewis, Isabella Zambrano, Jessica Webba, Maya Hernandez-Pearson, Audrey Beyersdorfer, Jonah Munroe, Ethan Massengale, and Gena Loe. They are the reason Rocky rocks.
Director Mason has made The Rocky Horror Show into an immersive and unforgettable experience and found the perfect production team to realize his vision. D’Mariel Jones made the sexy, skimpy costumes and must have used every square inch of fishnetting in DFW. Music Director Hans Grim has an outstanding band making every note of Rocky reverberate through the theater. The cast crawls all over the scaffolding on the set designed by Spencer Meador and Scott Guenther’s lighting is superb, especially near the end of the show when he uses the revolving spots.
The Rocky Horror Show is irreverent, adult, and out of this world (pun intended) entertainment. By all means, leave the kiddos at home and get down to the Majestic before it ends. I’ve got to end this review and go shopping for a pair of those Flash Gordon shorts and some fishnet stockings to wear on my return visit. See you there at the late-night double feature picture show.
