The cast of “The Rocky Horror Show” at Short North Stage in 2024. Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Zmuda
The Short North Stage will once again honor “The Rocky Horror Show,” a movie that was at first considered a failure before rising to enduring cult classic status, with its own production starting this Thursday.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the film, which was released in September 1975. The movie became a full-blown cultural phenomenon on April Fools Day in 1976, after what was once just a film became an interactive audience experience, according to the Rocky Horror official fan website.
“The Rocky Horror Show” is entertaining for all audiences, according to Edward Carignan, the director of this year’s show.
“It is extremely subversive, but for some reason, even the most conservative people usually love it,” Carignan said in an email. “I can’t think of another piece of art that you could say that about.”
Nick Hardin, the actor portraying the show’s main antagonist, Dr. Frank N. Furter, said the story is what makes the show stand out.
“It really is a unique storyline, the plot is very weird and very different,” Hardin said. “But we’ve seen this kind of story throughout history, you take two very normal and ordinary people and you put them in a world that is different and unique and let them explore and do things they’ve never done before.”
Sydney Webb, an actor portraying one of the phantoms, said the show is different from that of a more traditional play.
“It doesn’t function quite like a typical stage show or movie,” Webb said. “It touches on a lot of subjects that can be taboo and not talked about, but it does it in such a fun, [simultaneously] easy and hard to digest way that it’ll make you laugh in the moment but then have you thinking hard about it a little later on.”
This year’s production of “The Rocky Horror Show” has been a large undertaking, Carignan said.
“This is by far the largest production value ever for Rocky Horror at Short North Stage,” Carignan said. “We started 8 years ago in our Black Box space and extended 5 weeks. After a couple of years there, we expanded the show and brought it to our mainstage as a tradition every October. It gets bigger every year, more lighting, more sets, better costumes, a fabulous cast and creative team.”
Carignan said those who have seen the film can expect an even more immersive experience from the stage production.
“Much of our show tries to homage moments in the film and expand on them to make them funnier, sexier and more of a full stage spectacle,” Carignan said. “The movie is awesome, but seeing the show with live actors really elevates the material because you are in the same room with these awesome singers and dancers.”
Hardin said audience participation plays a large role within the show itself, with improv being imperative in maintaining the flow of the show.
Nick Hardin as Dr. Frank N. Furter and the cast of “The Rocky Horror Show” at Short North Stage in 2024. Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Zmuda
“Every single show is different from the night before depending on the audience, one night you might get a really tame audience, or you might get a really rowdy one, and that is always really fun,” Hardin said. “[The audience] has really become its own sort of beast because if you go see Rocky Horror in different areas of the country, the call backs are a little different.”
Hardin said some of the call backs are standard across the country, while others differ based on region.
Carignan said audience members attending their first showing of “The Rocky Horror Show” are affectionately referred to by the film’s community as “virgins.”
“If you are a Rocky Horror ‘virgin,’ you can expect an unreal theatrical experience — our production is a full Broadway-style show with full sets, lights, 14 live actors/dancers, unreal vocal and dance talent and unmitigated fun,” Carignan said. “We really lean into the audience callbacks and like to play back and forth with the audience, as they are really a part of the cast.”
Webb said the “The Rocky Horror Show” holds importance for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“It still feels super progressive, even today, in a lot of the things that it does and showcases,” Webb said. “To be so prevalent after so many years, it’s a testament to how it conveys these messages of identity and being true to yourself.”
Hardin said he has participated in all eight years that “The Rocky Horror Show” has run at Short North Stage.
“It’s really nice, it’s like seeing an old friend after you haven’t seen them in a full year,” Hardin said. “It’s really become a part of my normal October. If we stopped bringing it back, I’m not sure what I’d do with my Octobers.”
Ticket prices range from $43.35 to $92.75 including fees and can be purchased on the CAPA Ticket Center website. $20 student rush tickets are available at the door 2 hours prior to showtime. For more information on the production, visit Short North Stage’s website.
This story was updated Wednesday, October 15 to clarify that the show is the stage production “The Rocky Horror Show,” not the film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
