Many Lawrentians ventured into Youngchild Hall Saturday evening to witness the annual performance of “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The YUAI Community presented a highly interactive performance of Richard O’Brien’s sexy Transylvanian musical with music, dance, and enough drag to land a 747.
As the audience entered Youngchild Hall, first-timers were approached with bright red lipstick and smeared with the letter “V,” for “virgin,” on their faces. Sophomore YUAI Gus Christensen described some of the history of live performances of “Rocky Horror.” “It’s a really bad movie, so people would get drunk and add their own stuff.” Christensen explained that the movie was often acted out in front of the TV screen it was being watched on, and such was the conception of the current production.
The cast of Lawrence students did an excellent job making the movie much more entertaining.
“All the random word yelling was interesting,” said Chrissie Nelson. “It really changed the entire context of the movie and made it really funny.” Oftentimes throughout the film and production the cast interjected words and phrases to add to the hilarity of the production. The cast members also sang different lyrics over some of the songs.
Another interesting aspect of the production was the costumes. The actors did an amazing job of matching the costumes of their production with those from the movie. Mandy Roberts’ “Magenta” costume was particularly realistic, even down to the color of her hair. The corset and green smock of J.D. Jicha’s character, “Dr. Frank-N-Furter,” were also the same as Tim Curry’s in the movie, creating a very lifelike feeling in the live performance.
The cast did a great job with the use of the stage. Christensen’s character, “Rocky,” was chased by Frank-N-Furter through the audience, encouraging the audience to get involved. Similar participation was incited during some of the dance numbers.
The YUAI community had a really good time putting on the show, and the cast is considering having another performance in the spring. Come see what you’re missing!
YUAI’s perform, defame Rocky Horror Picture Show
