You Have to Keep your Ears Open

Yesterday was our first meeting for the Rocky Horror Show to be produced at Rhodes College, opening on Halloween night. Read thrus are always fairly boring (and I often find them rather unhelpful), but it is often at this opening meeting that the director shares some insight into his or her goals with this particular production. If our education and promotion team decides this evening to begin our work for Rocky Horror, I already have some insight into where to begin.

Now, you're probably thinking, "what in the world do I need to know for the Rocky Horror Show other than to wear my tightest leather pants and facepaint?" Well there actually is something. The original production of this musical incorporates many references to pop culture of the late 1960s and early 1970s. From the references in Science Fiction/Double Feature to particular songs and characters, the play is meant to speak to these "trends" of the time. In many ways it mocks them.

This is an important understanding for an audience member to have. Chris Davis, the director of this production, does not wish simply to reproduce a satiric understanding of bad science fiction and horror movies from the 1970s, there have been plenty of bad movies and television shows since then that we might reference. However, these references will be subtle, and it will take an audience member prepared to look for these if he or she wishes to have the full experience of the production.

So where do you begin? Let's start with the characters, particularly Brad and Janet. This entire play is intentionally full of "bad" acting (which can be more of a challenge than you think). It utilizes the emotions of a soap opera mixed with Star Trek, the 12th generation. Yesterday Davis mentioned a particular artist who visually represents the emotional scale of Rocky Horror, Roy Lichtenstein. Deeply influenced by soap opera and comic books, Lichtenstein's work takes seemingly ordinary situations and intensifies them to "high drama." It is this way that the characters live in this play. Could these kinds of images help in the visual promotion of this play?

Another example comes in the song "I Can Make You a Man." In this song, Frank describes to Brad and Janet how in just a week's time he can make a man with the "Charles Atlas seal of approval." Who is Charles Atlas? A valid question an audience member might consider. Now comic book fans might understand this reference, but the common audience member probably won't. O'Brien (the play's author) is referencing a particular advertisement from comic books of the 70s.




Charles Atlas workouts can help make a wimpy kind into the hunk of the beach. Useful to know if you want to get the joke and understand the satire here. How can we teach Rhodes students (most of whom I would presume don't read comic books) to get these references? More on that later.