I LOVED LOVED LOVED the 2000 revival! I also liked how it was at Circle in the Square Theater. Very unique and different staging, with a modern loud rock 'n' roll theme. Personally, the revival version of "Time Warp" is better than any of the over versions I've heard. The choreography was just incredible as well, I thought it was pretty neat that the show was brought out of it's retro state to a new modernized rock state.
I wonder if Rocky Horror could be reinvented for a revival or is it too much of a cult classic that fans would object to any changes. I do love the show but I think it would be cool for it to go back to its B-Movie roots, maybe stage a production at an old cinema similar to how Cabaret was done at the Henry Miller's/Kit Kat Club and later Studio 54.
I don't think it would work. One of the reasons the revival was as perfect and as artistically successful as it was, was the small theater and the "in the round" setting that allowed everyone to be in the show. You could be in the last row and your shout outs would still be heard clear as day. Can you imagine doing the show somewhere with people in row L of the Mezz shouting to compete with people in the orchestra? It would never work. If it were to come back I can't see it being anywhere else other than Circle in the Square again.
I think it would be hard to bring the show back to its B-movie and gay-camp roots well, simply because a show becomes what it is, culturally. Sort of like how hard it is to take Grease back to its roots and stage it in the original fashion. It has evolved and metamorphosed over time into a whole different animal.
For instance: In the film and almost all subsequent productions of Rocky, the build to Frank's reveal is slow and dramatic, with "the master" spoken of reverently, interrupted by The Time Warp, leading up to Frank's dramatic reveal cloaked in his cape, and then the big cape-toss to reveal the iconic bustier. Older, pre-movie stagings had very little of that. Not only was "Sweet Transvestite" in front of "Time Warp," but there was very little dramatic build to Frank's reveal, nor the elaborate cape bit. Rather, after Brad and Janet enter and a few lines pass, Frank struts out sassily and begins his song. Even the phrasing of the music is different. Rather than the R&B-meets-Talking-Heads stomp of the Sweet T we know, older versions were fast, hard-edged Rolling Stones boogie. Frequently, Tim Curry's shout-outs in the London and Roxy recordings make it clear that Magenta and the rest of the characters are dancing full out, rather than just posing and snarling like the film and Broadway revival.
It would be hard, and to most, disappointing, to go back to original intentions that way, among others.
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Am I the only one who reallllllyyy wants to hear Patti LuPone belt "Science Fiction/Double Feature" and play Magenta? It would never ever happen in a million years but I think it would be lovely.
Out of curiosity, did Kristen Lee Kelly do the same guitar solo when she went on as Columbia? I only ever saw it with Joan Jett and am wondering if Kristen learned (or already knew how) to play the guitar like that, or did they have her mime it and have the guitarist in the band play it, or just cut it all together?
And I would assume that it was cut completely when Ana Gasteyer took over the role, correct?
I loved, loved, loved that revival. I had never seen the original production, only the movie more times than I care to reveal. Before the show began, I had trepidations about how Riff-Raff would be portrayed -- could anyone equal ROCKY creator Richard O'Brien's indelible portrait? -- and then Raul Esparza, whom I had never seen on stage before, broke into the Time Warp, and, as Sally sings in FOLLIES, "my fears were gone."
I'll bet he could step back into that role today with equal effectiveness. Would like to see that!
I am currently in the middle of a run as Frank in Raleigh, NC. It has been amazing how the "blue hair" crowd has embraced the audience participation. Every performance there are 60-70 year olds calling Brad an asshole. I guess if you think about it the original debuted over 35 years ago when those people were in their 20-30s.
Also- I never thought the show could play in anything but a small house until I saw the last European Tour. It was a very different interpretation but really showed the flexibility as long as the concept was sound (not to mention they have the best Riff Raff I have ever heard): http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB546E02A7176F669&feature=mh_lolz
I agree with those who thought the Broadway revival was terrific. Not sure I'm ready for another, although I think I'd like to see Annie Lennox perform Rocky Horror as a one-woman show.
"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
-- Thomas Jefferson
Annie Lennox would be great... I think Russell Brand would do a great one-man Rocky. You need someone with both major comic chops and a host of voices, impressions and physicalities at their disposal, and Russell Brand can be some very non-Russell Brand characters when he wants to. Look at Despicable Me, for instance.