Review: ROCKY HORROR SHOW at OFC Creations

I’ve reviewed a deluge of “Rocky Horror” productions in my years covering the Upstate NY theatre scene, so when it comes to this iconic intergalactic cult classic I feel confident saying that I’ve seen it all: spaceships, dildos, lasers, dildos that shoot lasers, etc. But this was my first “Rocky Horror” experience set in a night club (well, technically a strip mall café) that I enjoyed while sipping a beer and munching a flatbread, so a tip-of-the-hat to OFC Creations for adding a totally unique flair to show that is otherwise widely produced. All in all, it makes a theatre experience that is always a bizarro good time, even more enjoyable.

“The Rocky Horror Show”, the 1973 musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien, tells the story of newly engaged couple Brad and Janet (Eric Schutt and Abby Kate Herron) getting caught in a storm and coming to the home of a mad transgender scientist, Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Garrett Clayton), unveiling his new creation, a sort of Frankenstein-style monster in the form of an artificially made, fully grown, physically perfect muscle man named Rocky (Jeremy Lloyd). Via lasers, leather, rock & roll, and a few sex toys, the night’s misadventures cause Brad and Janet to question everything they’ve known about themselves, each other, life on Earth, love, and lust.

OFC’s “Rocky Horror” features a diverse and entertaining cast, and it will likely come as no surprise that stage and screen veteran Garrett Clayton is, by far, the production’s standout performance, turning in a Frank N Furter that is as eccentric and gender-bending as you would expect, but also with a sense of humor that is sarcastic, sly, and at times even a little dry. It’s a lovely contrast to the production’s wacky backdrop, and is a perfect pairing to Clayton’s physical comedy and hilarious eccentricities.

On the production side, a huge shoutout to choreographer Caeli Carroll, dance captain Mandy Lynn Griffith, and the show’s production team for somehow weaving a dense and intricate stage musical rife with large set pieces, 12+ bodies, and a full band into an intimate café setting without sacrificing the quality of the dancing or movement. I fully anticipated treaded-upon toes and uncomfortably-close dance numbers, but the performers seamlessly move among the audience and the restaurant without missing a beat (or an ass slap, or a boob grab).  

Speaking of staging, one small, somewhat bewildering hitch: the production halts about 20 minutes from the end as The Narrator asks everyone to relocate from the Old Farm Café down two doors to OFC’s main stage for the remainder of the performance. I’m assuming this has something to do with the spatial requirements of the show’s final musical numbers (the café is a pretty tight squeeze, after all), but it admittedly did momentarily kill the show’s momentum as the audience all rose from their seats, confusedly exited the venue, walked together through a parking lot, and milled-about in the main theatre’s lobby for 10-15 minutes while we waited for the new stage to be set and the show to resume. Not a night-ruiner by any means, but certainly a perplexing production choice that could do with some creative problem-solving.

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